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For 8-year-old guitar prodigy Tallan Latz, happiness is playing the blues
By Lee B. Roberts
Journal Times
The dark glasses and black attire Tallan Latz is wearing in photos on his Web site make him appear older than his eight years.
So does the way he plays Elmore James’ “The Sky is Crying” on his electric guitar.
Tallan, a second-grader at Tibbets Elementary School in Elkhorn, loves to play the guitar. He also loves blues music, especially that of Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimi Hendrix. And he will share both of those passions with folks in Racine County on Saturday night when he brings his band, T-Man’s Blues Project, to the Hiawatha Bar & Grill to play.
OK, you say, an 8-year-old playing guitar is one thing, but how can someone who has lived less than 10 years understand the blues?
Dressed in jeans, a football jersey and sneakers during a reporter’s recent visit to his Elkhorn home, Tallan looked more like a typical second-grader. But when he strapped on his guitar and played, the blues musician emerged. His singing may give away his youth, but the T-Man, as his fans call him, plays beyond his years.
When asked why he likes to play the blues, Tallan said “It sounds cool. I just like the blues.”
Tallan’s love affair with music dates back to age three, when he started playing the drums. He picked up a guitar a year later and began getting serious about the instrument at age 5, according to Carl Latz.
After watching a video of guitarist Joe Satriani, he asked for an electric guitar for Easter, and his parents told him that if he got the guitar, he would have to take lessons and practice.
“He has done both ever since,” said Carl.
Those lessons — along with Tallan’s devotion to his craft — have paid off in recent months as the young guitarist has taken his talents on the road playing for audiences at a variety of venues in the Midwest.
Before he turned eight, Tallan had already shared the stage with a number of musicians ranging from local and regional bands to nationally and internationally-known performers including Walter Trout, whose career includes time playing with Canned Heat, John Lee Hooker and Big Momma Thorton.
“He invited me up on stage for the second set and I asked him to sign my guitar,” Tallan said of his experience with Trout.
“Afterward, he was so excited about meeting Walter he was bouncing off the walls,” said Carl.
Another of Tallan’s favorite gigs so far was playing at Alpine Valley, where he took the stage on his eighth birthday in September. You can see video footage of his Alpine Valley performance on his MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/tmansbluesproject
Standing on stage in front of thousands of people might make some people nervous, but not Tallan. He is used to playing with the big boys.
“It doesn’t seem to be a big deal to him,” his father said. “But when I watch him perform, I am still amazed every single time.”
Musical beginnings
Without much musical history in their family, Carl Latz said he isn’t sure where his son’s talents came from.
“It might go back to when he was still in the womb,” he said. “We did some of that Mozart effect thing, where we played music to him with pillow speakers before he was born.”
Or maybe it is just a godsend, said Carl.
Either way, the T-Man has talent, says Dave Zuniga, who is entertainment coordinator for the Hiawatha and has heard Tallan play at the venue twice in the past year.
“This kid is going to be big,” he said. “I’ve been dealing with bands most of my life and I’ve never seen this much determination at 8 years old. He has natural ability. I give it two years, tops, until he gets national attention.”
Response from patrons at the Hiawatha to Tallan has also been very positive, Zuniga said.
“You wouldn’t believe it,” he said. “Girls were lining up to get their pictures taken with him.”
VIDEO - Showing Tallan playing his guitar
That said, Tallan is still a second-grader who enjoys watching and playing football (he is both a Packers and a Bears fan) and singing in his school choir.
“My most favorite thing, besides playing the guitar, is reading,” he said. “I like to read chapter books like ‘The Magic Tree House’ and ‘Junie B. Jones’.”
In between reading and football, Tallan manages to squeeze in two hours of guitar practice a day. And, yes, he dreams about performing at Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago and sharing the stage with B.B. King. Who, knows? He just might get there.
The kid already has about a half dozen endorsements ranging from Dean Guitars to Laney Amps, and a fan base that continues to grow, both regionally and on his MySpace page. Meanwhile, he is happy to be able to share his music with people of all ages near and far.
“I like to make people smile and help them forget about everyday life,” Tallan said.
If You Go
WHAT: T-Man’s Blues Project
WHEN: 9 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Hiawatha Bar & Grill, 9809 Durand Ave., Sturtevant
COST: Cover charge is $6 ($5 for those who bring a copy of this article).
INFO: For more about Tallan Latz, go to http://www.tallanlatz.com or http://www.myspace.com/tmansbluesproject
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