Agents of Good Roots - Frequently Asked Questions
Version 1.00
Updated 6.3.97
This document is updated on a regular basis. The newest copy of
this FAQ can be obtained by sending an E-mail to bpace@richmond.edu with
"AGR FAQ REQUEST" in the subject, or by visiting the Agents of Good Roots
official home page at http://agentsofgoodroots.com. This FAQ was written
and is intended solely for non-profit use. Feel free to distribute this
FAQ at your discretion as long as it is distributed in its entirety. If
you include this FAQ on your home page, drop a line to Brian Pace at
bpace@richmond.edu so he can keep you continually posted on new versions
and pertinent information.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.x BIOGRAPHY
1.1 Who is Brian Jones?
1.2 Who is J.C. Kuhl?
1.3 Who is Stewart Myers?
1.4 Who is Andrew Winn?
1.5 Who is Jeff Peskin?
1.6 Who is Phil Bowman?
1.7 Who is Rick Rieger?
1.8 Who is Klaus von Klein?
2.x THE MUSIC
2.1 When did the band start playing?
2.2 Does the lead singer have a cold, or does he always sound like that?
2.3 What happened to Andrew's throat?
2.4 What albums have been released by Agents of Good Roots?
2.5 What covers do Agents of Good Roots perform?
2.6 What original songs are performed by AGR, and what are their lyrics?
2.7 What guest artists have performed with AGR?
2.8 What is the Telemantra Trio?
2.9 What other albums have members of AGR played on?
3.x THE TAPES
3.1 Is taping legal? Do Agents of Good Roots allow live taping?
3.2 How do I go about live taping? What do I need?
3.3 If I can't or choose not to tape myself, how can I get tapes?
3.4 What are tape trees?
3.5 What are tape lists?
4.x OTHER
4.1 Are there any mailing lists devoted to Agents of Good Roots?
4.2 Where can I order Agents of Good Roots merchandise?
4.3 Where can I obtain more information about Agents of Good Roots?
4.4 Credits and Contacts
1.x BIOGRAPHY
1.1 Who is Brian Jones?
Brian Jones is the drummer, percussionist, and vocalist for Agents of
Good Roots. Brian graduated from the University of Richmond in 1994
with a degree in History. Hailing from Pittsburgh PA, Brian went to
high school at Upper St. Clair on the South Side of Pittsburgh before
moving to Richmond VA to attend college. Brian enjoys Free Jazz often
heard from the Knitting Factory in New York or ECM, Blue Note or
Gramavision - he also likes classical composers Charles Ives and John
Cage. Some of his biggest drum influences are Paul Matian, Joey Baron,
Jim Black, Billy Martin, John Bonham, Jimmy Cobb and Jack DeJohnette.
Brian also plays in another band, a free floating jazz trio named The
Telemantra Trio.
1.2 Who is J.C. Kuhl?
J.C. Kuhl is the saxophone player for Agents of Good Roots. Hailing
from Baltimore MD, J.C. is a graduate of Towson State University after
earning a degree in Jazz/Commercial Music. Since then he began a
career of performing music, and joined AGR in September of 1995. His
main influences are Michael Brecker, John Coltrane, Jerry Bergonzi, Bob
Berg and Miles Davis.
1.3 Who is Stewart Myers?
Stewart Myers is the bassist for Agents of Good Roots. He also sings
backing and lead vocals for some songs. Before joining Agents of
Good Roots, he attended the College of William and Mary.
1.4 Who is Andrew Winn?
Andrew Winn is the guitarist, keyboardist, and vocalist for Agents of
Good Roots. Born and raised in Roanoke VA, he studied music and
classical guitar at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond VA,
and obtained both his bachelors and masters degrees in music from there,
the latter in 1995.
