(it was originally posted on 12-25-24).<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0While I knew more about his more recent projects, it was interesting to learn how he got started in the business to begin with.\u00a0 As I stated in the 2024 <\/span>FTV<\/span><\/i>, a fifteen year old with dreams of being involved in the music industry can find a way to do just that.\u00a0 In Gary\u2019s case, it involved taking a bus into downtown Milwaukee to visit a studio owned by Elmo Griffin.\u00a0 As Luhressen pointed out, the sheer act of visiting a black owned recording studio during an ongoing riot took a certain amount of courage on young Gary Tanin\u2019s part.\u00a0 Everybody has to start somewhere and thus began Gary\u2019s 55 year career \/ love affair with music.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0As I read about some of his first projects, it dawned on me the best place to score a copy of one of his earliest albums was from Gary himself.\u00a0 I inquired if he could tell me where to obtain a copy of an album he recorded in 1973 called <\/span>Otto and The Elevators.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>Gary said, \u201cI only have LPs left but I can also burn you a CD of the 40th anniversary reissue of <\/span>Otto <\/span><\/i>from 2013.\u201d\u00a0 When the package arrived, I got two more pleasant surprises:\u00a0 Gary also included a copy of two other CDs he had worked on.\u00a0 One was his collaboration with Jerry Harrison (1994\u2019s <\/span>Sublime Nation)<\/span><\/i> and the other was a record with keyboard player Roger Powell (<\/span>fossil poets<\/span><\/i> from 2006)<\/span>.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 Harrison\u2019s name should be familiar from his work with Talking Heads and Powell is Todd Rundgren\u2019s longtime keys player.\u00a0 I promised to give all three a thorough listening and decided it might be fun to delve a little deeper into all of them..\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Prior to recording <\/span>Otto and the Elevators<\/span><\/i>, Gary had taken a position working at Arco Studios.\u00a0 He was asked to work on a label specifically for local artists.\u00a0 He was only 17 when he began working at Arco and the new label was called Vera after his mother\u2019s name.\u00a0 Tanin recorded tracks at Arco for his first solo album <\/span>Love Changes All <\/span><\/i>(1972).\u00a0 He got to work with many musicians at Arco who would also be instrumental in recording the concept album that would be called <\/span>Otto and the Elevators.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Upon listening to <\/span>Otto<\/span><\/i>, the first track (<\/span>Elevator Operator<\/span><\/i>) from Side One (I am sorry, the jacket has the track lists labeled \u2018Upside\u2019 and \u2018Downside’) jumped out at me.\u00a0 Knowing the 1973 vintage, it struck me that, \u201cWow, this sounds like a track that could have been influenced by\u00a0 Leon Russel\u2019s style!\u00a0 Or perhaps Leon borrowed Gary\u2019s schtick.\u201d\u00a0 No, I don\u2019t think either Gary or Leon \u2018borrowed\u2019 anything from each other.\u00a0 Leon was born in 1942, got his start in the music business in 1956.\u00a0 Russell had fourteen years working as a session musician, solo artist, and record executive under his belt when he released his first solo album (<\/span>Leon Russell<\/span><\/i>) in 1970.\u00a0 Leon was another example of an artist laying a lot of the groundwork over time to become an \u2018overnight sensation\u2019 at the age of 28.\u00a0 Any comparison between Gary and Leon can be explained simply as an independent organic thing that happens when musicians are developing their own style.\u00a0 To me, the <\/span>Otto<\/span><\/i> album shows a high degree of maturity in Gary\u2019s work even at his young age.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The \u2018Upside\u2019 and \u2018Downside\u2019 of the album segues from honky tonk piano, melodic ballads, funk, and even a little country thing on the closer <\/span>Can You Believe Me.\u00a0 Up Down Lovin\u2019<\/span><\/i> features wonderfully crafted keyboard work with a true \u2018up and down\u2019 movement percolating in the background – a perfect match to the elevator imagery in the lyrics.\u00a0 <\/span>Motorhead<\/span><\/i> has a bounce and pop to it with a polka beat balanced by Blood, Sweat, and Tears style horn work.\u00a0 Tracks <\/span>Love Me For Tonight, I Love You So Much, <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>I\u2019ll Still Be Here<\/span><\/i> (the last two are found on the \u2018Downside\u2019) are ballads Dennis DeYoung would have been proud to have on any Styx album.