I put together a playlist for ya on yer special day.
Tunes I wrote for my kids, with 'em, and ones inspired by my own dad. I threw in some that just have a special dad-ness quality to them & a few more written by my friends.
Hope ya get a bunch of power tools, colorful ties and coupons for naps (my favorite gift!)
Enjoy your day!
My family & I catchin' a Father's Day rainbow ~ Greenport, NY 2016
A playlist featuring Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could, Chuck Berry, Brady Rymer, and others
My Dad & his two boys ~ Sparta, NJ 1975 or so...
Larry Eagle
the Little Band That Could's drummer, also plays in Bruce Springsteen’s Seeger Sessions band. He performs in many genres -- including avant-garde Jewish bluegrass. You’re in for a laugh or two with Larry’s #BandMemberMonday!
Q: What is your favorite track on Revvin' Up the Reindeer?
A: It’s really tough to choose but I think my favorites are “Hanukkah Rocks” and “Baby New Year.” A lot of behind-the-scenes creativity went into "Hanukkah Rocks” and the result is festive, exciting and fun. And “Baby New Year” shows off the traditional jazz/New Orleans styles of music that I particularly love - Seth and Bill (Holloman, who played all the horns) really shine on that tune.
Bill Holloman adding some plunger trumpet at our "Press Play" CD Release concert. City Winery, 2016. Photo by Jeremy Gordon
Q: What are your favorite Holiday traditions?
A: Well, we have four immediate family birthdays (including mine) the week before Christmas so my favorite holiday tradition is getting through December in one piece.
Q: What do you do when you're not playing with the Little Band That Could?
A: I sit by the door waiting for my next chance to play with the Little Band That Could. (JK)
Actually, I perform and record with a lot of other artists in a wide variety of genres including rhythm and blues, jazz, country, latin, an assortment of world music styles and avant-garde Jewish bluegrass (and no, I’m not JK about that one).
A: Brady? He’s the best! Oh, that other Boss…
The “Seeger Sessions” project was completely different from anything Bruce (or any of the rest of us) had ever done and there was always sort of a manic, flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants energy to our live shows - very unpredictable but incredibly rewarding, especially when we saw how much the audiences loved what we were doing!
Of course, sometimes it seemed like the rest of the band just left me behind…
Pic 1: Here I think Bruce was looking for help from above because of that scary-looking guy behind him… Pic 2: This pic was taken in a nearly 2,000-year-old arena in Verona, Italy, with Little Band bassist, Jeremy Chatzky, on the left and Marty Rifkin (who also plays on Revvin’ Up The Reindeer) on the right. We were told that our dressing rooms used to be the places where they had once kept gladiators and lions! Pic 3 & 4: Larry on the Seeger Sessions Tour!
Q: Who are your musical inspirations?
A: Oh, so many! The drummers alone could fill a page - Earl Palmer, Steve Gadd, Jack DeJohnette, Buddy Rich, Ringo Starr, Zigaboo Modeliste, Jo Jones, Art Blakey…
My all-time favorite, though? Patrick Star!
Q: What is a surprising or interesting fact about you?
A: I’m (partially) color blind - not sure that’s really all that interesting and people who’ve seen the way I dress don’t find it surprising at all.
Q: What is your best memory with the Little Band That Could?
A: That’s hard to narrow down and I’m not sure that Brady would consider it a wonderful memory, but there was once a concert in Arizona where we had a little mix-up and the drums hadn’t arrived before our scheduled soundcheck. Until almost the very last moment I thought I was going to play the whole concert on a garbage can!
Larry, Seth, Liz, Brady, Claudia & Jeremy, "Press Play" photo shoot. Photo by Randee Doddona
Seth Farber
keyboardist, vocalist, 5-time GRAMMY Nominee and accordion player for the Little Band That Could, has performed with notable musicians including Billy Joel, Lucinda Williams, Roseanne Cash and Odetta. Currently, he plays in Broadway's Beautiful and A Bronx Tale. His credits go beyond the stage and onto the court as a nationally ranked racquetball player! Learn more about Seth in this week's #BandMemberMonday.
"Christmas Peace" featuring Seth Farber on organ and piano.
Q: What is your favorite track on Revvin' Up the Reindeer?
A: "Christmas Peace" sounds so much like a Christmas Carol. I can see the fireplace, and the snow outside!
Q: What were your favorite holiday traditions growing up?
A: We always played and sang Christmas Carols, decorated the tree, and made our own ornaments. No tinsel or store-bought ornaments allowed!
Q: What do you do when you're not playing with the Little Band That Could?
A: I play in many different situations, including Broadway shows.
Currently, I play in "Beautiful" and "A Bronx Tale."
Q: You've performed with a lot of notable musicians including Billy Joel, Bon Jovi, Lucinda Williams, Roseanne Cash, Joan Osborne and extensively with Odetta. You also play in a family band with your wife and fellow "Little" Bandmate Liz Queler and son Joey. Is there something significant (a piece of advice, life lesson, etc.) that you took away from working with one or many of these musicians?
A: I spent a lot of time with Odetta and one of my favorite of her quotes (which came from an exchange between us) is this:
“Next time someone gives you a compliment, try to have the good sense to shut up and take it.”
Odetta and Seth Farber performing "Something Inside So Strong." Washington Park, Albany, NY, 2008
Q: Who are your musical inspirations?
A: To name a few, Keith Jarrett, Dr. John, James Booker, Steve Morse, Keith Emerson.
Seth Farber, Live at Le Poisson Rouge - New York City June 1, 2015
"Red Piano Rag"
from the album Just Say Hi! was inspired by Seth's original composition, "Mom's Rag" from his solo album, Late One Night.
Q: You are a nationally-ranked racquetball player. Tell us more!
