The Tanukis

By ELLIOTT JOHNSTON

The Tanukis



Before all the young indie-rockers in Fort Collins gripe themselves breathless - that this music scene is all vacant stares and cold shoulders, and that playing weird, experimental rock-and-roll in the Choice City is like fighting some gross, absurd battle; before they fly off the hinges and shake their fingers at the college kids about how the majority are so brain-dead from cheap beer and status quo that they wouldn't know art if it were slipped into their tanning beds; before said indie-rockers spout dramatically about the state of the club scene, and how they are going to move to more freak-friendly climes like Denver or Portland, let's consider that the two most important local indie-rock bands of the past five years have been fronted by women.

Rock-and-roll is as patriarchal as the rest of society, and indie-rock, for all its boundary-pushing intentions, is still a landscape of mostly dudes, albeit more scrawny and girlish dudes. That Fort Collins embraced Matson Jones (the now-defunct, once-nationally recognized four-piece fronted by the mysterious, intense female cellists Martina Grbac and Anna Mascorella) and supported Monofog (a propulsive rock group now based in Denver, led by the cool and snarly Haley Helmericks) are signs of musical progression, even in our sleepy, fissured burg.

Though it's early to call, indie-folk act The Tanukis, a talented five-piece fronted by the firey and charismatic Era S., is the logical next step for compelling Fort Collins groups with female vocalists. Though The Tanukis have been together barely six months and have played roughly 10 gigs between here and Denver, their live set already holds enough emotionally provocative material, with creative, technically solid musical ideas, to challenge the Fort Collins staples.
But, remember, The Tanukis are just getting started. On the verge of releasing their first EP, The Apple of Discord, the group is uneasy with press; they asked that their last names not be included in this story (an odd request, considering that most musicians want their names published everywhere possible). And, while most bands can at least fake it when offering up a genre for their music, David, violist and cellist, still doesn't know how to describe The Tanukis to his friends.

"I tell them it's got the Russian influence," he says. "It's got the folk, it's got the classical ... It's like this Russian-folk thing."

Their sound makes sense in the context of popular indie-rock bands like Denver's Devotchka, who incorporate elements of Eastern European folk and gypsy music, creating a romantic stew of Old World instruments - violins, accordions, trumpets, bazoukis - and dramatic vocal crooning. Era, who was born, raised and musically trained in voice and piano in Moscow, lends her unique background, right down to a traditional celebratory Russian-folk song that appears in their sets. David brings classical training in violin, Jimmy has a jazz-drumming past, and Tom and Dan add eccentric ideas, populating songs with deft, idiosyncratic guitar playing, glockenspiel accents, hand claps and robust backing vocals.

In a scene that sorely lacks provocative performers with dynamic stage presence, Era is a wild-eyed anomaly. She sways, she screams, she beats the shit out of her piano, sometimes appearing quite close to teetering over backward. In some songs, she seduces the listener with an elegant, surging waltz, only to subvert it with a glass-breaking shriek. It's like being lulled into a dream only to have ice water poured down your neck.

"Russian vocalists are always very emotional and extremely expressive," she says. "Another important thing, at least in Russian training, is to have vocal ability. If you are singing Russian folk, you have to be expressive, and you have to be somewhat trained vocally."

Tom and Era started The Tanukis last summer when a friend convinced them to get serious about performing. After some debate, they debuted as a two-piece at the Lady Ava Pop Festival at the Mishawaka, alongside like-minded local art-folkers vee device. The name "The Tanukis" references the main character of Tom Robbins' novel Villa Incognito, based on a Japanese raccoon-dog with mythical attributes that include a mischievous nature, constant sake-swilling and an unbelievably large scrotum. In the following months, Tom and Era added their friend Dan, then picked up Jimmy and David with the help of Craigslist.

The question now, it seems, is the sanity of launching this group in Fort Collins. While the phenomenon of Matson Jones filling the Aggie still rings in memory, The Tanukis aren't so confident that their art-rock offerings will be met with palpable support.

"For now, we are here in this town because, fortunately, we get the chance to work together," says Era. "[But perhaps] unfortunately, because I don't know whether or not there is a market or audience for us here."


The Tanukis w/vee device Friday, Feb. 9, 7pmEveryday Joe’s, 144 S. Mason St., Fort Collins, 224-4138 No Cover, all ages
- Rocky Mountain Chronicle

The Tanukis, a fairly new Fort Collins indie-rock band, is making a statement and sharing its talent.

“Part of me believes it’s a social crime not to make your art known,” said Era S., pianist and vocalist for the group.

The dynamic group consisting of Era S., Tom Plassmeyer on guitar and vocals, Dan Montanari on percussion and vocals, Jimmy Oldenburg on drums and Dave Alvillar on violin and cello, have played together since November.

Dave describes the music as Russian folk influenced, bipolar indie/classical. And after listening, you’ll know what he means.

Era S. was born, raised, and classically trained in voice and piano in Moscow can go from a romantic soothing sound to an intense wild shrill in seconds. Her broad range and expressive movements keep the audience wanting more.

Era and Tom began performing together last year with the idea of adding more instuments on the back burner. Dan joined after seeing a few performances. Jimmy and Dave came to the band through Craigslist.

“I saw them on Craigslist and answered their ad,” Jimmy said. “When I came over Era belted out the folk song that scared the begeebers out of me.”

Though the group is still new, it’s heading in the right direction.

“We are extremely serious about our music and practice every day,” Tom said.
Like any musician, the members hope to one day not need to rely on day jobs.

“The main point here is I don’t want to always have to work to support my music endeavors,” Era said. “I want to do music to support my vacations.”

• • • • •

NEXTnc: What is your favorite independent film (or film in general)?

Jimmy: You can’t go anywhere to see independent film really. I do really like the Radiohead movie, “Meeting People is Easy”.
Tom: “Brick”.
Era: “Three Colors Trilogy: Blue, White, Red”, “8 1/2” by Fellini and “Mirror” by Tarkovsky.
Dan: My favorite movie is probably “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”

NEXTnc: What do you like the most about Fort Collins?
Dan: I like how it is smaller than Denver, but bigger than Gunnison — I lived there awhile.
Tom: The mountain biking trails for me. They go from easy to ridiculously hard. It’s great.
Jimmy: The weather.
Era: The sunshine.

NEXTnc: Who is your favorite classical composer?
Tom: Gustav Holst.
Jimmy: I don’t listen to a lot of classical, but I like Vivaldi.
Dan: I like a lot of them. I like Mozart and “The Rite of Spring” by Stravinsky would be high on my list because he wrote something so unconventional and crazy.
Era: There are a lot of names for me — Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Beethoven, Glinka and Rachmaninoff.
Dave: Mendelssohn, Modest Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov.

NEXTnc: How many hours a week do you practice?
Tom: Three hours a night. Songwriting is a whole other story.
Era: The number usually increases when we are close to a show, but it’s usually 12 hours a week.

NEXTnc: Where is your favorite vacation spot?
Tom: Zion National Park.
Era: Lake Baikal in Siberia.
Jimmy: Southwestern Michigan. I like my hometown, St. Joseph, a lot.
Dan: I go to San Luis Valley a lot. I’d like to go back to Florence and Rome. Anywhere in the Mediterranean is really nice.

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THEIR NEXT SHOW
• Save the Poudre Benefit Concert at 8 p.m. March 2 at Hodi’s Half Note in Fort Collins
• 9 p.m. March 3 at the Burnt Toast in Boulder

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BECOME THEIR FRIEND
www.myspace.com/thetanukis
- Next NC