Who is Tarah Who?
Interview conducted on May 16, 2019
by Dan Locke
Tarah Who? is female fronted power trio from Los Angeles: Punk, Rock, Alternative from the 90s. Meet Tarah G. Carpenter (Vocals,guitar), Joey Southern (Bass) and female drummer Coralie Hervé.
“…If Motorhead was fronted by Alanis Morissette!”
Band Members:
Tarah G. Carpenter: Vocals, Guitar
Joey Southern: Bass, Backing Vocals
Coralie Hervé: Drums, Backing Vocals
Dan Locke: You were born and raised in Paris. What is live music like over there?
Tarah G. Carpenter: Live music is hard when you are a loud punk rock band like we are. Paris has decibel meters that will cut your sound off if you go over the limit. Playing in bigger venues is definitely better and French people like rock and like to have fun so it is always a fun time to play in Paris. Musicians are also more supportive in sharing equipment and helping each other out.
I am going to name a few bands from French or French ancestry. Tell me something about each:
Daft Punk:
Coralie Hervé : really good music and pioneer in electro music.TGC: I love Daft Punk 🙂 It definitely takes me back to when.. high school? or somewhere around that time. but yeah… I still like them:)
Jo Jo :
CH : she is not French.
TGC: I have no idea who this is.
Colbie Caillat :
CH : she is not French.
TGC: That brings me back to the 2000s right? wasn’t it at this time? Ahhh myspace…! I remember hearing her name and wondered if she was French
CH : she is not French.
TGC: I like Zooey a lot. I think she is funny. True Angeleno, but her family is French, I think. Hence her family name.
Gojira
CH : really well known in the metal world, the biggest French metal band.
TGC: One of the first time I was introduced to Gojira, I remember watching one of the live videos of their performance I think about Les Vieilles Charrues 2010 or something like that. We were at the studio recording “Little Out There”. We started talking about drums and then we watched that one song Toxic Garbage Island
A couple year later I was driving in Koreatown right by the Wiltern, and I see that Gojira was playing the Wiltern. I was really happy for them!
Years of No Light
CH : I don’t know them.
TGC: Neither do I…
C.R.O.W.N.
CH : I don’t know them either.
TGC: Yeah me neither..
Why did you pick that name?
Tarah Who?
TGC: It was not really planned. We had a bunch of shows lined up but no name. I had to find a name because someone else had my same legal name, which is rare but since it was not common, everyone thought I was her. I booked bands and we would either get the gig because they thought I was her (she was a French rap artist so imagine the disappointment when we showed up with loud Rock) or we would not get the gig because they wondered why a French rap artist wanted to play in that punk underground venue. So I came up with a few ideas and the subject of that email was “Tarah Who???” and out of all of my “amazing” ideas, everyone responded.. how about the subject? so we went for that just so that we could book the shows and years went by.. I feel like it is too late to change now 🙂
How do you define your music?
CH : Tarah Who? is a mix between different genres like rock/punk/grunge but at the same time is unique.
Joey Southern: It’s a touch of this and that, reminding you of the grunge years and the countless sub-genres stretching to and beyond rock. Most importantly it is a breath of fresh air, original and meaningful. Every note played with a specific purpose and intention from dynamically soft to chaotically hard and that is evident in Tarah’s guitar strumming. I have had fingers bleed as well over time, however, Tarah’s fingers continue to bleed upon constant use and driving thrashing. Tarah drives Coralie and I to play harder and louder than ever before. We play hard, we play loud and we play with a purpose!!!TGC: I don’t think we fit into one genre. I write songs because I have emotions and feelings, I want to express. I like to listen to the Distillers, Pantera, Motörhead, etc.. so I am sure that you can find all of those influences in our songs. We all come from a different background but overall we are a loud, fast-paced, band who like to entertain 🙂 Definitely 90s influenced.
What did you listen to growing up?
CH: I listened to a lot of classic rock, French music. When I was 12 I found my favorite band, Nightwish, a symphonic metal band, and I just love this genre since !!
