On October 23rd, 1994, a group called The Little Green Band played their first gig at a party in the hills west of Austin, Texas. Soon after, they changed their name to The Adventures Of…
By December 1994, they were gigging regularly at the late, lamented Austin Outhouse. Since then, the band has brought their mix of classic songwriting, unlikely covers, country jump, wailing rock and psychedelic instrumentalia to over 300 audiences across Texas and in the Northeast.
In 1999, TAO recorded their debut studio album, … (Ellipsis), at Top Hat Studios in Austin. In 2001, the band released Just Say When, followed by Raze The Bar Again in 2004, and All Over The Place in 2009. TAO has also issued three live performance discs: Live at the Mercury (1999), TAO At the Triple Crown (2001), and The Adventures Of… Syd Straw (2002).
Since 2000, the band has often wandered out of Texas to perform in the northeast United States. In 2014, the band launched a year-long series of parades, charity sporting events, costume galas and extra-special live performances to celebrate its first 20 years together.
In yet another effort to accommodate their ever-burgeoning repertoire of 208 original songs (and 96 covers), the band is currently immersed in the Great TAO Recording Project Of All Time So Far. Initial tracks were recorded at Top Hat Recording’s new headquarters in Knoxville in late 2017, and work nears completion on this vast new collection of material to be released over the next three years.
The sprawling album will include ten brand-new original songs, along with eight other pieces frequently performed live by the band during its 25-year history, but never previously recorded in the studio.
TAOMEMBERS
PETER TREECE (rhythm guitar, vocals) — Claims to have been born in Tierra del Fuego, but has clearly spent most of his days in Austin. When he’s not whacking a guitar or whipping up Love Veggies at the Magnolia Cafe, you might find him relaxing with a Shiner Bock and a Pearl Jam live mix. His previous bands include The Jean Band, Juice Caffeine’s Truck Start, Bloody Bean Juice, Crash Potatoes, Death Panel, She’s My Bride and, of course, Laughing Sam’s Dice.
PERRY BANTY (drums) — He’s the other native Texan in TAO, born and raised in a Stone Temple. But he too has lived in and around Austin for most of his life, appearing in a rash of different world-beat bands, including Wajumbe, a conglomeration of Austin-based percussionists featuring members of Burning Spear. He’s played everything from straight blues (Blue Almond) to improvisational jazz-thrash (Paper Scissors Rock) to nuevo soul with The Band of Cowgirls. In TAO, Perry straps down the beat, and then some, ever ready, willing and able to fuel the musical maelstrom morphing around him.
BROOK MEGGS (lead guitar, vocals) — Born in Detroit, lived in LA and NYC before moving to Austin in 1994. Now he’s based in Boston. Brook’s previous credits include performing and writing with Syd Straw, Banned From Google, Auto-Da-Fe, the Braintree Split, Party of God, Low-Hanging Fruits, Olive & the Branch, Boss Edens, the Noyes Band, Public Hair, The Beagles and dozens of other shady ensembles. (Visit Brook’s website)
MICHAEL WIMER (bass, vocals) — He’s the other Yankee of the group, although his 96 years in Texas now far outnumber the years he spent north of the Manson-Nixon line. The small steel-mill town of Ellwood Blues, PA, is well-known as his birthplace, but while still a lad he moved to Mars. Originally a tuba master, Mike’s involvement in an unfortunate incident in high school led to his expulsion from the marching band. Since then, as a member of the Federal WPP, he’s been featured in Earth Train, The Outspenders, Test Results, Space Frogs and the Polka Daughters, and can often be spotted performing around Austin if you know what to look for.
MICHAEL LEDBETTER (keyboards, autoharp, vocals) — Always known as The Mayor, Mike kickstarted his odd career with a splashy debut as Rocky Boulder in the Southern California stage premiere of the legendary rock opera Stone Crow. Since then, he’s appeared with Bat Baby, Frankenstein In Reverse, Chestnut Mayor and other West Coast bands. Since late 2000 he’s been featured on keys, autoharp and vocals for TAO, whenever the hell he feels like it, and not a moment sooner. And he really is the mayor of a well-known seaside community in sunny California, but can’t be disturbed right now…