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The \u2018Upside\u2019 wraps with <\/span>Boss Rat<\/span><\/i>, a snappy dose of urban funk with sax and horn work to match Gary\u2019s funky vocal delivery.\u00a0 The opening \u2018Downside\u2019 track, <\/span>Help Me<\/span><\/i>, rocks with pounding piano with built in \u2018pauses\u2019 featuring a nifty guitar lick.\u00a0 The keyboard, guitar, and drumming drive the whole song forward with head nodding, foot-tapping ferocity.\u00a0 <\/span>When We Were Happy<\/span><\/i> is kind of campy.\u00a0 It creates a mood not unlike what Paul McCartney was reaching for with tracks like <\/span>When I\u2019m Sixty-Four.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0 The vocals, strings, flute, and pace of <\/span>I\u2019ll Still Be Here<\/span><\/i> set a dreamy mood that almost lulls you to sleep\u2026 just before the countryfied <\/span>Can You Believe Me<\/span><\/i> takes us off into the sunset.\u00a0 <\/span>Otto and the Elevators <\/span><\/i>is one of those albums that makes it impossible to cherry pick favorite tracks – once I got started, I couldn\u2019t stop listening until the end.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The first thing I noticed reading through the liner notes for <\/span>Sublime Nation<\/span><\/i> was the host of familiar names Jerry Harrison and Gary had assembled to record this album.\u00a0 Harrison, of course, is well known as being a member of Talking Heads.\u00a0 Keyboard player T. Lavitz was an integral member of Dixie Dregs and drummer Victor De Lorenzo was a former member of the musically adventurous Milwaukee band The Violent Femmes.\u00a0 More keyboard help was provided by Roger Powel (Todd Rundgren & Utopia) and Jr. Brantley (Jimmy Vaughn Band).\u00a0 The rest of the recording unit was rounded out by guitarists Greg Koch and Scott Finch with organ and Roland D50 synthesizer work by Jef Eaton (who also contributed to the <\/span>Otto and the Elevators<\/span><\/i> LP). \u00a0 Gary Tanin is given credits for \u2018songwriting, vocals, sequencing, and keyboards\u2019 as he was on <\/span>Otto and the Elevators<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0 I knew about Gary\u2019s keyboard and sequencing background but both of these albums prove he is also a vocalist of immense talent .<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Sublime Nation<\/span><\/i> came out in 1994 and was an ambitious project.\u00a0 According to a <\/span>Multimusica U.S.A. <\/span><\/i>VP and A&R rep, \u201c<\/span>Multimusica U.S.A. <\/span><\/i>began as an interactive Multimedia developer in 1990.\u00a0 We had wild visions of interactive musical CD-ROM titles (i.e. <\/span>Sugar Plums<\/span><\/i>) dancing in our heads.\u00a0 Since those frontier days, we have seen the likes of Todd Rundgren go interactive, David Bowie with <\/span>Jump<\/span><\/i>, Prince with <\/span>Prince Interactive, <\/span><\/i>and Peter Gabriel with the critically acclaimed <\/span>Xplora CD-1.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>With fully immersive Virtual Reality technologies just around the corner, we at <\/span>MultiMusica U.S.A. <\/span><\/i>felt it would be way cool to release a flagship product that was truly traditional:\u00a0 A digital Audio CD.\u00a0 Enjoy!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0With 15 tracks, it would be difficult at this point to do a proper review of all the tracks so we will make it a point to spin this album many times on WOAS-FM 91.5.\u00a0 That way, you don\u2019t have to take my word for what a great album it is – you can hear it yourself.\u00a0 I will say that the songs are masterfully arranged and they cross many stylistic boundaries.\u00a0 Even with the 30 plus years that have passed since it was released, <\/span>Sublime Nation<\/span><\/i> sounds as fresh today as it did when it was released in 1994.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Gary\u2019s 2006 collaboration with Roger Powell (<\/span>fossil poets<\/span><\/i>) is an instrumental affair.\u00a0 Tanin and Powel co-wrote the 15 tracks here and it features Powell on a host of instruments (including Native American flute, accordion, flugelhorn, guitar, mandolin, piano, and organ), Greg Koch (guitar, bass, and effects), and Gary on synthesizers and arrangements.\u00a0 I could not help but compare many of these tracks to arrangements Alan Parsons recorded on projects like <\/span>I, Robot<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0 The sequencing and blend of electronics and guitar were also reminiscent of music I used to hear on one of my favorite National Public Radio (NPR) shows back in the day, <\/span>Hearts of Space.