Tarah Who? is a power trio in every sense of the phrase, bonded together by telepathic musical interplay and profound interpersonal connections. In addition to Tarah, the three-piece band also features bassist/backing vocalist Matt Peltcher, and drummer/backing vocalist Coralie Hervé. Previously, Tarah Who? has released two full-lengths, two EPs, and one single of raw punky rock n’ roll. The band’s output has garnered plaudits and earned feature-story coverage from GIG Radar, Kill The Music, La Grosse Radio, Loud Stuff, Moshville, Music Connection, Muzak, and The Ring Master, among other outlets.

In this interview spotlight, I chat with Tarah G. Carpenter (TGC), Coralie Herve (CH) and Joey Southern (JS) aka Tarah Who? about their latest project, motivations, challenges and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)

TGC: I am originally from Paris, France but we are a Los Angeles Band. I moved to LA in 2006, and I started Tarah Who? when i moved to the US. We are a Rock band but within this rock, some songs are punk, other more cow-punk or alternative. We don’t really fit in one category, we play how we feel, and that is with a lot of passion.We get really into the songs and what they are about. We are loud, but fun and we like to entertain.

We don’t try to sound like anyone, I do love 90s music and there are probably a lot of influences from the 90s. I listen to the Distillers, Motorhead, Pantera, Foo Fighters etc… I am sure you can hear it in our music. 🙂

CH: My name is Coralie Herve. I’m the drummer of Tarah Who? I’m from Brittany, North West of France.
I’ll describe Tarah Who?’s music as a mix of differents genres like rock/punk/grunge/alternative but at the same time is unique.

JS: West Chicago, IL – Raw Passionate Anger…LOUD

What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?

TGC: I honestly don’t think i could do anything else… I have never thought of going for music. I started playing in bands when I was 14 years old. I just never stopped. Playing is one side of the job, but as an independent band, there is so much more to do. Booking, Promoting, Organizing a tour, Merch etc… It is a lot of work. What keeps me going is how people react to our shows and to our music. It is motivating, It makes me want to give more and play more!

CH: I begun drums at the age of 10 and never stop. At the beginning it was just a hobby but when I was in high school, I know it was what I wanted to do. I learnt so much from all the teachers that I have and the gigs that we are playing with Tarah Who? is so much fun !!! More we play the better it is, so it’s just awesome and motivates you to keep going !!!

JS: Exposure to live music at an early age turned into a drive to learn. ZZ Top was my first arena concert. The next week my parents took me to see Metallica…I was 12. The many paths I have gone down all revolve around music and I look forward to the thrill of what is yet to come.

How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?

TGC: This new Ep is special to me for a few reasons… One, Coralie, Joey and I are solid. We haven’t been playing together for that long but we are tight. Tight, musically but also we have a strong human connection. It’s a lot of fun to be together, on the road or at the studio. I am also excited about this new release because of 3 songs that we have been working on. 2 in particular that we have been playing on tour and the response from the audience was very positive. So we are very excited to share this new ep. I am excited to share the music, but Also to share the result of the hard work Joey , Coralie and I put on this new ep.

Coralie recorded the drums with Thomas Lang, and I remember that it was a challenge for her to play in front of Thomas. Although everything went really well, she was a bit shy and intimidated.

Joey has just recently joined the band. He started with us and we took him on tour right away and then to the studio!

I, personally was going through a rough time, losing my dog. When we started tracking my guitars, I had just found out that my dog had liver cancer. It was a really hard time for me, I was really close to my dog.

Each new ep is a new chapter of my life. I am not trying to accomplish anything, I just move forward with songs I have written along the way. We have a strong line up now, and we are working on our sound as a power trio.

CH: First of all I’m playing on it !!! LOL !!!! It’s the second EP that I recorded with Tarah Who? and it’s really great that I can put my own stuff, ideas in it. Even if Tarah has a really clear idea of what she wants for the song, she lets me contribute to it, and it is just amazing.
JS: It is my second month officially in Tarah Who? I try to do the best I can and have accomplished more than I thought possible. These two are pushing me to the limit!

Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?

TGC: It is hard to stand out. Technology does help, in many ways. You can release, and share your music now. whether or not you want to do this for a living! The challenges I face though… I would say.. Live shows: getting people to come out and support live music. There are SO many bands, especially in LA, that it is hard to get people to come out. The ones who do have a great time, and come back, but it is hard to get people to commit to coming out! Even if it is a free show. Another challenge: Standing out. I know that we don’t sound like your typical Rock or punk rock band but people NEED a label or a comparison even if we don’t sound like other bands, and our performance is entertaining as well. It is hard to stand out, and tell people your story and convince your audience that they’ll like us without sounding cocky 😉

CH: It’s kind of hard when you’re not playing pop or commercial music and you don’t ‘’respect the rules’’ to be stream.
But at the same time, people everywhere in the world can listen to your music !!!

JS: Labeling or generalizing music… The live experience is the end result of anyone actually enjoying and supporting an artist. However, in order to get people out you need that song online, on all platforms, in all formats, for free… just go see live music please.

Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?

TGC: Google: TARAH WHO? then choose your favorite platform. I am personally a big fan of instagram…:)

CH: You can follow us on every social media : Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Listen to our music on Spotify, Soundcloud and YouTube.

Anything else before we sign off?

TGC: We love to meet our fans and new people in general. if you care about music and Rock music, go out and see bands play. When we come to your city or town, please introduce yourself, we love to meet new people!

CH: Rock On People !!!!!

JS: I found it takes only several minutes to see who is playing where in my town on any given night. Look them up on google and then go support them. You just might have a good time.