thegauntlet.com heavy metal

TARAH WHO? INTERVIEW - TAKING THE GENRE TO NEW PLACES!


1. Hello Tarah Great to have you here today. And Congratulations on the Grammy recognition, all the critical acclaim and all the awesome recordings. I love the way your sound doesn't follow the pack, but leads instead, and as a fan I thank you for that. How did you come to the innovative sound?


TGC: Humm I think not knowing what we're doing is a big plus! I like grunge, punk , Rock... I don't know what I am doing to be honest but I know what I don't like. Also, Jason Orme has a lot to do with the sound of the guitars, I played his Vintage Fender that has a really nice attack, we are using our endorsed brands, who we chose because of their quality and tone..Blackstar,Ernie Ball,TRX Cymbals,Fender etc...Jason did the mix and Jesse Cannon the master. We have been doing it this way for the last couple EP's and we really like how everything turns out.

2. I sense a unifying theme riding under the tracks and a certain otherness to your music, can you comment on that? Was that a goal or side effect.

TGC: I do certain things intentionally yes. Some songs are linked, either by their topic or guitar riffs. The most important touch I like to keep is authenticity. I want to make sure that the emotions are untouched and raw, even if it exposes a vulnerability. I think that even if we have different genres in our music, our sound and energy defines us.

3. We love the authenticity and the eclectic mix of songs among other things, The songs are both provocative and emotionally deep. How does it feel to move people to a
depth of emotion they may not even feel in everyday life?.

TGC: I believe that if we live fully, we all go through every situation at one point of our lives and this is in a way what brings us together. You may listen to a song today and not relate to it but maybe in a year or two, you will go through an event in your life and you will listen to this song on accident and it will suddenly make sense. The song will suddenly become part of your soundtrack in life and you will feel close to it or maybe you are just able to put yourself in someone else's shoes. I do have a few people who write to me once in a while and who let me know that they understand or that this song helps them. This is the best feeling on earth! We are connected.

4. There is no substitute for connection especially in this era.
Lyrical poetry can have a shrouded meaning, to be interpreted by the listener whatever way they feel it. At the same time they may have a deliberate intent which one describes your writing or both.

TGC: I am definitely not poetry. I am very raw, and open when I write. I write in emotions of anger and sadness for the most part. I don't try to hide my feelings, I usually just spill it out.

5. Did you have a moment of truth sometime in your youth where you absolutely knew you would be doing this for the rest of your life? What was that like?

TGC: I have never really thought of it actually. I was 14 when I started playing the drums and the bass guitar. I was in a couple of bands. Then I started writing songs but I didn't dare to share them and I didn't want to sing. Over time, and after working with producers, musicians and whatnot, TARAH WHO? because the main project, I still play the drums and bass in other projects, I have never thought of being a musician as a career, it is just something that I have been doing since I was 14 and I never stopped. Playing and writing music is what I do. I can't see myself doing anything else. I am truly miserable when I don't play, even my body aches. It is like an athlete who doesn't practice...you know?

6. Does the band have a unifying ethos? Can you describe it.

TGC: Tarah Who? the name, the logo everything revolves around Buddhism. Tara is actually the name of a Goddess.
the Green Tara embodies the healing energy of release from fear and ignorance. Human ignorance comes in many forms—from jealousy to pride—and it's the healing energy of Green Tara that brings awareness and relief from these negative aspects. We have a logo and a flag and it is all around TARA and Buddhism. This is why I write about emotions, understanding, relationships, etc...

That is so freaking cool said the Buddhist. Ok, Shifting gears a bit away from the mono-brow questions - do you see (any, a lot) of tattoos of your band/music out at shows?

TGC: Only 2 ;) haha! I wish I did see more, maybe in time!

8. Describe your biggest Spinal Tap moment.

TGC: Hahah! every time I have had to change a band member! I have 2 big moments (actually now that I m thinking of it... there is definitely more than 2 but let's keep it simple!) : The first one was for the first recording of TARAH WHO? as a band. 2 weeks into going to the studio, I had to tell my friends/musicians that it wasn't working out and I didn't want to record with them. I was not satisfied with what we were working on and I didn't dare to say anything because they were my friends and they got their feelings (egos) hurt a bunch. Also because I was a woman, I really felt that they didn't take me word seriously even if this was my project. It was a really hard decision to make, and I ended improvising the album with a friend because we didn't have time to work on anything and re-write parts. So luckily we were in a house recording studio and we were able to improvise and disconnect from everything and everyone.

The second one is when we lost Joey. I was not prepared for this at all, but we had to come up with a solution really quickly as we were a week away from touring Europe. This is how Tarah Who? became a duo and so far, it looks like this was the best decision for the world we live in today.


9. Where do you go from here?

TGC: Coralie and I are touring and playing really good shows. Our fans and audience are very supportive and impressed with our performance which is really encouraging and we have had a lot of amazing opportunities since Tarah Who? became a duo.

10. What is the endgame for you?

TGC: Keep pushing for bigger and higher goals.I can't think of an endgame because even when we are where I set my goal for the time being, I get inspired to do more, or I get a new idea, or something. I always want to push a little further ...:)

11 How do we get permission to put your video on our streaming TV channel at Roku.

TGC: hummm.. I am not sure... Let me know what you need and I will see what I can do? Maybe I can send you a file?


12. Any thing you would like to tell your fans?

TGC: thank you for your support! Please make sure to follow us on instagram @ tarahwho , and on our website. Come to our shows and introduce yourself. We love to meet new people!

All dates are on www.tarahwho.com. We have a new music video coming out soon for our song 'Pantomath', a few other, live videos, new music and many more dates to come!

13. Thats great, its been a honor to talk to you please let us know if there is anything we can do to help you. Thanks!

TGC: thank you so much!!

If you would like to get to know us and the story of TARAH WHO? please watch and share our docu-series available on youtube:



Read More News

Tags:  INTERVIEWTarah WhoGrammyRockUnited States

    February 27, 2020

More News

Happy 'Pi' Day
KINGS OF THRASH Feat. DAVID ELLEFSON, JEFF YOUNG And CHRIS POLAND To Perform MEGADETH Classics On July 2024 Australian Tour
DAVID ELLEFSON To Play Bass For OVERKILL On 2024 Latin American Tour
PIG DESTROYER's BLAKE HARRISON Has Died
Former Slipknot Drummer Joins Suicidal Tendencies