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>I can\u2019t say Gary and Roger were out to get their music on NPR, but <\/span>fossil poets<\/span><\/i> would certainly fit right in with this long running format.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It took a while to do these three CDs justice and after a couple of listening sessions, I had a couple of questions for Gary.\u00a0 I believe his insights into these projects add more layers to the process he went through birthing these three fine disks.\u00a0 The first things I asked were if it was his vocals on Otto (before I read the fine print on the album jacket) and what was his relationship to Maria Tanin (she was also listed in the credits):\u00a0 \u201cYes, I am the vocalist and Maria is my sister.\u00a0 She sang with me on the Otto album and singles.\u00a0 She could have had her own career, sang in some local bands, and then basically had to work for a living.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Gary went on to elaborate about the lineup he used to record <\/span>Sublime Nation<\/span><\/i>:\u00a0 \u201cAs you can see on the liner notes it was an all star group of musicians I used for this.\u00a0 Same organist from \u201cOtto\u201d and lots of guest musicians.\u00a0 Jerry Harrison from TALKING\u00a0 HEADS played synth parts and co-produced the album with me.\u00a0 Jr. Brantley from ROOMFUL OF BLUES and the FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS played on a song (he is a longtime friend) and T-Lavitz (DIXIE DREGS), and my good friend and collaborator on that and other albums was the hot shot guitarist GREG KOCH who will soon be doing the ALLMAN-BETTS band tour.\u00a0 So there was much help I got from A-list players.\u00a0 But it was all my material and I was the singer, so it really was my album.\u00a0 People started to think there was a band called SUBLIME NATION, and even made mistakes assuming we were the band SUBLIME.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Gary wrapped up my interrogation with a couple of other gems about these records:\u00a0 \u201cRemember it was just the dawn of the internet age.\u00a0 There were no web browsers of any note.\u00a0 Just versions of Mosaic which had been released in 1993 (when I was recording <\/span>Sublime Nation<\/span><\/i>).\u00a0 T\u2019was a different world to get promotion and airplay.\u00a0 I am actually very happy that you took an interest in the two records (<\/span>Otto & SN<\/span><\/i>) – they are bookends of a sort . . . 1973 (<\/span>Otto <\/span><\/i>was released in 1975) and 1993 (<\/span>Sublime Nation <\/span><\/i>– released in 1994-95).\u00a0 <\/span>SN <\/span><\/i>did get picked up for distribution in Japan in 1995-96, so that was a first for me.\u201d\u00a0 The 30th Anniversary re-issue of <\/span>Otto <\/span><\/i>was the version I got to listen to as my turntable is on the fritz, but it was a treat to hear the creative process Gary was going through back in the day.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We will be spinning the three discs previewed here over the next few weeks as well as albums by other bands and artists Gary has worked with since he began sending music our way.\u00a0 We are also eagerly awaiting the newest release by Peggy James which Gary has informed me is going to be her strongest record to date (and that is saying a lot because the previous albums we have had the chance to preview have been great).\u00a0 Thank you once again to Gary Tanin for filling the \u2018Milwaukee Pipeline\u2019 to WOAS-FM with such terrific music!<\/span><\/p>\nTop Piece Video:\u00a0 Sam Llanas Band –\u00a0Dangerous Band\u00a0<\/em>from ten years ago – about the time Gary T started sending me music from artists he works with – Sammy’s work is some of the best from his post Bo Deans solo career!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0At the end of 2024, I took some time to repay a long overdue debt.\u00a0 Over the last decade, Gary Tanin from Daystorm Music in Milwaukee has been kind enough to send me music from a host of artists he has worked with.\u00a0 Corresponding via email, I got to know a bit about Gary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,11,8,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bands-musicians","category-education","category-from-the-vaults","category-new-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3489"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3489\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3492,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3489\/revisions\/3492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}