Geggy Tah

Geggy Tah is a band initially composed of writer/singer/bassist Tommy Jordan and keyboard/guitarist Greg Kurstin. 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."

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." ''Rolling Stone'' ’s review of ''Grand Opening'' stated that “The duo’s classical and jazz backgrounds prop up songs whose structural inventiveness rewards saturation listening after the first delightful surprise…a debut that creates its own aural planet. Positively surreal."

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 (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.

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''. Ben Harper has called Jordan "one of the most creative and versatile multi-instrumentalists of our generation." In the 1990s, T Bone Burnett said that Jordan was one of the five most creative people working in the music business.

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''.

Discography

Albums

* ''Grand Opening'' (1994, Luaka Bop)
* '' Sacred Cow'' (1996, Luaka Bop)
* '' Into the Oh'' (2001, Luaka Bop/Virgin)

Singles

References

External links

*
Geggy Tah on Myspace

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Alternative rock groups from California
Luaka Bop artists
Musical groups from Los Angeles
Musical groups established in 1994
Musical groups disestablished in 2001
1994 establishments in California