2009-11-14

Tamar-kali; Garofalo, Reebee

Reebee Garofalo interviews Tamar-kali during the AAAMC conference, "Reclaiming the Right to Rock: Black Experiences in Rock Music."

Indiana University, Radio and Television Services

Archives of African American Music and Culture

Bloomington; Indiana; United States

Reclaiming the Right to Rock: Black Experiences in Rock Music

Archives of African American Music and Culture

English

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1 video file (mov, 29 min., 5 sec.) : sound, color ; 7.74 GB + 1 transcript (9 pages)

Songwriter-vocalist-guitarist Tamar-kali came on the New York rock scene around 1993 while performing with the band Funkface. Shortly thereafter, she became the front woman for Song of Seven, another New York-based rock band. Eventually, Tamar-kali's strength as a woman in a male-dominated genre led to creative conflict and compelled her toward her own expression as a songwriter and vocalist, which resulted into her eclectic musical style. Her band 5ive Piece incorporates hard-core funk, melodic guitar riffs, dissonant harmonies, even and odd-metered grooves and unorthodox song forms. In addition to the instrumental styles of 5ive Piece, Tamar-kali's diverse vocal range allows her to execute warm, round, dark and raspy tones from low to high registers upon demand. She also performs with the string quartet Psycho Chamber Ensemble, which performs renditions of songs by 5ive Piece as well as those arranged and composed specifically for strings by Tamar-kali. Along with leading her diverse ensembles and heading up her own production company, Flaming Yoni Productions, Tamar-kali has worked with other artists in hip-hop and rock such as Outkast and Fishbone. In addition to appearing in the film Afro-punk, Tamar-kali has been featured in Vibe, Fader and Village Voice magazines.

Other: DVF 1038