Geggy Tah

Geggy Tah
OriginPomona, California, U.S.
GenresAlternative rock[1]
Years active1994–2001
LabelsLuaka Bop, Virgin
MembersGreg Kurstin
Tommy Jordan
Daren Hahn

Geggy Tah is a band initially composed of writer/singer/bassist Tommy Jordan and keyboard/guitarist Greg Kurstin.[2] Each of them has a younger sister who was unable to pronounce her brother's name when very young; "Geggy" and "Tah" were the baby girls' mispronunciations of their brothers' names. The band was known for its eclectic and playful live shows that featured both Jordan and Kurstin playing a wide array of instruments. David Byrne said that "Geggy Tah are so postmodern they've come out the other side...They incorporate so many disparate elements into their sound that one senses a new sensibility afoot, an inclusionary wave...like nothing I've heard before."[3]

Their first release, Grand Opening, appeared in 1994 on David Byrne's label Luaka Bop; they were signed on the strength of their demo tape, which Byrne described as "one of the weirdest, most surprising things we’d ever heard. It was truly like nothing else."[4] Rolling Stone called Grand Opening "Positively surreal...songs whose structural inventiveness rewards saturation listening after the first delightful surprise."

For their 1996 release Sacred Cow, they added drummer Daren Hahn to the lineup. Also on Luaka Bop, the album spawned the hit single "Whoever You Are" which peaked at #16 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart[5] (the song would also appear in a Mercedes-Benz commercial circa 2001). Both albums were produced by Susan Rogers whose credits also include Prince, The Jacksons, David Byrne, Barenaked Ladies and Edie Brickell, and featured Rogers's dog, Gina, on their covers.[6]

In 1999, the band announced a new album entitled Music Inspired by the Fragrance, and released two songs ("Space Heater" and "Sweat") on the web in mp3 format. However, in part because of Luaka Bop's move from Warner Bros. to Virgin Records, the album went unreleased until 2001, by which point it had acquired a new title: Into the Oh. Into the Oh was released on Luaka Bop / Virgin with new band members including Los Angeles session percussionist and composer "Lavey" Bruce Millstein.

In 2000, Tommy Jordan played the steel drums track for Jack Johnson's song "Flake" on Brushfire Fairytales.[7][8] Ben Harper has called Jordan "one of the most creative and versatile multi-instrumentalists of our generation."[9]

In 2006, Kurstin formed a new band, The Bird and the Bee. In 2010, Kurstin was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Producer, Non-Classical division for his work on Lily Allen's It's Not Me, It's You.[10]

Discography

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Albums

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Singles

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List of singles, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
AUS
[11] 		US Alt
[12]
"Whoever You Are" 1996 63 67 Sacred Cow

References

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  1. ^ Prato, Greg. "Geggy Tah | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  2. ^ "Geggy Tah | Gratis muziek, tourneedata, foto's, video's". Myspace.com. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
  3. ^ Harrington, Jim (21 Feb 1997). "Going Geggy over Tah". Palo Alto Online. Retrieved 17 Oct 2024.
  4. ^ Byrne, David (17 Oct 2024). "Some History: The Story of Luaka Bop". Luaka Bop. Retrieved 17 Oct 2024.
  5. ^ Prato, Greg. "Geggy Tah". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
  6. ^ Maeve Haldane. "Susan Rogers: The grad student formerly known as". Mcgill.ca. Archived from the original on 2017-04-19. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
  7. ^ "Jack Johnson Interviews". Archived from the original on October 26, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  8. ^ Orshoski, Wes (March 23, 2002). "Reviews & Previews; Rock: Jack Johnson "Flake" (4:38)". Billboard. p. 23. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  9. ^ Harper, Ben (17 Oct 2024). "Tommy C. Jordan". Cherp. Retrieved 17 Oct 2024.
  10. ^ Roberts, Randall (2009-12-03). "Notes on the Grammy Nominations: Excuse Us While We Puke - Los Angeles Music - West Coast Sound". Blogs.laweekly.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
  11. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 113.
  12. ^ "Geggy Tah Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
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