We sat down with Tara Tati, the dark-rocking, cabalistic visionary behind Oakland’s emerging indie band, Metal Mother. Metal Mother is a finalist for the Deli’s Year End Best of SF Poll.
Deli: What first got you interested in music?
TT: Since I can remember, I was dancing around to the records my parents played. They listened to Talking Heads, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Marvin Gaye, Joni Mitchell, all the classics. But if you’re asking me when I got interested in making music, that’s a different story. I first learned that I loved piano when I was about 10, but never thought I was capable of being an actual musician. Writing songs and having a band seemed like a daunting and unthinkable task to undertake, so I dismissed my little talent as a hobby and nothing more. Then, in 2007, some friends who had seen me goofing on the keys at my house one day, asked me to play at their festival in Oregon, so I did. From there, the support and encouragement snowballed, making it a comfortable journey into musician-hood.
Deli: How did you find your niche?
TT: I’m definitely still figuring it out. It seems the majority of my fan base is too broad to really know a specific demographic at this point, other than people who appreciate dark, melancholy, tripped-out music.
Deli: Where do your various influences stem from?
TT: Though I’ve been primarily involved with the underground rave scene for most of my adult life, it’s brought me full-circle to really appreciating the magic of live instrumentation and classical arrangement in addition to electronic production. I’m wildly inspired by other female performers such as Grace Jones, Siouxsie Sioux, and Bjork; and as for song writing and composing, I’m really into the work of Brian Eno, Sufjan Stevens, and Nico Muhly.
Deli: What’s it like to start your own label and what was the most difficult aspect of the process?
TT: I’ve started a couple other businesses in the past, so I kind of knew what to expect. When I decided to really go for it, I read like five books on how to start my own label and crack into the music industry. From that I devised a fairly solid plan, and of course, left room for sweet luck to fill in the gaps.
Deli: What’s up next for you in 2012?
TT: Right now I’m starting to work on the next album, which will be inspired by the world’s greatest female warriors and witches. We’re also planning a tour in March, which will include a week at SXSW, and then there’ll be a couple more months of writing and recording followed by a slew of summer shows. There may be a music video happening in there too somewhere.
Deli: What do you find inspiring about the color black?
TT: It’s a blank canvas; all the impossibilities of vision are possible within its darkness. Plus, it symbolizes the great feminine mysteries that so heavily influence my songwriting.
Deli: What do you hope to accomplish in your career?
TT: I know its cliché, but honestly, all I’ve ever wanted is to be happy. I’ve always believed that if I wanted it badly enough, I could find something I loved doing and actually make a living at it, no matter what it was.
Deli: If you could open for one artist dead or alive, who would it be?
Deli: Man, tough question. Shit, Klaus Nomi. Just so I could see him perform.
–Courtney Garcia