1.5 Who is Jeff Peskin?
Jeff Peskin is simultaneously the merchandise man, roadie, and spiritual
advisor for Agents of Good Roots. Jeff first crossed the path of the band
in the spring of 1995 while they were starting their weekly gig on the
third floor of the Flood Zone in Richmond. He began taping the band and
developed a relationship of fan, supporter, and friend. As their friendship
grew, Jeff started working with the band in July of 1996 and has been on
the road with them ever since. If you purchase merchandise at an Agents
show and a tall man with afro-big brown hair and sandals gets it for you,
chances are you're dealing with Jeff Peskin. Feel free to stop by and say,
"Hi," as he is always open for a good conversation about the band, life on
the road, and any other points of interest that concern Agents' showgoers.
1.6 Who is Phil Bowman?
Phil Bowman is the sound man for Agents of Good Roots. He originally hails
from Johnson City, TN. He has been with the band since June of 1996. He
has previously worked with Egypt, Full Stop, and Spider Monkey, and used to
be the house soundman at Trax in Charlottesville, Va. Apparently AGR liked
him so much, they permanently stole him away from Trax.
1.7 Who is Rick Rieger?
Rick Rieger was Agents Of Good Roots' young second saxophone player. On
their eponymous demo tape, he is the last one over on the far left. Rick's
last show with AGR was in September of 1995.
1.8 Who is Klaus von Klein?
Klaus von Klein was the first saxophone player for Agents Of Good
Roots. After he and Agents Of Good Roots parted ways, he joined the
band Fighting Gravity, a Virginia ska-based band once known as Boy-O-Boy.
2.x THE MUSIC
2.1 When did the band start playing?
Andrew started playing with Brian when he was studying at VCU. Andrew's
brother, Gordon, introduced him to Brian during the academic year 1991-
1992. They all played in a cover band with Stewart and others called
Corn on My Cobb. Gordon graduated from the University of Richmond in
1993, and Andrew continued to play with Brian, and Stew traveled up from
W&M. So they have been working on original music officially since the
fall of 1993.
2.2 Does the lead singer have a cold, or does he always sound like that?
He always sounds like that. See the next question for more information
on why.
2.3 What happened to Andrew's throat?
Andrew's throat was damaged in a skiing accident when he was 14. He
was unable to talk for two months after the accident. As a result of
the accident, his voice was permanently damaged.
2.4 What albums have been released by Agents of Good Roots?
Agents of Good Roots (eponymous, cassette only demo)
Released in 1995, OR0011C
1. Step To The Street
2. Sidewinder
3. Jakob
4. Waiting At The Corner
5. Straight
6. One Strange Land
7. Free As A Bird
8. Mercury Jones
9. Smiling Up The Frown
10. Don't Get Caught
11. No Time For A Good Time
12. She Got, She Got (Earth Mother)
13. John
Special guest: Gibb Droll, guitar on John.
Where'd You Get That Vibe?
Released 3/20/96, AGENTS 001
1. Sidewinder
2. One Strange Land
3. Turtle Dove
4. Smiling Up The Frown
5. Straight
6. Step To The Street
7. Shine On Mama
8. Jakob
9. Where'd You Get That Vibe?
10. Eric
11. Miss Misbelieving
Special Guest: Doug Wannamaker, organ on One Strange Land
Straightaround
Released 2/25/97 (Conflict 002)
1. Get Me There
2. Miss America
3. The Ballad of Hobby & the Piano
4. I'm in Love
5. Shortchange
6. Exodus of Left
7. Lucky One
8. Mercury Jones
9. She Got, She Got
10. Step to the Street
11. Straight
Special guest: Doug Wannamaker, keyboards on Straight
Further information about these releases can be obtained at the band's
official homepage at http://agentsofgoodroots.com.
2.5 What covers have Agents of Good Roots performed?
These covers only include complete songs that AGR has performed, and
do not include small incidental snippets.
Compared To What--------------------------------Les McCann
Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover------------------Paul Simon
Funkytown (during John)-------------------------Lipps, Inc.
