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B i o g r a p h y
(by Official Site)
Tara
Angell's music is a collection of classically poignant songs - combining
the Southern Gothic tradition of dark humor and years of experience
studying the great North American songwriters of the 20th century.
Angell's diverse lyrical influences include literary heroes Flannery
O'Connor and James Purdy. She grew up listening to Neil Young and classic
rock n' roll groups of the '70s, like Deep Purple and Creedence Clearwater
Revival. Musically, her leading inspiration is dedicated to these early
years of listening. Her songs are deeply sensitive and they come from life
spent in and around New York City's underground culture, which is where
she has lived for many years. With guitar in hand, her sexy attitude and
pure deter mination garnered notice within the New York City music scene.
Club owners, musicians and music-lovers found themselves drawn to her
songs and her sultry voice, and simply needed to hear more. She decided to
make a complete record when Joseph Arthur agreed to produce. The dilemma
of course, was finding money to make the record. Tara decided to take a
chance. She took out a bank loan and consequently faced the risk of
serious debt. In 2002, her album, Come Down, was completed. It was
recorded and mixed in only five days. She took her record to Austin where
she was accepted to perform at SXSW. Ryko Disc VP of A&R, Jeff Rougvie,
immediately offered her a record deal after seeing her show - a rare
opportunity for any one of the thousands of performers who go to Austin,
Texas each year in search of finding a home for their music. When Tara and
Joseph Arthur went into the studio to make Come Down, there was an
immediate chemistry and trust. Joe was so dedicated to producing this
album within the means of the budget, that the pair worked round the
clock, with a no-holds barred attack at creating a cohesive body of work
with this record. Come Down opens with a mysteriously dreamy forthright
song titled, "Untrue." Other tracks like the witty "Bitch Please," the
raucous tough-girl pop of "Hollow Hope," the naked honesty of the balladic
"When You Find Me," and the finality of the last track, "The Big One," are
all meant to be heard sequentially. This natural progression gives the
listener a dozen different reasons to want to hear Tara Angell again and
again, from beginning to the end. The songs stand up by themselves, too,
but this album offers a wider experience for the listener. With regard to
her live show, Tara Angell likes to mix it up. She performs solo/acoustic,
as a trio, with a full band, and sometimes with an electric guitar in
hand. Recent collaborators include Tony Shanahan (GE Smith, Patti Smith),
Eric Della Penna (Natalie Merchant, Joan Osborne), Brian Geltner (Johnny
Society, Joseph Arthur, Dave Pirner), Jason Darling (Leona Naess), Brett
Falcon (Gaunt, Servotron, Bad Wizard), Rene Lopez (Joseph Arthur, The
Quick). She's supported several artists including Joseph Arthur, David
Poe, Robin Guthrie, and Jesse Malin. She's performed shows with Rebecca
Hall, Craig Wedren, Laura Cantrell, Duncan Sheik, Fastball, Josh Rouse,
Martha Wainwright, Frank Bango and Jeff Klein. While Tara has been
compared to other acclaimed female artists, she has a comfortably classic
alt/rock edge that sets her apart from everybody else. NY's Newsday called
Tara Angell, "unstoppable" Angell sounds like a mix of Lucinda Williams
and P.J. Harvey." Producer/artist extraordinaire, Daniel Lanois, claims,
"Come Down is the darkest and truest record I've heard since early Black
Sabbath." And as Ron Sexsmith said, "Come Down is a beautiful record that
is dark, heartbreaking and tough at the same time."
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