TGC: I grew up listening to a lot of Alanis Morrissette and then discovered The Distillers, Garbage, RATM, Pantera, Tool, Motörhead, etc. so when fans describe us as “You guys sound like if Motörhead was fronted by Alanis Morissette” it is totally spot on!
JS : I listened to everything from 311 to Slipknot haha I was all over the place.
You grow up playing drums. How did you switch over to guitar?
TGC: I did not really switch. I started as a drummer and as a bass player in bands. I still play those instruments in different bands or project, but Tarah Who? is my baby. I write all the music and lyrics, so when I make demos for our new songs, I play the drums and bass before sending the tracks to Coralie and Joey. After that, they add their own touch and personalities into the songs, but since I am self-taught, I don’t read or write music, It is the easiest way:)
I started playing the guitar because I wanted to write my own songs. I didn’t really want anyone else to sing my song and I don’t consider myself a singer, so it keeps me busy to play the guitar! 🙂 Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy playing the guitar, but I can’t stand solos and all that stuff. I am not really a guitar player in that sense…I don’t have the passion with the guitar that I have for drums or bass. I would totally go to bass and drums events, but you’d have to pay me to go to a guitar event 😉 (Totally exaggerating:) )
Do you enjoy relaxing more with the drums or guitar now?
Tarah Who?
TGC: They are both relaxing to me. I have more fun on the drums, and I can only play Tarah Who? songs on the guitar! I don’t really care about learning anything else, to be honest! I like to perform our songs on the guitar, whereas, on the drums, I like to play with people, jam, improvise, etc.. Same with the bass.
How did you end up in LA?
CH : I came to LA to study at the Musicians Institute, it was an amazing experience !!
JS : I came to LA to find like-minded driven musicians to build a career with. My journey started in 2011 and within the last year, I have finally found my home in Tarah Who?
TGC: I wanted to move to the US. It was between LA or NYC. I don’t like the cold. I never have and I really wanted a different lifestyle. IT could have been Hawaii to be honest because I love the sun and flip flops, but for my musical career, it would not have been great. So I chose Los Angeles, fell in love with the city and have not left since.
How many tattoos do you have and which is your favorite and location?
CH : I have three tattoos, I love them all.
JS : Not yeeettt!!!!
TGC: Oh man, I have stopped counting a long time ago. I don’t have a favorite one because they all mean something important to me. They all represent a moment of my life that had a big impact and made me who I am today. The one that is a bit different is the one on my ribs on the left side because I have had it done in Thailand by a monk with a bamboo stick. It was meditation. It was a really intense experience 🙂
What band inspired you to start a band?
TGC: I have never really thought of it. I almost started all of the bands I played in I like to get people together and be creative. I still do it, I started playing when I was 14 and I have never stopped. For Tarah Who? I just started writing one day, I was performing as a singer-songwriter, then got more confident with my music and my songs and I felt that it was not representing my music to perform as a solo musician. I started looking for musicians and after years of playing with different men and women, here are Coralie and Joey! 🙂
What band were you in before Tarah Who?
CH : I was in a few bands in school with some friends.
JS : I was in various rock bands and eclectic ensembles ranging from surf rock (theBIGparty) to comedy (Miscellaneous). All great experiences and I still play with a few bands from time to time.
TGC: I was in a punk band called Fraülein, I played the drums, it was really fun. I played the bass in So Was The Sun for about two years. Currently, I play the drums with Coralie in Jane Gray Black Orphan which is a rock progressive type of band I think? Coralie and I are on the drums, Joey on the Bass and Ash (previous TW? bass player) plays the guitar and sings. It is a really fun and challenging project kind of like Tool, but with 2 drummer chicks! I also play the drums for October Rain which is a pop-rock band from France.
You had a crowdfunding project. Why do you feel it did not make it a goal?
TGC: Oh wow, I can’t believe you even know about that. IT was a really interesting experience. I have never really been into those crowdfunding projects. I don’t feel comfortable asking for money but I was really surprised to see that some of my old friends, acquaintances or strangers did participate. I think that it did not make its goal because I did not dare to promote or ask people to support. We did it to try but we felt horrible about it. We didn’t t want to bother anyone or ask personally because we were afraid to be annoying. The video that we had done to present our project was horrible too. We had a different drummer and we just did not vibe altogether. Overall it was a big mistake! We tried, and it did not work out, but to be honest I am not someone who stops at one obstacle.