Riders On The Storm-----------------------------The Doors
Romeo & Juliet----------------------------------Dire Straits
(Sitting On the) Dock of the Bay----------------Otis Redding
Sultans Of Swing--------------------------------Dire Straits
Tangled Up In Blue------------------------------Bob Dylan
The Letter--------------------------------------The Box Tops
Where It's At-----------------------------------Beck
You Can't Always Get What You Want--------------The Rolling Stones
2.6 What original songs are performed by Agents of Good Roots, and what
are their lyrics?
John Viega has capably compiled an extensive collection of song titles,
lyrics, and set lists for Agents of Good Roots. These can be accessed
from the main menu at http://agentsofgoodroots.com.
2.7 What guest artists have performed with AGR?
Doug Derryberry - guitarist for The Emptys, producer, 2/14/97
Gibb Droll - guitarist, vocalist for Gibb Droll Band, numerous times
Tony Fernandez - DJ for the Flood Zone, turntables/grooves for most of show, 2/12/97
Nate Griffith - guitarist, friend of the band, 2/26/97
Josh Harvey - keyboards, longtime resident Viber, numerous times
Al Maniscalco - saxophone, friend of the band, 4/30/97
Pete Mathis - keyboardist for Gibb Droll Band, 1/4/97
Dave Matthews - vocalist, guitarist for Dave Matthews Band, played four
solo acoustic songs after AGR's 6/3/96 show, and also
on 3/18/97 during Riders On The Storm
Bob Miller - trumpet player for Bio Ritmo, 12/31/96 and 1/29/97
Jeff Peskin - harmonica, merchandise man for AGR, numerous times
John Popper - vocalist and harmonica player for Blues Traveler, in Florida, 9/1/96
Doug Wannamaker - keyboardist and saxophonist for Gibb Droll Band, numerous times
2.8 What is the Tele-Mantra Trio?
The Tele-Mantra Trio is an instrumental jazz trio that Brian Jones
plays in as a side project. They play mostly in Richmond and
Charlottesville during AGR's days off. The band's homepage is
http://websites.i2020.net/~con4prog/tmantra.htm. The Tele-Mantra Trio
consists of Sean Moran on guitar, Randall Pharr on double-bass, and
Brian Jones on drums.
2.9 What other albums have members of AGR played on?
J.C. Kuhl plays saxophone on selected tracks on Pat McGee Band's 1997
"Revel" album, PMB6804.
The Tele-Mantra Trio released a self-titled demo tape in 1997 featuring
Brian Jones on drums. The track listing is:
1. Contemplating The Unity Of A Christmas Sphere
2. Endless Mourning on Japanese Mountain
3. Main Street Mugging
4. DNA
5. Manfred Eicher
6. Nile Birds
7. The Journey
8. Eating Jehovah
9. Basso 'en' Vader
10. Om: Tripledge
This tape is sold at all Agents of Good Roots concerts, and can be
ordered by calling (804) 971-4829.
3.X THE TAPES
3.1 Is taping legal? Does Agents of Good Roots allow taping?
Yes, taping is legal. And yes, Agents of Good Roots allow and
encourage live taping and trading!
3.2 What about live taping? What do I need?
Anyone bringing appropriate equipment can tape directly off the venue's
soundboard, audience tape, videotape, or do just about any other kind of
taping they desire. Photographing is also permitted.
Here are some tips on what to bring and what to do regarding taping.
1. Show up with your tape deck about 20-30 minutes before the show starts. Home
decks are OK; however, they might not always be able to provide you with power.
2. If there are already tapers set up near the soundboard, talk to them about setting
up your deck.
3. Otherwise, talk to the soundman Phil about getting a patch and power. Be
patient... before a show, Phil can be very busy. Also, Phil does not have any
cables, you need to bring your own. For most boards, you will need RCA cables,
and 2 mono 1/4 inch to RCA plugs.
4. Bring your own power strip, flashlight, extra cables, blank tapes, etc... AGR won't
be able to lend you anything.
5. Remember, the music from the soundboard is mixed to make the room sound
good, not your tapes. There have been shows where some instruments had to be
very high, or very low to make it sound good for the room.
6. If you want, you can bring your own audience microphones. Please go to Phil, so
he can show you where to set them up.
