Tara Linda

"Tara Linda & The Rumor Mill delivers everything from jazzy blues and sassy swings to smoky ballads and boleros with a sultry voice and playful heart" Bay Area Arts & Entertainment Picks - San Francisco Chronicle

"Tara Linda emanates a calm, serene vibe..mesmerizing""Accordion, ukulele and klezmer music gathering a Bay Area following" - Contra Costa Times | Oakland Tribune | San Jose Mercury News

For West Coast accordion chanteuse Tara Linda, it's a desert cabaret.

Life is a cabaret, old chum. For West Coast accordion chanteuse Tara Linda, it's a desert cabaret. That's what she calls her “Tortilla Western” act, a hybrid of rock, blues, jazz and Tex-Mex.

“It's a celebration of the land, basically the Southwest from Texas to Arizona,” she said. “There are elements of conjunto in it, there's Native Indian (music) from the deserts of Arizona. I grew up in both places. It's the music that I absorbed along the way.”

She makes her first appearance at Casbeers at the Church Friday night, opening for Los TexManiacs. Linda plays the downstairs stage from 6:30 to 8:30; Los TexManiacs hit the upstairs stage around 9.

“She's got real cool stuff,” said Max Baca of Los TexManiacs, who are on fire with a Grammy nod for the Smithsonian Folkways album “Borders y Bailes.” The bajo sexto star will sit in near the end of Linda's solo set.

Linda has been in Austin this week recording more tracks for her upcoming album, “Tortilla Western.” Baca and the legendary Flaco Jimenez appear on her new record.

The Dallas native came of age in Austin, she says. Not as an accordionist, but as a punk rock and power pop drummer in obscure bands including the Role Models.

Later, she moved to Sacramento and joined a punk band, the Succulents. After injuring her shoulder, Linda moved to button accordion and began emulating singer Lydia Mendoza and immersing herself in thefrontera music of the '20s, '30s and '40s.

She's self-taught, but mastered the instrument well enough to get an endorsement deal from Hohner. She plays a blue Hohner Corona II. She also plays bass. As a solo artist, Linda goes into “Latin torch” mode, channeling Mendoza for the last part of her show. That's when Baca will step in. “For the Tex-Mex stuff I will have Max,” she said. “Call it desert cabaret.”

She came to Texas to record because she “wanted the heart of the conjunto sound.” Her new songs include “Padre Kino's Ghost,” “Donde Estaba,” “Dream Out Loud,” “La Monaca” and “Homecoming,” a bolero written for the troops.

Linda said there's a sexier reason to come out to her Casbeers debut: the “West Coast Accordion Babes Pinups Calendar.” They go for $20 and include a companion CD.

“We're trying to revive and fix the crazy stereotypes of the accordion,” she said. “We're trying to replace the old stereotypes, the Lawrence Welk stereotypes, with something cooler. It's a blend of kitsch and sultry, like all our music.”

- San Antonio Express-News 12/18/09

Gypsy minstrel Tara Linda will perform at Persimmons Garden Gallery & Wine Tasting Saturday, Nov. 28, from 6 to 9 p.m. Equipped with a smoky voice, bass, and the button accordion, Tara Linda is a torch vocalist who writes jazzy blues, 1930’s Latin torch, and playful circus waltzes. A poet at heart, her songs tell lyric tales of girls on trapeze, blue fur monkeys, and Wild West goddesses.
...
Tara Linda skirts easily through global genres yet seamlessly blends them into a style uniquely her own. In her newest project, Tara Linda connects the worlds of rhythm, spacious deserts and borderlands into “Tortilla Western” - where film noir meets the Wild West.

