"Now infusing guitar jazz, ambient sound, and drum beat, That Toga Band has developed an instrumental edge that is impossible to ignore."
- the Deli Magazine (interviewed by Jason Di Vece, August 22nd, 2008).
That Toga Band
Tyler George-Minetti- lead guitar, lap steel guitar, loops
Hailing from Newburyport, MA, Tyler George-Minetti carries on the family musical tradition through original compositions combined with creative improvisation. Thoughtfully constructing melodies on the guitar, Tyler flies high above but always knows when to land back firmly on the ground. An avid geologist by day, Tyler has also been in such projects as Fear of Music, Sushi is Squishy, The Critters, and Bojam. Tyler George-Minetti has performed at famous venues such as Nectar's and Higher Ground.
Thomas Pearo- guitarbass, loops, effects
A Vermont born native and natural born poet, Thomas Pearo comfortably coordinates the "behind the scenes" structure that makes That Toga Band possible. Using a unique setup that allows Thomas to play both the bass lines and the accompaning harmonies on an acoustic guitar, Tom strives to project sonic possiblities that are in strict agreement with quantum mechanical observations. Tom has been in such projects as Fatheads, The Critters, Birds Rule, the Barnacles and Clouder.
Anthony Kareckas- drums, percussion, sunglasses
Born and raised in South Berwick, Maine, Andy is unquestionably the heart, laughter and juggling talent behind That Toga Band. A busker on the drum set, Andy skillfully blends afro-cuban, rock and jazz rhythms together to create the colors and textures that make up the music. Andy also has been involved with Funk Taco, Bubblin' Upstream, Fear of Music, Sushi is Squishy, and the Kenny Williams Jr. Band. Andy Kareckas has performed all over the world including a 20+ gig United States tour with Bubblin' Upstream and a three month Eastern European tour with the Kenny Williams Jr. Band.
Influences
1956 Chevy Pickups, three dimensional Taylor expansions, the sound when it rains, white noise, dreamy jazz chords, gunpowder tea, cracked leather, guitars in tune, and all the other bells and whistles that come with being a vector potential.
Oh, you mean musical influences. Well in that case a few names come to mind like Bill Frisell, Miles Davis, The Bad Plus, John Scofield, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Neil Young, Bill Evans, Chick Corea and Return to Forever, John Coltrane, the Temptations, the Cinematic Orchestra, the Afro-Cuban Allstars, Al Green, Al DiMeola, The Beatles, Beck, the Books, Can, Charles Mingus, CavePeople, Sinusodial, Fear of Music, Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks, Dave Brubeck, Stan Getz, Devo, Django Reinhardt, Don Caballero, Don Ross, Kaki King, Leo Kottke, David Grisman, Tony Rice, Ella Fitzgerald, Ernest Ranglin, Four Tet, Frank Zappa, Gal Costa, James Brown, Pat Methany, Jim Hall, Jimi Hendrix and so, so, so many more.
Sounds Like
A recent video of Still Got A Belly taken by our new friend and fan Andrew King, taken November 6th at The Elders Come Alive CD Release Party held at Manhattan Pizza and Pub in Burlington, VT.
Toga Town - That Toga Band
ART AND MUSIC
That Toga Band not only creates music, but every member in the band also is an active artist. Be it from designing our own posters almost exclusively to creating wacky buttons to designing an avant-garde newspaper to juggling five pins at a time, every member of That Toga Band is an artist in the broadest sense. Scattered about this page are not only letters grouped into words grouped into sentences grouped into paragraphs which make up a fraction of the whole page, but also some meager attempts at what a selective few would consider art.
The artistic integrity of the members and artists involved with That Toga Band is one of the few basic principles that the music of That Toga Band is structured around. Approaching music from an artistic point of view allows colors and shapes to materialize as fragments of sound, and the creative process becomes much more fun, flexible, and meaningful. A solid musical technique and understanding is a cornerstone for auditory exploration, and once in place, the songs of That Toga Band take on much more meaning and require multiple listens in order to fully appreciate the sonic threads that weave the harmonic sheets together. Each and every song we compose is a sketch, and once that song is preserved via recording or live performance, it becomes a work of art.