3.3 If I can't or choose not to tape myself, how can I get tapes?
The best way to get tapes at a show is to casually go up to the soundboard either
before a show, between sets, or immediately after a show, casually introduce
yourself, and ask if it might be possible to obtain a copy of the show in the
future. You'll likely find the responses to be positive.
A great way to start an Agents of Good Roots tape collection without having to wait
for the next show (which can be awhile if you're not in the VA/NC/MD/DC vicinity)
is to do one of two things:
1) Request that a tape trader tape a show or shows for you if you send blanks
and postage to that person. This can most effectively be done on Vibes, the
Agents of Good Roots mailing list. Also, you can find people to trade AGR on
the web site http://tapetraders.com, and this page is offered as a link off
of the main Agents of Good Roots home page.
2) Sign up for the monthly tape tree on the official Agents of Good Roots home
page, at http://agentsofgoodroots.com. Sign-up information is available from
the Taping section from the main menu.
3.4 What are tape trees?
A Tape Tree is a way of distributing a popular tape to a large number of people.
By using a tape tree, rather than having one person make 50 copies of a tape,
everyone gets their tapes faster & there's much less work involved for the owner
of the tapes.
The basic premise is this: I have a tape that lots of people want. So I post to
Vibes or elsewhere on the Internet, saying that I'm running a tree. In that post
I include a form for people to fill out & send back to me. (Most if not all of the
information on these forms gets used, so always fill out the whole thing) After a
week or more of waiting, I compile all the replies into a "tree," where I arrange
to make copies for 5 or so people. Each of those 5 people is given a list of 5
other people whom they are to make tapes for. Each of them makes copies for 5
people, & so on depending on how big the tree is. Usually the people who are higher
up in trees are the people with the best taping equipment, so the tapes lose less of
their sound quality.
If you are on a tree you have one or two responsibilities: The first is to get the
tapes (this applies to everyone). You do this by either sending blanks to or trading
with the person above you. (Whether you send blanks or trade generally has little to
do with your placement within the tree). The second responsibility you *may* have will
be to copy the tapes for a certain number of other people. If you are considered a
"branch" then you have this responsibility, if you are a "leaf" then you do not have
that responsibility, for you are at the bottom of the tree structure. At that point
your role in the tree has been fulfilled.
For more information about tape trees, visit
http://fulton.seas.virginia.edu/~pnw3a/treeinfo.html.
3.5 What about tape lists?
A tape list gives relevant information about live tapes you have. A tape
list is useful for two reasons: to let you keep up with what you have (which assumes
that you have more than a handful of tapes) & to make it easier to let others see
what you have (which assumes that you might one day be interested in trading for
other tapes.) That is, even if you don't think one of these items is useful to have
on your list, you ought to at least be able to give the relevant information on any
particular tape.
There is no consensus on form, order, or meaning (especially generation
determination). But, important information for each tape might include
any or all of the following: band/performer, date, set(s), venue, location
of venue, source (FM broadcast, audience, soundboard, monitor feed, suzy-Q,
studio, board remix), generation, digital/analog, and some form of grading
(try A, B, C; + or - for hiss & noise; try to be strict, especially with
your first tapes -- it'll come to you), & any other comments you feel are
important.
It isn't considered good protocol to post your list to the Agents of Good
Roots mailing list, so please refrain from doing so. However if you'd
like to trade, brief trade requests on Vibes are encouraged, and posting
your tape list at http://tapetrading.com is even more highly encouraged!
Check the site for more information on how to do so.
4.x OTHER
4.1 Are there any mailing lists devoted to Agents of Good Roots?
Yes! Vibes is an Internet mailing list whose topic is the music, recordings,
and touring of Agents of Good Roots. Started in October 1996, it has proved
to be an invaluable source to meet other Agents of Good Roots enthusiasts,
develop new ones, trade tapes, and engage in stimulating and often humorous
discussion. To subscribe to Vibes, either point your favorite web browser to
http://listserv.redlt.com/mailman/listinfo/vibes or send a message to
majordomo@agents.list.org with the message "subscribe vibes" in the body, or
"subscribe vibes-digest" if you'd like to receive the posts in one big Email
at the same time rather than lots of individual ones throughout the day.
