Tarah Who? is an LA based, independent rock, grunge, garage, Cowpunk Rock band. The mind, soul, rock’n roll heart beat and operator behind ‘Tarah Who?’ is French / American Singer & Multi-Instrumentalist
(drummer, guitarist & bassist) Tarah G. Carpenter.
Born in Paris, Tarah got her first drum set at age 14 and shortly after began playing the bass, and the guitar.
After performing drums and bass in Paris for a few years,in several bands, Tarah decided to travel to Los Angeles to explore the music scene. Tarah answered an ad on craigslist ‘looking for an artist to perform original
songs at a warehouse Party Downtown’. After performing solo for the first time, the songs she had secretly written on the guitar, she decided she wanted to do her own music and started playing under the moniker ‘Tarah Who?’.
Tarah Who? is true 90’s spirit, anthemic sing-a-long choruses and a punky edged energetic live show.
Live and on recordings, Tarah Who?’s songs jump out and grab at you to listen. The fact that Tarah can rock the drums just as hard as the guitar is enough to make any listener pay attention. While Tarah’s been called the female Pearl Jam, her music stands on its own and a live show you don’t want to miss. Chek out Little Pieces below!
We managed to catch up witht the band as they talk about their latest release and more!
Tarah G. Carpenter (TGC) : Vocals, Guitar
Matthew Peltcher (MP): Bass, Backing Vocals
Coralie Hervé (CH): Drums
So how has your latest album/EP gone so far with fans then?
TGC: “Half Middle Child Syndrome” is doing pretty good! I was a little curious to see how our fans would react after “Federal Circle Of Shame”. FCS is very raw, punk, angry, whereas “Half Middle Child Syndrome” is slightly more produced, with more backing vocals arrangements, more guitars, and percussions. Different mixing and mastering approach. It still sounds like Tarah Who? but this Ep sounds a little more “pop” or “pretty” which in the end attracts a lot more people. It is an interesting challenge and turn out.
MP: Half Middle Child Syndrome has been well received by our fans. The angrier sound definitely resonates with people these days. Although very “punk rock” sounding there is a certain “catchiness” to some tracks, Little Pieces for instance. I have heard plenty of positive feedback like “very well-arranged music” and “great energy and intensity”.
CH: I really think that people like it. The songs are really great and fun to play so I hope that people can feel it.
Tell us something about the release no one knows?
TGC: One song didn’t make the cut because we ran out of time and we totally improvised and re-wrote “Pay to Play” after Jason (Orme- co-producer) suggested that we changed the drums. Which was an amazing call!
We worked on the songs prior to the recording but we really had no idea how anything was going to happen. We kind of went into the studio hoping for the best! (or maybe that was just me!). We didn’t use any of my guitars or effects, we only used, Jason’s vintage guitars and pedal boards (or spaceships…). We barely made it all on time for the release party on June 21st! Everything was late and stressful, but we, somehow made it happen and everything was ready for the day off the release!
MP: The release was crazy. I seriously don’t know how we pulled it off, we just did it. It just goes to show you have faith, work hard and don’t look back!
If you could work with any band on a new song, who would it be and why?
TGC: I wish I had worked with Lemmy because I love his style and music. I would have wanted to play the drums though. I would totally play the bass for/ or with anything Brody Dalle. Why? it would give me an excuse to hang out with her 😛
MP: I would like to work with the Deftones. Their music is really intense and melodic at the same time. It’s the kind of music that would be amazing to work on, for me anyways.
CH: I would like to work with this band called Battle Beast because these guys are crazy and their music is really good. It will be an interesting mix and a lot of fun I think.
How has your latest single been received?
TGC: We are actually releasing our first single soon. We are making the video for “Pay to Play” in November, and we are very excited to shoot the video. Don’t want to spoil anything but it will be a really entertaining music video. We are working with Adrianne Lundy (director, writer) and Zoé Pelloux (producer).
Can you tell us about the meaning behind the track?
TGC: Oh the meaning is very explicit. We are against “Pay to Play” shows and strongly recommends artists and bands to not support those shows anymore. For those of you, who don’t know what pay to play gigs are, Matt will explain:)
MP: Hmm, were do I start. “Pay to Play” is essentially guaranteeing the venue (bar/club) a certain dollar amount of ticket sales through the performers (band) who must pay in advance, out of their own pockets, for those tickets. The burden of selling tickets falls on the performers who end up trying to recover the money they spent to perform all while the venue has made money on top of their usual drink sales. Performing is work and performers should be paid something for their time. It is just plain abusive to force bands who spend what little money they have to perform their art in a live setting, therefore we are against it. That’s why we yell “PAY TO PLAY…NO MORE!!” towards the end of the song.
What tours do you have coming up, and what can you tell us about them?
TGC: We are going on a mini California tour with a small detour in Las Vegas. 🙂 We are super thrilled about those dates. I love playing at the Double Down saloon, it’s just like the coolest dive bar I have ever played at, it makes Vegas fun for a non-gambler. We also have a show for Halloween, it’s a mini festival and it sounds very promising. All the bands sound really nice and we are all very excited to be a part of this event.
We also have an acoustic show at the hotel café, with Vanessa Silberman, celebrating female artists. This should be a fun night as well. Next year we are hitting the road with our good friends DRY CAN grunge band from Paris. We are super thrilled to share the stage with those guys, driving from San Diego up to Seattle. 90s Rock represent;)
MP: Yes! Currently on a So Cal tour. Very cool venues in Vegas, Santa Ana and West Hollywood to name a few. It’s just a warm up folks because in April 2018 we begin our West Coast tour. Check out tarahwho.com to follow us and keep up with our tours. We just might stop by your town and you should definitely come out and hang out with us.
CH: We are gonna do a tour on the West Coast in April and one in Europe just after that.
What venue are you most looking forward to playing the most, and why?
TGC: I am just happy to play anywhere as long as the crowd, our fans, people are ready to party! Of course I am happy to play at historical venues, but brand new bars, or warehouses are also really fun to play at if the people are having a good time and enjoying your show.
MP: I’m excited to play at the Rainbow Room. Why? It’s the Sunset Strip where all of your wildest Rock n’ Roll fantasies happen! I’m curious to see what the crowd will be like. I’m hoping we can have another amazing show like our E.P. release at the Viper.
What else can we expect from you as we head towards 2018?
TGC: Music Videos, Promotional videos, more shows, new songs, new ep, and we expect to meet all of you out there! 🙂 Thanks for your support!
MP: Much, much more. It will be an awesome year for Tarah Who? Can’t wait to see and talk to all the awesome people while we are on tour!
CH: A new EP and a tour to promote it!!
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