But seriously for a second, we take art seriously, and we take music seriously, but we don't take seriousness seriously. There you have it. Integrate artistic desire with some meager musicianship and hyperactive imaginations and you have a recipe for the just the kind of band you might be dealing with.
THE ADVENTURES OF TOGA AND THE SQUID
When we play collectively and perform we strive to turn the process into a true experience that goes well beyond the immediate auditory sensations received by the listener. Behind the songs there are stories, and behind the stories there are worlds, and behind the worlds universes. Very recently we have begun to really develop some of these stories and give them visual solidarity.
It pretty much all happened at UVM, with Tyler and myself (Tom, who I will now refer to as "myself") brainstorming about how we could justify being in a band called That Toga Band, which the name itself started out as a kind of a joke. One thing led to another and almost immediately we had created the first character, the light carrier, the one, the TOGA CREATURE.
After Toga, the Squid character came along pretty quickly, the first documented appearance being on a Muddy Waters poster from June 14, 2005. After that, there was a bunch of drawing but mainly a whole bunch of new songs, the addition of Andy and a whole drastic change of the entire style, direction and sound of the music. Much for the better, I must say. But the one thing that remained consistent throughout was the vision, the Toga creature, and the Squid.
Sometime in 2007, I believe, Tyler and myself wrote the Adventures of Toga and the Squid. Immediately we fell in love with the song and the title obviously conjured up some really great imagery. So that really set us all off again with trying to set up some actual adventures for our two characters, Toga and the Squid. After playing around with some ideas, we came up to the conclusion that we need to start from the ground (literally) up to really put substance behind sound.
SQUID CITY and the ANTISYMMETRIC OCEAN
The idea for Toga Town and Squid City was also developed from song, in the very same way that the Adventures of Toga and the Squid was. Toga Town and Welcome to Squid City were written early in 2009 and have been the jumping point from which Toga Town, Squid City, the AntiSymetric Ocean, and indeed an entire alternate universe has been created.
Toga Town is a small city about the size of Plattsburgh, NY and shares many similar characteristics to its sister city. Toga Town differs mainly in that it is located underwater, as are most all the cities on Theorem III, the planet where That Toga Band lives. Toga Town is home to the Toga creature and is indeed inhabited mainly by creatures known as Togas, small two dimensional beings who vaugely resemble two legged starfish.
Most residents of Toga Town work at the Wet Sock Depository, where wet socks are prepared and packaged for shipment to Squid City, where they will be processed into raw energy that is used to power Squid City, Toga Town and beyond.
Toga Town also has a famous hangout, the Prelude to a Mallard cafe, where Toga, the Squid and Tony Briefcase frequent on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. This underwater cafe is known for its relaxing atmosphere and tentacle baked sweets.
Squid City is the largest city within 50 nautical miles of Toga Town, and one of the most diverse cities in the AntiSymetric Ocean. Squid City is inhabited by numerous kinds of aliens and natives, and is a center for musical and spiritual thought. Recently, Squid City has been experencing economic and social depression, however, and has plunged into slight disrepair.
One of Squid Citys' largest attractions, Andy's Quirk and Whirl, a year round carnival run by juggler and drummer Tony Briefcase, has fallen into disrepair and is now only inhabited by transient drifters.
TRIVIA NIGHT JEMS
If you're a true That Toga Band fan, then you've been to more than your share of Trivia nights. For those of you who aren't so familiar with this long-honored tradition, Trivia Night is a mystical time and place (namely around 10pm on a Thursday night at Manhattan Pizza) where people gather to listen to original music (mostly ignore the music and talk on their cell phones) and enjoy pleasant conversations from their peers (argue drunkly with their so-called friends about why they had to eat the last piece of pizza in the fridge, even though they knew it wasn't there's...).
