LENOX — For most of his career, drummer Terry A La Berry has performed in some pretty big shadows – namely, Arlo Guthrie and David Grover – but these days, Berry, also known as Terry Hall, is stepping out on his own more often.
Berry’s second solo CD, “It’s Better with You,†will be released in May, following on the heels of the Grammy-nominated “Surfing with Dinosaurs.†Berry is also performing more often with his own group, Terry A La Berry & Friends, a trio comprising Berry and a mother/daughter team from Lee, LuAnn Herring and Jenelle Herring.
Not that Berry is leaving Grover’s Big Bear Band, a group he has performed with for more than 15 years. He’s just expanding his musical horizons, filling in some gaps in the Big Bear Band schedule – and getting a kick out of doing something he’s always wanted to do.
“David’s encouraged me for years to do something like this on my own,†Berry said last week. “I’m really enjoying it. It’s made me work harder as a musician.â€
There are similarities to the Big Bear Band. Berry’s solo group is also family oriented, with young children comprising a large part of its audience. When performing with Grover, Berry’s role is as much comedy as musicianship, and he carries that character into his solo work.
Still, the drummer said, Terry A La Berry & Friends has its own sound, its own music and its own stage personality.
“It is different, we interact differently,†he said. “We’re not as polished as David Grover & the Big Bear Band and we don’t try to be. We try to be loose and have fun; we’re doing this for kids.â€
The percussionist recognizes that there is a much greater challenge in being the “front man†in the group, rather than the supporting role he’s had with Grover. Some of the interactive children’s music gets downright tiring, he noted. Jenelle Herring, a student at Berkshire Country Day School, provides some respite for Berry, taking the lead vocal in several songs.
How does Berry relate to his young audience?
“I just kind of be myself,†he said. “Kids can pick up on anything. If they’re seeing us playing up there and really having a good time, they see that. And we don’t want them just sitting there, we need their help.â€
Berry, a Lenox native who still lives in the village, began his career in music as a teenager. After studying percussion with Arthur Press of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, he attended both the Boston Conservatory of Music and The Berklee School of Music. He later joined Arlo Guthrie’s group, Shenandoah (it was Guthrie who dubbed the name “The unbelievable Terry A La Berry,†a name that stuck) and recorded 10 albums with the famed folksinger.
Berry also had an opportunity to explore another of his passions — acting. He created the role of Arthur in William Gibson’s “A Cry of Players,†with Anne Bancroft, and appeared in the films “Alice’s Restaurant,†“End of the Road,†“Lethal Innocence,†“Renaldo and Clara.†Two years ago, he played the lead in the independent film “Fishbowl Billy.â€
Besides Grover and Guthrie, Berry has performed with David Bromberg, Carly Simon, John Prine, John Denver, Bonnie Raitt and others.
Since teaming up with Grover, a childhood friend – the two actually first performed together when they were 13 years old – the Big Bear Band has built a national audience performing children’s music around the country.
Berry’s solo group offers him an opportunity to interact with young audiences in smaller, more intimate settings, not always possible with the large audiences typically drawn by The Big Bear Band.
For example, he will perform at the Bousquet Ski area on Tuesday afternoons beginning on June 22. The group will also play at the Lenox Library (July 8, 2 p.m.), the Guthrie Center (July 18, 1:30 p.m.), Conor’s Run in Williamstown (Sept. 18) and the Lee Founder’s Day celebration in October.
Berry’s solo personality is reflected on the songs in “Better with You.†The CD offers a mix of children’s songs, (“The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything,†“Eat & Brush Your Teeth,â€) and classic folk songs, such as “If I Had a Hammer,†and “Lean on Me.â€
Berry wrote several of the songs, including the title track “Better with You,†which he co-wrote with his band mates.
“The idea behind ‘Better with You,’ is how much more fun it is to share something you love to do with friends,†he said.
In creating the CD, he enlisted many of his friends, including Grover, who engineered the album and plays guitar and bass on several tracks.
And what does the accomplished musician Terry Hall have in common with the often wacky Terry A La Berry?
“I’d have to say,†he conceded, “that my character doesn’t fall very far from the tree.â€
The CD is scheduled to be released in mid-May and will be available at performances of Terry A La Berry & Friends, David Grover & The Big Bear Band and online at terryalaberry.com.
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MSBA: No Stearns in Proposed West Pittsfield School
During the School Building Needs Commission meeting on Monday, the owner's project managers, Skanska, reported that the Massachusetts School Building Authority would not fund a three-school project.
Stearns Elementary School had been included in the feasibility study to see if Crosby Elementary, Conte Community School, and Stearns Elementary could all be located at 517 West St. All three school locations listed in the feasibility study had to be considered; Conte has several site challenges.
Project designers TSKP reviewed 12 different school options, and it was relayed that only the rebuilds of Crosby and Conte could be fully funded. Pittsfield would have to pay for Stearns.
"I also think it's important to look at long-term and affordability, and if we choose to keep Stearns in, we're going to make the decision to keep PHS out," Mayor Peter Marchetti said.
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