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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Lanesborough Town Meeting to Vote Budget, Bylaws & Vehicle Purchases
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Tuesday's annual town meeting includes a $14 million operating budget, new short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units and sign bylaws, and free cash article appropriations.
Voters will gather at Lanesborough Elementary School on June 9 at 6 p.m. to decide on 20 warrant articles.
The fiscal 2027 budget is up a little over 10 percent. Some of the main increases are the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School: the McCann assessment is up more than 30 percent based on factors including enrollment and the school renovation project, and Mount Greylock's is up 11 percent.
Article 11 is for the town to vote to approve from free cash the sum of $16,298.48 for the McCann Technical School roof and window replacement project so as not to impact the budget. Article 3 is appropriate $7,586,284 for Mount Greylock Regional School assessment.
Another notable increase was in life and health insurance, showing an increase of about 26 percent.
Ambulance Director Jen Weber is planning 24-hour coverage, which means more staff and a hike in her budget. One of the articles asks the town to appropriate $234,100 to operate the Ambulance Enterprise Fund for salaries and expenses.
Many town departments are looking for new vehicles. The Fire Department is looking to replace its outdated 1996 fire engine. There are two articles related to the truck at a total of $813,366. Article 12 would transfer $225,000 from free cash into the Fire Truck Stabilization Fund; Article 13 would transfer $605,000 from the fund and authorize the borrowing of $208,366.08.
The total includes a $100,000 contingency cost to cover any additional costs if a 2026 model-year chassis cannot be secured before new emissions standards go into effect in 2027.
The board at its last meeting moved the $225,000 transfer to come before the borrowing article, changing the stabilization number. If the $225,000 is not voted on, then they will amend the next article's number on the floor, subtracting the $225,000. This shows the borrowing number significantly lower.
Article 17 asks for the transfer of $80,000 from free cash to replace a police cruiser.
Police Chief Rob Derksen's aim is to replace one vehicle every other year, meaning the oldest vehicle gets replaced about every 10 years.
He stressed that if delayed this year, the town may have to double up in a future year to get back on schedule, and that paying later usually costs more. The article will ask for $80,000 from free cash, the vehicles used to be funded by the BHRD.
Lastly, the Highway Department is looking to replace a 2014 International dump truck that will be a total of $330,000 and will take two to three years to receive.
Money will be used from last year's approval of $250,000 from free cash for the replacement of a 2012 highway front-end loader that was underspent $49,261. Town meeting is being asked to approve a transfer of $53,274.85 from free cash and the use of $227,464 from funds from the Sale of Town Real Estate to fund the balance.
Other free cash proposals include $1,200 to purchase software to support tracking and ongoing maintenance schedules of town-owned vehicles; $42,000 for the replacement of the Highway Department's storage shed roof, $200,000 to reduce the tax levy.
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