Posts go to vibes@agents.list.org, and this is true regardless of which
subscription method you use.
Also, there is a new AGR announcement mailing list that will keep you up to
date on all the latest tour dates and other happenings, and that can be
subscribed to by pointing your browser to
http://listserv.redlt.com/mailman/listinfo/agrnews or by simply signing the
band's mailing list at a show and including your Email address.
4.2 Where can I order Agents of Good Roots merchandise?
T-shirts, CDs, hats, bumper stickers, posters, and cassettes are available
by phone by calling Red Light Management at (804) 971-4829.
Also, you can order online by visiting their homepage at http://agentsofgoodroots.com.
You can order by mail by sending a check to:
Agents of Good Roots
P.O. Box 1904
Charlottesville, VA 22903
CDs are $15, hats $18, posters $8, T-shirts $15. Everything's cheaper at
shows (CDs at shows are $12 for instance) since there's no postage/handling
fee.
For tour dates and information, call (804) 963-6080.
For Booking and Management, call (804) 971-1186.
You can also Email the band directly at agents@redlt.com.
Finally, for directions to the Flood Zone, where they play
every Wednesday night, call (804) 643-1117. The number for TRAX,
where they play every Tuesday night, is (804) 295-TRAX.
4.3 Where can I obtain more information about Agents of Good Roots?
The first place, obviously, where you're going to want to go is their official
home page http://agentsofgoodroots.com. The second place to go is to Vibes, the
AGR mailing list. Further, you may find these web sites of interest:
http://tapetrading.com/agrtrad.htm - TapeTrader's entry on AGR.
http://www.wlu.edu/~tilitzen/agr.html - Tim Litzenburg's AGR site.
http://listserv.redlt.com/mailman/listinfo/vibes - The Vibes subscription page.
http://listserv.redlt.com/mailman/listinfo/agrnews - The Vibes announcement
subscription page.
http://websites.i2020.net/~con4prog/tmantra.htm - The Tele-Mantra Trio page.
http://www.vt.edu:10021/A/apathwic/agr.html - Drew Pathwick's AGR site.
http://oven.ccds.charlotte.nc.us/~walker/agr.html - Elliott Walker's AGR site.
http://fantasia.eng.clemson.edu/~ttatum/hgmn/agrcass.html - Home Grown Music
Network's AGR site.
http://www3.redlt.com/trax/index.html - TRAX's homepage.
Additionally, Mark Endicott (mse9797@apsu01.apsu.edu) has created two preliminary
IRC channels on the dalnet server devoted to discussion of AGR's music, #agents
and #vibes. For more information, contact Mark.
4.4 Credits and Contacts
Any additions and corrections to this FAQ should be directed to:
Brian Pace (bpace@student.richmond.edu).
Any comments or suggestions about the official AGR home page should be sent to:
agents@list.org.
Several biography sections on this FAQ as well as some of the taping guidelines
were borrowed from the band's official home page.
This file was originally written in November of 1996 and has been continually updated by:
Brian Alderfer (alderfer@vt.edu)
Ron Broman (rcb4d@faraday.clas.virginia.edu)
Devon Cavanagh (cavanadj@jmu.edu)
Mark Endicott (mse9797@apsu01.apsu.edu)
Will Foy (freewill@ols.net)
Josh Harvey (jtharvey@liberty.uc.wlu.edu)
Tim Litzenburg (tilitzen@liberty.uc.wlu.edu)
Justin Martenstein (jtm5@po.cwru.edu)
Chris Oberlin (doberlin@serv2.fwi.com)
Brian Pace (bpace@student.richmond.edu)
Justin Purnell (jpurnell@princeton.edu)
John Viega (viega@list.org)
Gordon Winn (gwinn@juno.com)
Subsequent corrections have been made by all members of Vibes and the Agents of Good Roots community.