- Redwood Times 11/25/09

Gypsy minstrel Tara Linda will perform at Persimmons Garden Gallery & Wine Tasting Saturday, Nov. 28, from 6 to 9 p.m. Equipped with a smoky voice, bass, and the button accordion, Tara Linda is a torch vocalist who writes jazzy blues, 1930’s Latin torch, and playful circus waltzes. A poet at heart, her songs tell lyric tales of girls on trapeze, blue fur monkeys, and Wild West goddesses.
...
Tara Linda skirts easily through global genres yet seamlessly blends them into a style uniquely her own. In her newest project, Tara Linda connects the worlds of rhythm, spacious deserts and borderlands into “Tortilla Western” - where film noir meets the Wild West.

- Redwood Times 11/25/09

Armed with an accordion and a chilling voice that borders on eerie in precisely the right way, this disc follows the progress of a woman who has a firm grip on minimalism, both lyrically and musically. Shooting for abstract blues but simultaneously landing in the depths of jazz, these songs are strangely fun to process.

The accordion is the structural basis for the tracks (along with the vocals), but it's the percussion that slinks over and under, allowing the songs to be full but not distractingly big. This alleviated space leaves room for lyrical content that deserves to heard, musings that at times seem disjointed but always pull back together in the end: 'On a train 'cause I can't fly... On a boat 'cause I can't float.' There's no doubt she's going somewhere." ~ CD Baby, Editors' Choice, 5/5 stars, January, 2007 ~ - CD Baby

Dedicated to the legend of Lydia Mendoza, Tara Linda and Luna Nueva have released a very accessible and enjoyable CD that serves as an excellent introduction to Conjunto music. With this self titled effort, Tara Linda and Nueva Luna have continued the tradition of Conjunto as a growing and ever changing music force. Tara Linda sings lead vocal and provides percussion on most songs and her love for this music is evident in her passionate delivery. She is joined by accordion master, Gilbert Reyes, a tireless promoter of Conjunto and Tex-Mex music. Conjunto star, Layo Jimenez plays the Bajo Sexto, a basic element of Conjunto that is similar to a 12 string bass guitar. Other players include producer Matt Erich on wind, Jeff Hobbs on Violin and Cornet, and Pete Hernandez on Bajo Sexto. Reyes, Jimenez, and Hernandez trade instruments on some songs but the basic lineup remains the same.

This CD is a blend of classic Conjunto tunes such as Mal Hombre and Amor Bonito and contemporary Conjunto tunes penned by Tara Linda, Gilbert Reyes, and Layo Jimenez. The opening song El Diabolito y Su Accordeon, is a Conjunto take-off on all those fiddling devil songs told in the form of a children's story. Tara Linda's vocal shines on Sigue Adelante and Hobb's violin blends perfectly with Reyes' accordion. The result is a swirling blend where the European folk elements and Latin rhythms create a sound that is at once familiar and exotic. Amor Mio is a classic tex-mex two step that had me up and dancing. The haunting Lydia Mendoza tune, Mal Hombre, comes to life with Reyes strumming the Bajo Sexto. Tara Linda's rich sultry vocal pays wonderful homage to the legend, Lydia Mendoza. Hobbs doubles on the cornet and violin and adds the spice that makes the dish complete. I listened to this song over and over. Reyes comes back on Bajo Sexto with Tara Linda on vocal for The Siren, an original by Linda and Reyes. This song eliminates any doubt that Cojunto is a growing thriving musical form.

If you are already a devotee of cojunto, Tara Linda and Luna Nueva is a must. If you're not familiar with Cojunto but are curious and would like a tasty introduction, this is a great place to start.
Don Secheiski. Review: 9/10 - The Muse's Muse ~ 12/20/2008

Armed with an accordion and a chilling voice that borders on eerie in precisely the right way, this disc follows the progress of a woman who has a firm grip on minimalism, both lyrically and musically. Shooting for abstract blues but simultaneously landing in the depths of jazz, these songs are strangely fun to process.

