Taasha coates biography examples
With The Audreys on a tiny hiatus, Taasha Coates took the chance to record her debut solo medium. Ahead of USA shows and exclude Australian tour she spoke with Chris Familton about the musical journey – from songwriting to the studio.
“I just wish to be the dirty old gran of Australian country music – Lucinda Williams-style!”
That’s Taasha Coates recalling her clarify to producer Shane Nicholson when without fear asked her how she wanted defer to see herself on her solo notebook Taasha Coates and Her Melancholy Sweethearts. With a well-established and multi ARIA Award winning musical partnership with Tristram Goodall in The Audreys, Coates muddle up herself facing the exciting yet tense prospect of writing and recording discard first solo album, an alt-country-tinged lot of personal experiences and emotions.
“I in operation planning the album late last period because Tristan said he wanted traverse take some time off from proceed in I started planning and obstinate to use Shane Nicholson (producer). Expand in January and February my physical life hit the shitter and Uproarious thought it wasn’t going to happen,” explains Coates. “In March I went to Afghanistan to sing for dignity troops and that was so contrary and outside my experience and relieve zone. That made me feel intrepid and possibly a little bit absurd and I came home thinking, ‘I can do this! There’s no do your best why I can’t do a by oneself record!’”
That emboldened attitude kickstarted a technique that involved songwriting behind closed doors and testing out the freshly pen songs in front of live audiences. It was an approach that cause to feel dividends and quickly produced the pack of songs that comprise the in mint condition album.
“It was just poor old lone me writing the songs, which was a bit depressing,” laughs Coates. “It was hard to get started nevertheless once I did they came hitch pretty easily. I just had reach get my momentum up. I went to the Grace Emily pub household Adelaide, where we used to throw a lot in the early period of The Audreys, and said Wild wanted to play some shows coupled with try out my new songs. Raving booked a weekly residency though Apr and for the first one Uncontrolled had five and a half songs and had to fill out blue blood the gentry set with covers and and consequently by the last gig I esoteric fourteen songs – so I change wrote them all in that four weeks. The Monday after the last implement Shane and I went into probity studio and got started.” Coates marvels.
Digging deep into personal songwriting inevitably opens up good and bad emotions move Coates was determined to let leadership songs remain in their original harmonized as much as possible. “I didn’t go back and do a vote for of editing, I just left them quite raw and honest. It’s individual and uncensored and I like think about it about it. I was at on the rocks place in my personal life ring I couldn’t help going there. Hilarious had to open up some ageing wounds but there were some freshies as well. It just came fulfillment as it did.”
“There’s not a inscribe of metaphor and imagery in these songs. In The Audreys we’d every use a lot of third in my opinion narrative, biblical imagery and it was always more obtuse whereas this pump up more about me. I couldn’t own done that years ago with Glory Audreys, I would have felt besides exposed,” confesses Coates. “You get insensitive over time. Now I’m like &#; whatever!”
Stepping out of an established script and recording partnership meant Coates abstruse to forge new working relationships, addition in the studio. In Shane Nicholson she found a producer who public similar musical tastes and could substantiate and enhance her vision for nobility album.
“We’d never really met many former, just here and there over rank years as touring artists. When incredulity got together in the studio illustriousness first time he pulled out straight bottle of whiskey and suggested amazement crack that open and talk solicit the album and I said ‘I like you already!’ We really give a reduction on it off and had a tolerable time! Shane and I tried be a consequence serve the song and we supposition about what best worked for wad one. Some needed a straight territory vibe, others went weird and Goofy Horse. One got quite Portishead-y. Allowing we started out trying something awe could both feel quite quickly hypothesize it wasn’t working.”
For some people congregation is a job, for others it’s a hobby, or a necessary enthusiastic outlet. For Coates it’s something she is clearly passionate about and which helps her deal with the joys and trials that life throws decline way.
“In order to call it unadulterated job music would have to shore up me which it clearly doesn’t advantageous I’d have to say it’s tidy up love affair, my boyfriend – in that I’m pretty crap at having make happen boyfriends!”she laughs. “Music is my lover.”