A: I have been playing competitive racquetball for 30 years. I love the sport for many reasons but certainly one of them is this: you don't have to be big and strong. Fast and smart is better! I still play tournaments, both in this area [NY], and further away, like Minnesota and California.
Left: U.S. Open 2017, Second Place!
Q: What is your best memory with the Little Band That Could?
The Little Band That Could, 2006, Steamboat Springs, CO. Seth Farber, Jeff Allen, Brady Rymer, Liz Queler, Claudia Mussen, Chris Roselli
A: We did a few gigs in Steamboat Springs, CO a few years ago and stayed in a house right across the street from the ski mountain. That was a great few days of skiing, music, and tubing for the kids.
Liz Queler
records discs... and throws them, too -- as a national champion in Ultimate Frisbee. Learn more about the Lil' Band's vocalist and mandolin player in this week's #BandMemberMonday!
A: Brady’s an incredible songwriter -- smart, funny and full of love. On the smart/funny side, the CD is loaded with great tunes and “Revvin' Up the Reindeer” takes the prize. My fave though is “Christmas Peace.” It sounds like a classic.
Listen to "Christmas Peace" with vocal harmonies by Liz.
A: Every Christmas, we go to my in-laws', have a big Christmas Eve dinner and spend the night so all the kids - seven cousins - can wake up together. When the kids were smaller, Seth would put on a Santa suit and try really hard not to get recognized. One year Joey said, “Look, Mama! Santa has the same shoes as Dad!”
A: A lot of music - performing, composing, teaching; and a lot of yoga. Oh yeah - love spending time with my husband and son, too!
(Check out their website Red Wall Records for lots of fabulous music & performance info!)
"Hallelujah (sing for hope)" by Liz Queler, sung with her husband and son, Seth and Joey Farber. The song was written to increase awareness for Alzheimer's, and each video play donates to the Alzheimer's Association, NY Chapter. Please share.
A: I started playing in college and played for the first women’s club team to win a national championship. I played for 15 years, made it to seven nationals (winning twice) and two world’s. I loved that I could play competitive sports into my thirties, have a team of fierce women to hang with and know that anywhere I went in the country, I could find a game, a sofa to crash on and some awesome people.
BLU (Boston Ladies Ultimate) winning National Championship in NOLA 1981
A: My mom is pretty fantastic. A trailblazer for women conductors, she’s presented over 100 concerts in Carnegie Hall and guest conducted all over the world. Growing up, I would typically come home to a living room full of opera singers. It seemed perfectly normal to me at the time.
Brava, Liz's mom! You ROCK (in an operatic way!) Watch the 2010 NEA Opera Honors tribute to Eve Queler above.
Liz's son Joey Farber's first album, The Early Years., released in 2006 when he was 7 years old.
A: We started bringing Joey along on gigs when he was a baby. Little by little, he started coming on stage, playing instruments and singing. Now he’s even writing some of the songs. It's pretty special sharing this part of our lives.
Check out Joey singing his original tune, "On the Train."
Here's the whole family, with Joey playing the bass & singing up a storm!
A: Aside from Verdi, I grew up on Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Wonder, CSNY, Linda Ronstadt - and a whole bunch of soul, blues, rock, funk and folk.
"Love Has No Pride" by Bonnie Raitt, David Crosby and Graham Nash at the 25th Anniversay Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert.
What is your best memory with the Lil' Band?
Opening for Laurie Berkner in Central Park.(Brady, Claudia & Liz in Central Park, 2007!)
We’ve also had some great times on the road. Watching Stevie Wonder sound check at the Austin City Limits festival was definitely fun. And walking the red carpet at the GRAMMYS!
Jeremy Chatzky,
bassist for the Little Band That Could, is no stranger to performing holiday music. Did you know he's played holiday shows with Ronnie Spector for the past 20 years? He was also a member of Bruce Springsteen's Seeger Sessions Band! Learn more about Jeremy in this week's #BandMemberMonday!
Q: What is your favorite track on Revvin' Up the Reindeer and why?
A: Probably "It's Christmas Time." Just a simple, beautiful song with a simple, beautiful sentiment. I also really like "Holiday Jam," it has a different groove from the rest of the record. Brady's always looking to try something a little different.
Q: What are your favorite holiday traditions?
A: Well for the past 20 some years I've spent a lot of time during the holiday season doing gigs with Ronnie Spector playing her songs from the Phil Spector Christmas record, which, like Brady's record, is a rare example of holiday music that not only isn't unbearable, but actually is fun. So there's that!
Listen to Ronnie and the Ronettes on the beloved holiday classic, "Frosty the Snowman" from the album A Christmas Gift For You.
Q: What do you do when you're not playing with the Little Band That Could?
A: Stay busy with gigs and hang out with our 6 year old.
A: Just a great experience to play with him and all the other amazing musicians he assembled. The shows were joyful and spontaneous, anything could happen!
Bruce and Jeremy onstage with the Seeger Sessions Band.
5. Who are your musical inspirations?
So many -- but i guess the music I most keep coming back to is southern soul music of the 60s, stuff that came out of Stax records and Muscle Shoals as well as stuff from New Orleans.
Check out the Stax inspired bass line on the Little Band's "Don't Knock It 'til You Try It."
Q: What is a surprising or interesting fact about you?
A: Sometimes people are surprised that I can juggle. Other than that I rarely surprise people!
Q: What is your best memory with the Little Band That Could?
A: When I started playing with Brady it was before I had a kid of my own. I couldn't believe how early in the morning the shows were!! Brady once turned to me when my eyes were a little bleary and said, "you did know this is a kids' band, didn't you?" Now those hours seem very normal! And the best part is playing the CD's we make for our daughter. After a listen or two she knows all the words!
