The Taters – Presskit
26 years of “No Two Shows the Same”!
We are currently in our 3rd decade of Tatering and we’re sticking to our credo of No Two Shows the Same! This goes for our live shows especially, but includes recordings as well. We seldom repeat ourselves (probably couldn’t if we wanted to!) and that makes for a lot of variety in the Tater output!
The last few years have included shows with The Richmond Symphony, the start of a new live recording, tributes to The Everly Brothers, a show where we performed the entire Beatle’s “HELP” album, a tribute show to The Bee Gees, and even one to The Twilight Zone, where the stage and band were all in classic black & white! We constantly gravitate toward things we’ve never tried and it helps keep things fresh. Not content to stay in our own skin, we’ve performed as The Statler Brothers in tributes to the Johnny Cash Folsom Prison and San Quentin concerts (with NC friends the Johnny Folsom 4), and have recently released both Halloween and Christmas albums.
We also regularly have various side projects going on, such as the Rock & Roll Jubilee, where Craig & Brad perform tributes to Elvis, Roy Orbison, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly & Ricky Nelson, and The Super Sugar Beats, a show featuring bubblegum & sunshine pop from the late 60s & early 70s (complete with the clothes!). Can’t tell you what’s coming next, ’cause we don’t know ourselves, but it will be fun!
“…20 years of musical virtuosity, perfect harmonies, tight instrumentation, cosmic song juxtaposition, and outright joyful silliness. Craig Evans and Brad Tucker started it all, adding old friend Greg Marrs and Chris Mendez along the way and perfecting a sound that’s unmistakably Tater-fied and consistently surprising. Elizabeth Cotten to Led Zeppelin to Ledbelly to Dean Martin all in one set. It goes to show you never can tell.”
– North of the James, Anne Jones, review
Print-Ready Images
The Taters 2018, 300px wide, photo Dan Ewert
(We’re having trouble with the hosted print-ready images. Until we fix it, there are several available for download here > BOX LINK – https://app.box.com/v/the-taters-print-photos . Sorry for the incovenience!)
Web Images
These images are all 72dpi, suitable for webpages, social media posting, etc. To download a photo:
- PC – Click the thumbnail. When the image pops-up on the screen, right-click and choose “Save Image” or “Save Image as…”
- Mac – Click the thumbnail. When the image pops-up on the screen, control-click and save the image.
 The Taters 2018 (WEB version, 900 px wide, photo credit Dan Ewert) |
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 The Taters 2016 (photo Dan Ewert) |
 The Taters (Skip Rowland) |
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You are also welcome to use any of the images in our Gallery when promoting a Taters show, writing a review, etc.
Soundclips & CDs
| The Taters’ Christmas album, SHINY & BRITE! | |
| The Taters’ Halloween album, DON’T SCREAM! Songs to Keep You Up at Night! | |
Find more soundclips on the Music page
Videos
Find more video at the Taters YouTuber channel
About
Members
- Craig Evans – Vocals, bass, piano
- Brad Tucker – Vocals, guitar, bass
- Greg Marrs – Vocals, guitar, mandolin, banjo
- Chris Mendez – Vocals, drums, percussion
Infectious melodies & high energy songwriting makes menagerie an immediate favorite among Taterheads! You’ll be singing along by the second verse! This is songwriting from a time when irresistible hooks were just expected, and the Taters don’t disappoint!
Roots-Pop: an eclectic mix of roots-rock, power-pop, and Americana, a sound that’s been described as “a curious mix of Mavericks, Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison and Beatles… Country roots-pop with the genius songwriting of 60’s & 70’s power-pop” (CDBaby). Billboard magazine calls it “American roots-rock with thoroughly modern, totally hip sensibilities”. The Washington Post says the Taters “Successfully combine the best elements of Buddy Holly with the vocal harmonies of the Everly Brothers.” No matter what the style, the music always centers around vocal melodies and harmonies, and it’s hard to walk away from a show without humming the songs. No Depression magazine describes it like this: “Think ‘Beatles For Sale’ if Marty Robbins were a primary influence instead of Carl Perkins.”
The Tater Brothers
When Craig Evans and Brad Tucker started singing together in the early 1980’s, neither could have guessed how long that partnership would last. 2018 began their 3rd decade as The Taters, with 8 CDs of original music available – including the recent “DON’T SCREAM”, and “SHINY & BRITE”, the Halloween and Christmas albums – they continue to mine their collective experience to craft songs with unforgettable hooks and pop melodies, and to add classic tunes to their repertoire that reflect a wide range of interests and influences. Layers of acoustic and electric guitars mix with 3 and 4 part harmonies to give each song its own personality while the lead vocals and songwriting pull it all together into a very satisfying whole.
What’s all this about Taters?
Writing in Billboard Magazine, the internationally published “bible” of the music industry, critic Gordon Ely described the Taters as “determinedly-and gleefully-forging a path with no limits or end in sight. This is music for which you’ve been waiting a long, long time… Without a trace of self-consciousness or pretension, the Taters draw up a formula that can rightly be claimed as their own”.
Regional InformationThe Taters have played the Richmond and central VA area for over 24 years, with 8 CDs of original tunes out. Starting out as an alt-country trio, with acoustic guitar, bass and percussion, we’ve expanded to a quartet (electric guitar & drums), and the music has evolved to include our rock and power-pop influences, without losing our love of early country sounds. Our biggest emphasis is on melody and vocal harmonies, making us a hit with crowds who grew up in the 60s & 70s and loved AM and early FM radio. The band has been included on several tribute albums, including tributes to Jellyfish, Squeeze, and Rick Nelson. Quotes“American roots-rock with thoroughly modern, totally hip sensibilities” “The Taters soar through a catalog of Americana and ’60s-era pop influences” “Think ‘Beatles For Sale’, if Marty Robbins were a primary influence instead of Carl Perkins “ “Picture ELO gone Americana, and you’ll get the idea” “Country roots-pop, dashed with the genius songwriting of 60’s & 70’s power-pop, like a curious, accidental mix of the Mavericks, the Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison and the Beatles” “Successfully combine the best elements of Buddy Holly with the vocal harmonies of the Everly Brothers.” |
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Short (50 word) Description, for calendars, etcThe Taters, twice named Billboard Magazine’s “Critic’s Choice”, described as “curious mix of Mavericks, Everlys, Orbison and Beatles … Country Roots-pop with the genius songwriting of 60’s & 70’s power-pop… “. They have played shows with Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Little River Band, Los Lobos, Dwight Yoakam, & many others. |
Contact Information & LinksBand Information & Inquiries:
Bookings, Road Manager & Technical:
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Web Links
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Technical & Other Performance Details
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