Since your goal was to use the money for mastering what did you do?
Tarah Who?
TGC: We did it independently as we should have done in the first place. There is always a way! Turned out, a friend of ours who mixes and masters saw the pledge and offered to master our album for free to help us out. Something better came out of it, it was more natural, and it felt so much better to do it this way. At the time, I believed that it was important to have a big name on the album for bigger promotion. Truth is. it won’t change anything at all. You just need a good product. What other people do is not necessarily what fits YOUR music, project or budget!
Last year you had the chance to play in Buffalo NY at Mohawk Place. How was the gig?
CH : It was really cool, an awesome place !!
JS : Fun punk rock venue with a great stage. We met really cool bands and amazing new fans. I was walking to the car and the other band noticed me, pulled me in and bought me around!!! Hell yeah, Eyes of the Blind!!!
TGC: I loved the venue. Everyone was really cool, all of the bands and the staff. I have friends in Buffalo so We hung out, caught up, crashed at their place for free (Thank you Lianna!) It was funny because we almost missed an exit and could have ended up in Canada! phewww! No one was prepared for that (passports or anything- I am sure they are used to this kind of incident and we would have just turned around but it was funny at the time) Yeah I liked that venue so much I bought their t-shirt! Which is usually a good sign:)
One of your first gigs at Tarah Who? was at The Viper Room. How was that?
TGC: I did play at the Viper Room acoustic, for the first time in 2006 and I also played with the full band in 2013 I think it was, for the first time. It was a lot of fun, people were really into it. At the time, there was a ramp or something in the middle, you could walk on to. We had a few ladies dancing there, which was really cool. The viper tells you before a show, that there are three rules: I honestly forget them but I know that one of them is “DO NOT JUMP ON THE DRUMS” I totally forgot, and during our last song, I jumped on the drums. Not the be a rebel, I seriously forgot. They closed the curtain to end the show as a punishment. Because of those rules, but it looked really cool! it was the end of the set and the end of the song, I jumped, and the curtains closed! Boom!
Then they yelled at me behind the curtains but they realized really quickly that I really had forgotten. They loved the show and said “It is nice to hear a different type of Rock, it is refreshing everyone sounds the same here. Let’s get some shots!”
How was it to perform in Seattle, WA? Did you feel the spirit of Kurt?
JS : It was unreal. Tim’s Tavern was amazing and we also had the best sound engineer, Crytsal Collins!!! The band we toured with was Dry Can, heavily influenced by Seattle grunge and to see them light up and play their hearts out in their mecca was inspiring.
TGC: I love Seattle. We had such a great time. All of the bands we played with that night were so cool and friendly. Good musicians. Dry Can our friends were SO happy to be playing in Seattle, I think it was their dream because they love grunge, Pearl Jam and all sub pop 90s era. I personally did not feel the spirit of Kurt 🙂 but i was not looking for it either! 🙂
Who would you love to open for on a tour?
JS : Tool!!!
TGC: The Distillers!
If you could drum with any band who would it be
CH : Nightwish of course !!! Hahaha
TGC: The Distillers or Them crooked vultures.
If you could jam with any band on guitar who would it be?
TGC: Oh boy.. I am really not a good guitar player. Like I said I can only play my songs! lol! Can I cheat and respond for Bass? I would play bass for the distillers lol!! or Rage against the machine 🙂
JS : It would be amazing to play with Tool!!!
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
CH : Always playing and do what I love !!
JS : In five years we will have our own recording studio and we will continue to be independent for as long as it may be.
TGC: Oh I ll be close to my forties that i scary! I definitely want to have achieved a few things with Tarah Who? Jane Gray Black Orphan and our documentary. On a personal aspect, I want to raise a couple bambinos, and build a rehearsing and recording studio in our home.
Anything for your fans in closing?
CH : Rock on and see you on the road !!
JS : We love you and be yourself!!!
TGC: Thank you for your support. Get in touch, come out to the shows, introduce yourself. Live your life to its fullest!
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