Yes, this is the glory that is Trivia Night. Make no mistake about it, we hate it. From the faulty outlets that risk serious electrical shock to the just plain annoying crowd of mostly drunken idiots, That Toga Band takes no pride in what they do. But yet, out of the depths of despair, we manage to triumph time after time. These following videos are examples of some of both our triumphs, and our frustrations. Enjoy.
(p.s. Notice the unbelievably loud crowd. Awesome.)
THAT TOGA BAND @ TRIVIA NIGHT
Adventures of Toga and the Squid, Parts 1 and 2 (with special extended intro)
MORE THAT TOGA BAND @ TRIVIA NIGHT
Happy Muddy Feet
That Toga Band
The Happiest Irish Song Ever Written
Stay tuned for more live That Toga Band music and videos and thoughts and things and stuff!
"...a raw aptitude for composition paired with a seemingly endless potential for improvisation."
- Garret Woodward, Jambase reporter
That Toga Band
IDEOLOGY
An accomplished band that is never predictable, That Toga Band combines jazz, rock and Latin influences together with creative composition, ambient sound and thoughtful improvisation in order to create their own brand of music. Captivating their audience from beginning to end, That Toga Band creates original music that turns heads in a truly new direction.
Melding acoustijazz flimflam and spacey landscapes with rock solid beats, That Toga Band pursues organic explorations of a creative smorgasbord. Structuring sonic melodies from a strongly harmonic angle, That Toga Band maintains subtle oddity while juggling odd time signatures and key changes. Quirky antics and light hearted entertainment shape the band's motto: "Invent yourself before you reinvent yourself."
HISTORY
That Toga Band has been creating and performing original compositions since December 2003 when the founding members met at the University of Vermont. Originally an improvisational based acoustic duo that was "forever engaging in characteristic pursuits of true underwater vibrational research", That Toga Band has meshed into a compositionally focused group that pushes the limits of what three people are capable of.
Setting their home base comfortably in the foothills of Vermont's Green Mountains, That Toga Band focuses on studing the entomology of the physical audience. TTB has performed at venues such as Nectar's, the World Cafe in Philadelphia, the Monopole (Plattsburgh, NY), the Blue Mermaid (Portsmouth, NH), Metronome, Radio Bean, the Summit Resort and Hotel (Lake Placid, NY), Manhattan Pizza and Pub, City Hall Park (Burlington, VT), Muddy Water's, the Radiator WOMM-LP 105.9FM (Burlington, VT), Goddard College Radio and the University of Vermont. No matter what the set or setting, That Toga Band always maintains a constant presence that strives to promote balance and harmony through focused juxtopositons of space and time.
That Toga Band has gone through an incredible evolution through the years, including a six-piece version that needs to be mentioned. This "electric" toga band included all the current members with the addition of Peter Dotson-Westphalen, Andrew Carter and
Lewis Rapkin. That Toga Band is currently playing as a trio.
DISCOGRAPHY
Alive at the Fireplace Lounge - 2005
This is That Toga Band's first release as a new group forming at the University of Vermont. This rare CD features the second incantation of TTB starring Andrew Carter (cello), Thomas Pearo(guitar, vocals, loops) and Tyler George-Minetti(lead guitar, vocals). NOT AVAILABLE.
EP - 2007
This 4 track promotional EP was designed to showcase the two different sides of That Toga Band, the side rooted in solid composition, and the side rooted in experimentation and non-conformity. AVAILABLE THROUGH OUR MYSPACE MUSIC STORE.
TRACK LIST (followed by timings)
1. 123 1:41
2. Bleedin from the Brain 2:12
3. Happy Muddy Feet 4:35
4. Sure Enough 1:43
Air Play - 2008
That Toga Band's first official full-length CD. Recorded live at the Radiator studios in Burlington, VT, this album offers a unique live look at how TTB confidently takes control of their live shows. AVAILABLE AT PURE POP RECORDS AND RADIO BEAN, BURLINGTON, VT, OR THROUGH OUR MYSPACE MUSIC STORE.
