Interview with Tamrah Aeryn (June 13, 2004)

1) Hi, first off I just want to congratulate you on your new album. To new fans could you please fill us in on the history behind it all?

Tamrah - Thank you - I am very excited about the release of my new album. I have been writing songs ever since I can remember. I started playing the guitar when I was 6, and I started playing the piano when I was 9. Writing songs and playing them on my instruments just seemed natural to me. I began playing in various rock bands in the States when I first went to college. I then purchased a four-track tape-recorder so I could record some of my originals. I put together a demo of about 12 songs, and I had copies of the demos with me wherever I went.  Eventually, I met producer Lionel Hicks in a night club in Minneapolis. I just gave him my demo and didn’t expect that he’d call back, but after he went back to London, he called me up and said that he really liked my material and thought I should get it recorded professionally. Soon afterwards, I went to London and began the process of recording my material and looking for record deals. I traveled around Europe for about three years before I was signed to Massacre. That’s a very brief summary...

2. How has your new album been received by the media?

Tamrah - So far I’ve gotten a great response from the media and fans alike. People seem to really relate to my music. It’s a bit different to what is currently being played I think. I’ve been lucky.

3. I know artists are not happy to categorize their music, but how would you describe you describe your music to an outsider?

Tamrah - This is a hard one. I’ve asked other people to categorize my music for me and I get so many different responses. I just write what comes to me naturally, and I don’t model myself after any particular style on purpose. But if I had to put my music in a category, it would probably be alternative rock/folk rock.

4. Where does your inspiration come from, both musically and lyrically?

Tamrah - I get my inspiration from my experiences in life. I can only write a good song when I am in one of my creative moods. If I try to force it, or try to be like someone else, it doesn’t work. There isn’t a pattern for how I write a song. Sometimes I write a song on the piano, other times on the guitar. Sometimes I write the lyrics first, and other times the music comes first. It all depends...

5. What topics do you deal with in your lyrics and why?

Tamrah - I deal with topics that are personal to me. Like I said before, I am inspired by what I experience. The album title “Typical Gurl” has to do with women’s rights. I’ve been in places where I don’t think I was taken seriously as a woman, and the song is a kind of sarcastic, “tongue-in-cheek” statement to those issues. Some of my other songs have to do with the paranormal and the mysterious. These subjects are fascinating to me.

6. Who has produced and mixed the album, and are you pleased with the end results?

Tamrah - My album was recorded and produced by Lionel Hicks (Balance of Power) in London, and it was mixed by Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69) in Germany. I am very happy with the results. I worked very hard on the album and I was also there giving my input as it was recorded, produced, and mixed. I really had faith that these guys would do a good job, and they did.

7. Who has done the artwork? And how important do you feel it is to have a great cover?

Tamrah - I got Stuart Allen to take the photos you see in the album artwork because he is a personal friend, and I really like his work. The art design was done by Bob Duffy at Postscript Design in the UK. He is very professional and has done a lot of good work on albums in the past.

I think it’s vital to have a great cover. It’s the first impression people get when they see the album in music stores. It’s the thing that sparks their curiosity and makes them want to pick up the album and have a listen. A lot of people judge artists based on the first thing they see (i.e. the album cover).

8. Do you have touring plans?

Tamrah - I have gigged an awful lot, especially in the US. I plan to gig in Europe as well. As far as tours go, I would love to do a real tour in the future sometime, but there are no immediate plans for it.

9. How do you feel about the cooperation with your label, and are you satisfied?

Tamrah - My record label is Massacre, and yes, I am very happy with them. They believe in my music and they are very accommodating.

10. The internet is a very important source for many music fans. How do you use the internet, and how important is it for you and other bands?

Tamrah - I have a website which is for the purpose of promotion. It’s at http://www.tamrah.net. I am continually expanding on that site. I am a part of some other sites as well.  I also hope to broadcast live gigs and concerts via the internet in the future.

Since I am always surfing the net, I know that I discover a lot of bands this way, so I believe that it’s very important for bands to make themselves known via the internet in whatever way they can, whether it’s just a simple web page, or if they offer samples of their music or live performances over the net. It’s important to reach out to people on an international level.

11. How do you see the music scene at the moment?

Tamrah - Which one? It’s hard to say. I’ve been to so many different countries, and there are so many different trends and vibes to the music scenes, that I can’t really answer that—It’s really quite diverse. In the States, I mainly listen to my favorite CDs—I don’t normally tune into the commercial radio stations.

12. To finish things off, could you please make an all-time 5 or sort of the 5 most important albums in your opinion?

Tamrah - Wow,  there are a lot of them, but if I had to pick 5, they would be;

  • Rush - A Farewell to Kings

  • Led Zeppelin - IV

  • Tori Amos - From The Choir Girl Hotel

  • King Crimson - The Court Of The Crimson King

  • Kate Bush - The Dreaming

Hugs to Tamrah for this great interview, if you are looking for a great emotional album do check her debut album out. Also a big thanx to Claus (Intromental) for setting up the interview.

Tamrah Aeryn - Typical Gurl

Album out on Massacre Records.

Click on the album cover to see more info on Tamrah Aeryn.