Ask Gary Gerloff why he plays music and you'll
get a simple answer: to have a good time.
But ask him what type of music he plays and you'll get an
answer that sounds like a survey course in 2Oth-century American music.
" I've run out of clever stuff to say about it, been sticking
to 'psychedelic Dixieland' use that gives me enough latitude to say I 'It's not
like that at all' or 'It's closer to this.' I go through times when I'm crazy
about jazz or swing or ragtime or Dixieland but, at the same time, that's not
the whole show. That's still only a third of
the show."
Gerloff, 49, has been playing music most of his life
with other bands including the Belligerent Brothers, and with his own, The Gary
Gerloff Band. He frequently plays around the Atlantic region, at city festivals,
private functions and corporate picnics.
His newest project, "Ancestor Worship," was
released earlier this year on Planetary Records and has received enthusiastic
reviews and national attention. Most notably, Billboard Magazine praised
it for its "reverence for the honored tradition and very modern, hip
sensibilities."
The idea for the album came to him just recently.
"I had said to myself making a CD is the height of
vanity. What's the point? You're not going to dominate the world with your
vision or anything. And then I had my kids and it struck me I could be hit by a
bus and they'd have no idea, no documentation that I could do Despite
his long career, this is the first release with just his name on it.
"I came real close to record deals with bands in the '70s
and '80s -I had a pretty good taste of recording life -but something would
always get in the way." this." |
So Gerloff got
together a group of what he calls "A-list local musicians"
including Steve Bassett, Charles Arthur and Susan Greenbaum and recorded
over three months at the Sound of Music. The result, "Ancestor
Worship," ties together gospel, country and jazz -and that's just
within the first few songs. Perhaps the best song on it,
"Hawaii," demonstrates why The Gary Gerloff Band deserves much
acclaim. What could have been a kitschy throwaway tune for less sensitive
artists becomes a subtle yet lush tribute to Hawaiian music.
""I consider myself an ethnomusicologist," he
said. "I have been fascinated with American ethnic music for all my
life."
Gerloff is not the only artist today cross-pollinating
music, but his outgoing nature separates him from some of his colleagues.
"I like to have fun when I'm doing it and that's a
conscious approach. I'm a great believer in the spirit of the crowd or the
group. The desire to participate in the ceremony, whether it's dancing or
pledging allegiance to the flag, people like to do things that embrace the
group. And when you feed to the soul of that, that's God's work. That's
the best use of the energy I got. It ain't about 'Look up here with
spandex and a rooster haircut.' It's about let's have a good laugh, let's
enjoy ourselves."
Although Gerloff demonstrates tremendous respect for
older and more obscure music and history, he said he wants to relate what
he does to newer forms.
"I may not understand it but I don't fear
it," Gerloff said. "When I go by Twisters or some place and I
hear sounds like the end of the world Parts 1 through 4, I encourage every
bit of that. You want to know why? That's the launching pad and kids
are going to develop and their final twist after I'm done and gone will
incorporate everything we've been through." |
The idea of putting forth a larger
picture beyond even himself in a song plays to one of his strengths,
Gerloff said.
"I play to a lot of suits and I can play jazz; or I
can do a country rock song for them. 1 can throw something at them that
they can hit. I really don't worry about it because I believe my diversity
is my strong [trait].
"Ancestor Worship," Gerloff said, is just a
document of his life at the time and his next album will be different. He
plans to keep playing around the mid-Atlantic the rest of the year and
perhaps tour Europe next year.
The Gary Gerloff Band plays this Sunday at Legend Brewing Co.
for the Alvin Reynolds 3rd tribute festival, which runs 2-10p.m. Reynolds,
a longtime presence and music promoter in the Richmond community died
earlier this year from complications from a liver transplant. The festival
features more than 10 other bands, including Slack Family and Burnt
Taters.
"Al left a great footprint, he was a nurturer of
the scene," Gerloff said. "He was self-effacing, modest, humble,
with a wry sense of humor and a sly way about him. The world was lucky to
have seen him born."
One of the few questions Gerloff is reluctant to answer
is how would he like to be remembered.
"Well I've been described as a force of nature and
I don't know whether I like hearing that or not. Bit if I'm going to be
viewed, I want to be viewed as somebody who cared about other people and
the impact music can have. I want to be viewed as someone who made a stand
for what I consider to be important music," |