TRACK LIST (followed by timings)
1. Prelude to a Mallard 4:11
2. Bleedin' from the Brain 2:50
3. And We See 7:59
4. Happy Muddy Feet 4:23
5. The Interview 6:19
6. Tom's Loop 1:51
7. Opening Up (Part 2) 5:56
8. Adult Apple Juice 2:48
9. Casada 1 4:49
10. Adventures of Toga and the Squid 5:38
Demo - 2008
Released as a new promotional tool designed to be more easily digested than the previous EP, That Toga Band's new Demo CD contains two live and two studio tracks, and showcases some of the best That Toga Band recorded. AVAILABLE THROUGH OUR MYSPACE MUSIC STORE.
TRACK LIST (followed by timings)
1. Bleedin' from the Brain 2:25
2. Focus 4:30
3. Happy Muddy Feet 4:42
4. Adventures of Toga and the Squid 5:38
In Place - 2009
This is That Toga Band's newest offering from May 2009. Every track has never been released before, and captures TTB at their best both live and in the studio.
TRACK LIST (followed by timings)
1. Wet Socks 5:31
2. Andy's Quirk and Whirl 4:08
3. Still Got A Belly 6:38
4. Opening Up (Part 3) 4:33
5. Worth the Wait 6:34
6. Opening Up (Part 1) 2:55
HOW WE DO IT
Well, if you haven't noticed, they're only three members of That Toga Band. But, hopefully, you are hearing drums, a lead guitar, a rhythm guitar, and a bass. Well, how do they do it?
The answer, my friend, is innovation. Guitarbassist Thomas Pearo brandishes a custom Craig Anderson acoustic/electric guitar, uses two amps setup in stereo (if you don't understand this you may want to skip to the next section, entitled SOUNDS and LISTENING, because believe me, it only gets worse from here...), and some pedals to create both the bass lines and the accompanying harmonies on the guitar.
So the signal goes from the guitar to a stereo signal splitter, one signal goes to a bass pedal and the other goes to some other effects (line 6 delay pedal, Boss Loop Station, ect.). The bass signal is sent to one of the amplifiers, currently a Crate Acoustic 12" 120W amplifier. The other signal is split again at the Line 6 Delay Modulator and run to the other amp, a Roland AC-90. Oh yeah, and these signals all run to a separate preamp before the actual amplifiers so Tom can mix the levels and EQ's on the fly.
WHEW! Wow, you're really with me. Ok, well after all that you just have an acoustic guitar that pretty much sounds like a bass and an acoustic guitar all in one. Then you just have to develop a style of fingerpicking that allows you to play the bass lines and harmonies independently. Easy, right? Well now you can go and try it, all on your own!
And for the other pieces of the puzzle, TGM (formerly known as Tyler George-Minetti) uses a Schechter semi-hollow electric guitar through a Crate 15 watt all-tube amplifier, no effects, just raw tone and some good reverb. Drummer and percussionist Anthony Kareckas uses his skills as an artist to transform some ordinary drum equipment into extraordinary palettes of sound. A sizzle ride cymbal has had holes poked in the edges with nails hung in them to create super long sustain, and Kareckas will frequently combine congas and muffles the snare drum with shirts and other cymbals.
Well, there's our secrets, out in the open. There's nothing to hide now except for our original compositions, which you can download some for free right on this page! Now just figure them out, get all the equipment and start your very own That Toga Cover Band! Don't worry, we won't sue you, as long as you give credit where credit is due.
SOUNDS and LISTENING
Only by keenly listening to and reflecting on the sounds inherent all around us have we been able to create the music we do. Sonically, we strive to reproduce the sounds we hear as accurately as possible, be it by live performance or through recording techniques. Only by refusing to compromise and focusing on a single sound rather than attempting to do many different things have we been able to produce music that we all feel is not only worthwhile and fun, but interesting and holistic.
