After numerous Band of the Day / Headline Acts, and a live chat some months ago, it’s about time to catch up with Tarah Carpenter once again and find out what the band are up to…
It’s been a while since we last spoke, on the Wednesday 13 tour. What were your highlights of that tour?
There were a few great things about that tour, the venues were really cool, and we had some really good shows. I think a personal highlight was meeting and getting to know the Italian band Sick’n Beautiful. They are a great group of people, and we got to know each other little by little. I like them as people, but I am also really amazed by the show they put on every night.
How are things going for the band?
Things are going really well, we have had a really busy year, actually. We toured Europe, the UK, and the East Coast quite a bit. Recorded a new EP with Alain Johannes, so we are gearing up for 2024. We just found out that we were going to play the Hellfest, and come back to Europe for more shows and festivals, so we are pretty excited about the new things to come as well.
You’ve a new single out – “Army of Women”. What message do the lyrics give?
“Army of Women” is a song that celebrates women and for women. It is a song inspired by the generations before us. The women who have fought for our rights, like my mother, and for the illusion of freedom that we can feel today in some countries. “Army of Women” is also a song that I hope women will see as a reminder to each other and fight for each other’s rights rather than feeling in competition or criticizing each other. Hopefully, this song can inspire younger generations as well. I was talking to a young fan the other night who loves “Army of Women”. She told me that when she heard the first notes, she got so excited, and she started filming the whole song. I asked her if she knew what the song was about, but she said she didn’t have great English. I explained to her the lyrics and intention. Seeing her eyes and her friends getting all inspired made me realize the impact music has on younger generations. When people tell me that they are still on a high from our show that happened a week ago, it really motivates me to do more and better. It is really powerful, and even though I write with those intentions when I see it happening, and I see the impact, as rewarding as it feels, I realize the influence music has on people. I saw it while talking to fans of Life of Agony for instance. Mina has helped, so many people go through their lives – their LIVES!!! There is a love for music, rhythms, and sounds but when people really connect with your stories or what you have to say, it takes everything, your job as a musician, as a singer, as a writer, to another level. Ash told me he saw people singing our lyrics, and that is just crazy to me! Of course, we have always had some people singing along catchy parts, like “Rainy Day” there is an obvious hooky chorus. But when people are actually singing your songs because it speaks to them, it is taking everything to a new level.
Did anyone inspire you to write this song? You’ve toured with the mighty L7 recently…
I wanted to write a song for women. Unconsciously, probably because of the news and what I can observe here and there. Hearing people talk, seeing people act. A lot is forgiven to men that are not to women, and I don’t understand why. Women need to be kinder and more ive of themselves and each other. Going back to what I said above, it goes back to what our mothers have fought for, and even though we seem to be headed toward a better place of equality and equity, there is still a lot of work. So what inspired me to write this song is just everyday life in 2023.
Touring with L7 was one of my best moments. Opening for a band I grew up listening to is just fun. I got to see their shows every night! It was nice getting to know them and their crew as well, everyone is just laid back. There is no ego, no BS, it is just a normal rock’n roll environment! I don’t think I realized what was happening until the last show. We were just doing our job, warming up the crowd, meeting new fans and all that jazz… and I think it hit me at the last show, when my brain could finally “relax”, and after a few drinks it all came to me. “Shit… we opened for L7…. WE OPENED FOR L fucking 7” !!! Everything goes so fast, and I had been working on this for years, so as excited as I was when I found out, I was also trying to stay focused, so I don’t mess it up, and when we were done, I lost my shit a bit.
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You mention “May ‘68” in the lyrics. This may not be a familiar date to those of us in the UK, but I assume it’s referring to events in at that time?
Correct, my mom has a lot of stories from the after-war and her generation. She was born in 1943, so imagine how much she has seen and gone through. When we talk about some things that are happening for instance in the US with abortion rights, this is when all of my mom’s stories are even more impactful for me because I realize that some things have not changed, or things that women have already fought for now are being undone. Cultures, generations, and things are changing everywhere, some places for the best others for the worst, but in the end, we are all women. If you talk to any woman in the world, we have all experienced some type or degree of sexism, harassment, mansplaining… the difference between us, is how we experience those situations, and our reactions towards them. That is what I would like, personally, to see change. It doesn’t matter where you are from, what type of music you listen to. The message is the same. Know, that you are not alone. Most women feel alone. Most women give up on their dreams or careers, or have to make a big decision when it comes to having children, women are judged if they are not a good mother, women are judged for how they look, too skinny, too chunky, too smart, too sexy, not feminine enough, the list goes on, you get my point. I will never understand why women judge other women on how they look. No matter what a woman does, she will be judged by men, and women.
Musically, how does it compare to your previous releases?
The song and the next EP was produced by Alain Johannes. Alain really took the time to stay as authentic as possible to the demos I had sent to him, and I am really grateful to him for that. For each song, there is an Alain signature sound, I just love it. It is really like a recipe that is missing one ingredient. Alain’s choice of sounds acts like a magic touch. I am really excited to share the rest of the release with the world. We have been playing some of the songs on this past headlining tour in , and I could see the enthusiasm and reactions of the crowd, so I cannot wait to release the songs!
What are your plans for the next 6 months or so?
We have a few ongoing things. I am going to plan the release of the new EP, the next tour, we are going to announce some shows for 2024, and I am working with Brian Downie on a documentary film. So we are staying busy!
Tarah Who? ups the ante again with the heavy hitting new single “Army of Women”, that delivers a symphonic blast of rock-n-roll meets industrial meets give-me-more-of-everything! Tarah Carpenter, Tarah Who?’s lead, combines talent with musical force-of-nature and producer, Alain Johannes. Johannes is known for his musical genius with many bands including Eleven, Chris Cornell, Queens of the Stone Age and Them Crooked Vultures. “Army of Women’s” poignant lyrics that celebrates the strength of women are perfectly balanced with massive riffs of guitar, drums and bass. After a year of touring with bands including iconic rockers, L7, and epic metal bands Life of Agony, Madball and Prong, Tarah Who’s newest song, “Army of Women” proves that she’s not winding down but just getting started.
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I love them! Tnx for the article