A smoky chanteuse who plays accordion & sings soulful cabaret with hints of torch & jazz, blues & sass.

Long time indie drummer and singer, Tara Linda has ventured from power pop and drums to explore the world of torch vocals and accordion. 
Equipped with a smoky voice, bass, and the button accordion, she writes original music that is a spacious blend of torch, jazzy blues, and playful circus waltzes.

 A poet at heart, her lyrical imagery is vivid, weaving unlikely bedfellows into playful tales of blue fur monkeys, girls on trapeze, and wild-west goddesses.  On her recent release “Fool’s Journey”, Tara Linda sings and plays many of the instruments: bass, accordion, guitar, percussion, and keyboards.  For other tunes, she called on jazz musicians, a master accordionist, and a political rapper. 
 
“I’m often asked how I got from drums to accordion.  I’ve written different styles of music from punk to musical theatre.  At some point I started hearing circus songs in my head, and needed something to play waltzes on—leading me to my first 2-row button accordion.  I couldn’t believe the affect that singing with the accordion had on audiences; people got downright emotional.  So I decided to play to this; to use the lightheartedness and emotion of this old instrument in my new music. It was painful at first, but I traded my prized drum set for a 3-row.  Studying the accordion has been a trip around the world; from ancient Sephardic tunes, to French meanderings, and now Conjunto folk of the Tex-Mex border—I can’t stop.”   This exploration is reflected in her debut solo album, Fool's Journey, and continues with her current projects.   "I'm now transfixed by 1930's/40's Conjunto sung by the women of South Texas, in particular, Lydia Mendoza.  The music is beautiful, filled with soul and suffering, and reminiscent of American blues or Portuguese fado. ” 
       
Tara Linda lives in Oakland, California, and can be booked with two bands:
Tara Linda & the Blue Fur Monkeys - Jazzy blues, train songs, desert cabaret; and
Tara Linda y Sombra de La Luna - 1930’s Tex-Mex.  Covers of Lydia Mendoza, the women of South Texas.  She sings boleros, rancheras, and duets with Gilberto Reyes (accordion, bajo sexto, bass).
Quotes:  "What spooky loveliness"

"her soulful cabaret is the perfect soundtrack to a lazy afternoon”
 
"a chilling voice that borders on eerie in precisely the right way"

"a firm grip on minimalism, both lyrically and musically"


 Current Influences: Lydia Mendoza,  Sia, Lila Downs, Lhasa, Calexico, Zero 7, Danny Elfman, Ennio Morricone, Nina Simone, Las Hermanas Mendoza.  

On Rotation:  The San Antonio Kid, Martina Topley-Bird, Delgados, Tina Dico, Nino Rota, Ramon Alyala.
 
She is a member of the Immersion Composition Society.

She is thankful to be playing with some of the Bay Area's finest musicians including Jeff Hobbs (violin/sax), Tony Remington (guitar), Rafael Herrera (drums), Jeff Kapellas (sax), and special guests.
Current/Sometime /Past Projects
CURRENT
Tara Linda y Sombra de la Luna:  
"Where circus waltz meet the wild west - 1930's Tex-Mex "

Tara Linda & the Blue Fur Monkeys:
"Cali lounge & bluesy jazz"

SOMETIME
Tara Linda & the Jazz Aquabats
IronSheik~Rapper “We Shall Remember” (CD), back-up vocals.
Death By Stork: debut drummer
Discordion: [Tom Waits cover band] drummer

PAST
Polliwog:  Musical theatre (CD)- vocals
Astrid X:  vocals, guitar
The Succulents: drummer/vocals (CD)
Austin: The Roll Models, Band No. 7., Photogenix