We record all our own music at our home studio using very limited means and prescribing to the less-is-more idea. We strive to get as clean and powerful a raw tone as possible and do as little as possible to that tone to make it sound as good as it can for the given situation. Our ideas in the studio are always evolving, just like our music, and we are always looking for ways to do things better and more effectively.
All our music currently available is recorded in stereo. If you would like more information about our available recordings, email That Toga Band for more information about merchandise. That Toga Band is currently working with burlingtonlivemusic.com and our good friend Jonah S. has been recording and posting some TTB shows on the website! We ideally would like to post all our shows FOR FREE so go to www.burlingtonlivemusic.com and click on That Toga Band and DOWNLOAD OUR SHOWS FOR FREE! Amazing, huh?
BUTTONS
That Toga Band HAS RELEASED NEW SPECIAL EDITION BUTTONS!!! YES, the buttons are back! Each handmade button is unique and fits your exact mood at any moment. $2 each or $15 for ten, these are cool pieces of artwork that you can take with you. Email thattogaband@gmail.com for information on ordering and keep in touch for more button related info!
THANKS
That Toga Band would not be what it is today without the support of our loving friends and family. These wonderful and equally unique people include, but are by no means limited to: Eric Mintz (Nigerian Dwarf Goats, The Critters, Greenforkshake, The Eric Mintz Project), Lewis Rapkin (Fear of Music, Unit X, The Critters, Fatheads, Birds Rule, That Toga Band), Jonah S. for recording our shows, Mom, Doug at Vermont Folk Instruments, Justin Monsen (Roku, The Justen Monsen Quartet), for whom we have forgotten about for much too long, David Smoler (Greenforkshake, David Smoler Presents David Smoler), Peter Dotson-Westphalen (Bubblin' Upstream), Slade shows, Allison Pike (UVM orchestra concertmaster, UVM Classical Badass Trio, and the Vermont Penquin Trio), Coup de Ville, all the people at Manhattan Pizza, Eric and Tony from WBKM, Danamal and all the other members, former or current, of Roku, Scotty Brown, Lee from Radio Bean, Tim Holmes for loving Adult Apple Juice, Carlie my dear for the scanner and the love, Patrick for the digital design help and printing, the Music Production Suite in L/L, Dad, Cherilyn Gilligan for the artistic and fashion inspiration, Rob Stahle for the sound help, the random people in the crowd who are listening (we especially thank you!) the members of Wilks 4 (may the tequila roll like the thunder on the back of a lonesome elderly koala), Bill Frisell, and lastly Albert Einstein. Oh yeah, and YOU! for reading this far about our music!
Thanks for supporting whatever it is that we do.
BOOKING
That Toga Band is currently available for shows in the Northeastern United States and Canada. If you would like to receive more information about booking email That Toga Band for our official press kit and more information.
hey, this is andrew the king from the Bull Semen Bandits and i just want to say that i really love your stuff especially Theorem Two, and also the improv piece, both very catchy, nice
i am going to come to the elders come alive party it should be what they call "A Raging Good Time"
I'm proud to give you "Heavy In The Beats Vol. 1 - A Different Drum", the first installment in my FREE mixtape series dedicated to drums and percussion. "Volume 1" focuses on the avant garde side of the instrument, and features pieces from Billy Martin (of Medeski Martin & Wood), myself, and others!
(YOU HAVE TO COPY AND PASTE THE LINK on myspace for some reason)
Great show in Plattsburgh we really enjoyed the music...So much so we had to follow Barney's 15 minute rule and leave early!!!THANKS!!! Come to Syracuse!!!
Hey, this is LOG from ENBAN. Just wanted to stop by and tell you how stoked we are to play with you guys @ Goodbye Blue Monday! Safe travels down, can't wait for another ENtogaBAN! 5 yr.
yo guys, thanks for having jazz rehab at manhattans the other night. shit was a BLAST! how can I get on the invite list to your live recording session??
JFJO returns to BURLINGTON at CLUB METRONOME on SUN. APRIL 12th with the new quartet lineup, in support of 'Winterwood' - the new studio album available as FREE download at www.JFJO.com! See you there!
