Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 2002)
JfliiSl 2 , 2002 MUSIC ..................... ▼...................... B efore Alanis Morissette and Tori Amos and a host of other no-pain-no-gain song sirens, there was Tamaras. Bom in Los Angeles 30- odd years ago, this talented singer/songwriter was raised by hippie parents, and one might guess at some of her influences—Janis Joplin and Jefferson Airplane with some Pete Seeger and David Bowie thrown in for gcxxi measure. Add a lit tle Heart and Melissa Etheridge, and you might begin to sense where this petite musical power house gets her drama, drive and, last hut not least, plain old-fashioned charisma. Tamaras’ musi cal ideals hearken hack to that 7 0 s childhood. “I’ve got this voice that could reach hun dreds and thou sands of people," she says. “T h at’s why there’s a lot o f story telling and war protests, which is what we should he doing now.” One thing is certain: To meet Tamaras, the woman and musician, is to know her, and to listen to her perform is to hear her heartbeat. And the girl’s heart pounds to the heat of a dif ferent drummer. Start with Janis Joplin. Add Pete Seeger and David Bowie. Mix well. Meet Tamaras. © UTAH STARZZ Tuesday, August 6th • 7:00 pm * Rose Garden © PHOENIX MERCURY Sunday, August 11th • 7:00 pm • Rose Garden Lesbian rock ’ll’ roller Tamaras tempts Portlanders this month O ver pints at the Egyptian Club, Tamaras reveals how she eschewed her love-child rearing and joined the Anny at 17 (lying about hen age). After bcxit camp she was a communications techie— the one responsible for making certain that when an officer yelled, “Fire!” into the headset, the soldier down the line wielding the cannon had the muzzle point ed in the right direction. Txlay, it’s Tamaras’ music that yells “Fire!” In “Subside” she sings, “Know you can choose your life/And all this complication will suh- sidc/And I’ll meet you there in the light/We’ll breathe clean air under new skies." When Cpl. Tamaras wasn’t rigging commu nications lines, she was practicing guitar and walking the “don’t ask, don’t tell” tightrope. Perhaps this was when the youthful siren began to envision lyrics like, “ If everything was safe/Then what would make us brave F Something very clear emerges about the rock ’n’ roll Tamaras before we’ve drained our second brew. Here is an artist in whom there is no guile. What you see is what you get. And what do you see? A small, dark-haired woman with the hope of a teen-ager in her eyes— but not from a lack of worldly experi ence. Rather, from the admirable quality of character to tread through life’s shallows and narrows and retain a kind of youthful exuber ance— a tough and infectious idealism equally feared and admired. Who hut a musician with the true heart of a traveling troubadour could feel equally at home playing for rustic audi ences in southern Oregon bars, yuppies at Star- bucks and sisters at the Egyptian? One secret to the appeal is her superlative musicianship; she’s a whiz on the guitar. Add to this a brassy, bluesy voice that can belt with the best of them hut also possesses a soft side that can be heard in songs such as “Dust Bowl” by R ach el L ane from her latest CD, Simple Is So Hard. In it Tamaras deftly traverses the issues of how human desire and living nature are intimately entwined: Before the nver disappeared And all the beautiful trees systematically cleared Yellow mustard hills would endlessly wind Us through the open lands to the grapevine. But now this dust bowl blows the stench miles across From the cattle rancher's money-making holocaust. Come early and enjoy pre-game festivities including music, clowns Mad Science & more! , A t home in Hollywood, Calif., Tamaras often performs with members of her three-piece hand. In her last Saturday night concert at the Egyptian, it was all about her, though— an acoustic guitar and a voice that is at once hard and soft, hidden and revealing. Add to this her contagious smile, the kind of glad expression that says, “Here I am, doing the only thing I want to do, giving you all that I’ve got." Listeners new to the music are well advised to listen both to her solo acoustic and to her hand-accompanied work. While the self-same thread of rock ’n’ roll runs through each, they each possess unique qualities all their own. One critic characterizes Tamaras’ ensemble work as "hard rock psychedelic.” Another calls it “frenetic punk to melodic rock and even folk rock.” Mostly, though, she’s a performer with the admirable ability to match her venues with just the right style. At coffeehouses and cafes, she is immediate and personable; on stage before large audiences, she ups the intensity and matches the potency of her electronics with equally powerful vocal and instrumental drama. In a world often driven by hype and illusion, the title of Tamaras’ latest recording is apropos. But don’t expect simplicity from this woman’s songs or performances. Her lyrics tackle issues both simple and complex, and her musical styles are varied and accomplished. JF1 T a m a r a s plays the Ash Street Saloon, 225 S.W. Ash St., at 9 p.m. Aug. 7. Admission is $6. She plays a free concert 7 p.m. Aug. 18 at the Egyptian Club, 3701 S.E. Division St. Visit the singer at www.tamarasrocks.com. I The Rove Garden 1« accessible to people / with disabilities For Accessible Seating, call . - - > n b a • /TDD SO)-232 »OI Á W o m en in th e W oods 2002 A ugust 22-25 • Join with 100-*- lesbians for a magical women-only week Central Oregon, 2 hours drive from Portland • X flz v hea meals daily • Hotsprii water trails on anymng 2 or more people want to talk craftswomen space • amazing talent show • per person 4days/3 3 days/2 nights $185 per person efrumming circle • dancing » » » Registration deadline is August 1, 2002. Fees must be paid in full at that time. Call 503-284-0722 for registration form.