The accordion is the structural basis for the tracks (along with the vocals), but it's the percussion that slinks over and under, allowing the songs to be full but not distractingly big. This alleviated space leaves room for lyrical content that deserves to heard, musings that at times seem disjointed but always pull back together in the end: 'On a train 'cause I can't fly... On a boat 'cause I can't float.' There's no doubt she's going somewhere." ~ CD Baby, Editors' Choice, 5/5 stars, January, 2007 ~ - CD Baby

Tara Linda & Luna Nueva: New Moon - Playlist: Soundroots/ Spin the Globe world music

"Tara has that unique quality about her voice. Te destroza el corazon and leaves you wondering what the hell just happened. I truly recommend checking out her performances...." - Reyes Accordions~ Gilbert Reyes 9/17/06

Tara Linda & Luna Nueva: New Moon - Playlist: Soundroots/ Spin the Globe world music

For West Coast accordion chanteuse Tara Linda, it's a desert cabaret.

Life is a cabaret, old chum. For West Coast accordion chanteuse Tara Linda, it's a desert cabaret. That's what she calls her “Tortilla Western” act, a hybrid of rock, blues, jazz and Tex-Mex.

“It's a celebration of the land, basically the Southwest from Texas to Arizona,” she said. “There are elements of conjunto in it, there's Native Indian (music) from the deserts of Arizona. I grew up in both places. It's the music that I absorbed along the way.”

She makes her first appearance at Casbeers at the Church Friday night, opening for Los TexManiacs. Linda plays the downstairs stage from 6:30 to 8:30; Los TexManiacs hit the upstairs stage around 9.

“She's got real cool stuff,” said Max Baca of Los TexManiacs, who are on fire with a Grammy nod for the Smithsonian Folkways album “Borders y Bailes.” The bajo sexto star will sit in near the end of Linda's solo set.

Linda has been in Austin this week recording more tracks for her upcoming album, “Tortilla Western.” Baca and the legendary Flaco Jimenez appear on her new record.

The Dallas native came of age in Austin, she says. Not as an accordionist, but as a punk rock and power pop drummer in obscure bands including the Role Models.

Later, she moved to Sacramento and joined a punk band, the Succulents. After injuring her shoulder, Linda moved to button accordion and began emulating singer Lydia Mendoza and immersing herself in thefrontera music of the '20s, '30s and '40s.

She's self-taught, but mastered the instrument well enough to get an endorsement deal from Hohner. She plays a blue Hohner Corona II. She also plays bass. As a solo artist, Linda goes into “Latin torch” mode, channeling Mendoza for the last part of her show. That's when Baca will step in. “For the Tex-Mex stuff I will have Max,” she said. “Call it desert cabaret.”

She came to Texas to record because she “wanted the heart of the conjunto sound.” Her new songs include “Padre Kino's Ghost,” “Donde Estaba,” “Dream Out Loud,” “La Monaca” and “Homecoming,” a bolero written for the troops.

Linda said there's a sexier reason to come out to her Casbeers debut: the “West Coast Accordion Babes Pinups Calendar.” They go for $20 and include a companion CD.

“We're trying to revive and fix the crazy stereotypes of the accordion,” she said. “We're trying to replace the old stereotypes, the Lawrence Welk stereotypes, with something cooler. It's a blend of kitsch and sultry, like all our music.”

- San Antonio Express-News 12/18/09

You have to be intrigued by a musician who cites as influences PJ Harvey, Danny Elfman, Lydia Mendoza, The Pixies, and Edith Piaf. Who evolved from punk drumming to singing torch songs and rancheras. And who performs with a group called The Blue Fur Monkeys in addition to the Tex-Mex group Luna Nueva heard on this album.

The adventurous tracklist of New Moon begins with an spoken word story evocative of the film El Mariachi (if you substitute an accordion case for the guitar case), and proceeds through the sounds of the border, from boleros and cumbias to an accordion-led version of Johnny Cash's classic "Fulsom Prison Blues."
...
the appeal of other songs, such as the sparse mystery of "El Diablito y Su Accordeon," or the traditional cancion "Las Gaviotas."
- Soundroots/Spin the Globe 11/26/08