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.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
North Adams Selected for $2.5M Pilot 'Creative District' Program
Staff reports
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A $2.5 million grant for a "creative district" pilot is being seen as a way to leverage past studies and business and arts leaders' input to strengthen the revitalization of the downtown.
The three-year grant is from the Barr Foundation, a Boston-based philanthropic organization that aids communities in unlocking potential for creativity, growth and equity. The foundation partners with the Mass Development and has supported its Transformative Development Initiative program.
"We are just so excited about the opportunity to be part of the creative initiative," said Mayor Jennifer Macksey on Thursday. "Not being designated a gateway community, we thought that was going to hinder us, but Mass Development really came and circled around us.
"We've assembled a great team, and I'm very excited about the work that is going to be done."
This is a new economic development program, and will be used by North Adams to leverage arts and culture as drivers of equitable growth while supporting small businesses and creative entrepreneurs, and positioning the Northern Berkshires for future public and private investment.
"I think this is really going to launch our economic development model — develop it, plan it, and also, again, reach out to the business community, the art community, the municipal community, the residents, and get us all working together to grow North Adams," Macksey said.
One of the first things for the city will be to hire a creative district fellow to work alongside local partners and coordinate program implementation, strengthen collaboration across the district, and advance catalytic projects.
Cassidy Flynn scattered five hits in a complete-game effort in the circle as Lenox upset top-seeded Hoosac Valley, 3-2, in the quarter-finals of the Division 5 State Tournament. click for more
Brayden Durant struck out seven and walked one in a complete-game effort on the mound Saturday to pitch the Drury baseball team to a 6-0 win over Keefe Tech in the quarter-finals of the Division 5 State Tournament at Joe Wolfe Field. click for more
