TAT ~ Interview

Words  by Joe Koch
Photos Provided

TAT is one of the few bands that saved the day at this year’s Warped tour with their explosive set of punk-rock songs, led by front-woman Tatiana DeMaria. Critics have described her as the offspring of Joe Strummer and Joan Jett.

Even though they are still calling London home, the band has spent the past couple of years in the states touring with the Vans Warped tour, Alice Cooper and Bad Religion to name a few. All of this hard work is paying off. The crowds are growing larger and for now life is better on the road. TAT has their first tour bus. After their set at Darien Lake, N.Y. we were supposed to conduct the interview, but Tatiana slipped on stage and needed to tend to her swollen knee. We ended up doing the interview via e-mail. Here’s what she had to say.

How much do you credit the Warped tour for TAT’s popularity in the states?

Almost entirely. Being independent with no management or outside help, we would never have known how to make a start out here without it. From the Warped tour alone, we made friends and allies who have been with us since 2006. Whether a band, Kevin Lyman himself, a manager, an agent, PR etcetera, all those things came from our 2006 stint out here. It was an incredible opportunity for us to be in the heart of where our music lived at the time, and we certainly made the most of it.

In Buffalo you made a statement saying that it was nice to see 600 people versus six at your stage. It must be a nice feeling knowing that all of your hard work is paying off.

It certainly feels good to grow as a band and have more and more people down in the front singing every word. We still work hard and don't feel we really have any laurels to rest on yet, but to know people are into it and at our shows going wild, makes it that much more worthwhile and satisfying.

I believe I read that you sold everything and moved to New York so that you could do the Warped Tour again. Was the success of last year’s Warped Tour the main motivator for TAT to want to do it all over again?

I did sell my car and a bundle of things to be able to be in the U.S. where so much was going on for us. We were in England and I was on the phone till 2a.m. every night trying to organize tours, teams, the album release and all the business that goes with any kind of release. It just made sense to be out here and work in the same time zone, where I could actually have the meetings I needed to and get things done.

As for the success on Warped being a motivator, yeah for sure. Warped Tour last year was amazing for us, but it is just a tour we love doing for every reason and the foundation it was built on. We'll always want to come back and do Warped Tour whenever we get the chance.

What’s the biggest difference from last year’s Warped tour and this year’s tour?

The biggest difference between last year and this year for us would have to be the stages. Last year we were on a much smaller side stage — The Skate Ramp Stage. This year we were put on the Hurley stage, which is a much bigger, much louder, staple stage. We're also on a bus this year for the first time ever, which is wonderful. Having a bed on the road is out of this world.

So does that mean that you’re calling the states home for now?

The USA is such a big country that to do anything properly you really have to commit to being here and putting in the time and tours, and if you're going to go all out, especially as an independent band, you have to prioritize those needs and make sacrifices such as being here for such long periods of time. We still call London home, but our fans back home are getting a little riled up at our focus here, given that the U.S. has had to come first for us for the last two years or so.

Prior to the Warped tour how often had you visited the states?

We had all visited the states a fair few times before playing Warped Tour, but definitely see a different more local side to it now, which makes it feel like a second home for sure.

With so many bands involved with the Warped tour is it possible for everyone to get along? I caught the band Gallows set at the end of the night and Frank Carter had no problem calling out the bands that he thought sucked and the bands that he really admired. This caught me off guard. It made me think, how many bands actually get along on the tour?

To be honest, this year is so varied that there is a little more of that than on previous years. When you have the Millionaires singing to backing tracks, prancing around the stage next to a dedicated serious band full of real musicians, there will be someone getting irate.

The way we see it as a band is that there are musicians and entertainers on this tour. The musicians do what they do and the entertainers do what they do. The Millionaires and Jeffrey Star are entertainers. To take them any further than that in your mind and try to stand them up alongside Anti-Flag, Alexisonfire or NOFX would just be setting yourself up for failure and frustration. We all do what we do and the most punk rock thing about it all, is that it is different and it is all under the same roof.
Personally, a lot of the bands do get along irrespective of musical genre or taste. This is a tour where you have to work hard and be decent to survive. If you fuck around, you get the boot. So generally, the peace is kept in the long run and people get on by fine. There is no one we don't get along with on this tour. We like some music more and less than others, but the bands themselves are all pretty cool.

Are there rules and penalties for such things as bands fighting with one another?

Depends how bad it is. It could be a slap on the wrist or getting kicked off the tour.

Do you find bands that are similar competing with one another?

Not really. There is enough of everything to go around for everyone.

Any good stories to tell from this year’s Warped tour?

There are plenty of great stories from the tour. None to tell though.

Where have been some of your favorite places that you’ve played and why? I know some bands liked the Buffalo venue because of the amusement park and I think the bands had free admission to the park.

Yeah, Buffalo was awesome. We didn't get time to go to the park this year, but loved our show there that day. Columbia, Maryland was another place we loved.

TAT has been together since 2004, but as a three-piece lineup since 2005. How did you guys get together and why did you make the decision to go to a three piece?

We were only a four-piece for a year and decided to drop to a three-piece whilst looking for a new fourth member and second guitarist. We just decided we wanted to stop searching and stay the way we were. We got together as I had written a bunch of songs — most of which make up this album and I wanted to play. In time through friends of friends, TAT formed the lineup that we still have today.

When you listen to the earlier stuff compared to Soho Lights, what’s the biggest difference that you hear? And does it confirm to you that waiting was the right answer?

When TAT first started out your priority was not to try and get signed to a label first, why?

We needed to get good live. We didn’t have the money or resources to record the album properly and release it. We didn’t sit on our hands and wait. We did whatever we could until it made sense to release the album to real audiences instead of recording it in a basement and selling it to five people

That might have been a good idea and we'd be on album three or four by now, but truthfully, we believed in the songs and wanted to give them their best shot. We love this record and are proud of it. But, we’re definitely looking forward to making our second album.

I love albums like Soho Lights. Every time that I listen to it, I discover something new that I like. What are some of your faves from the album and why?

They change daily depending on my mood. Every song has a story and a particular attachment to a particular emotion for me.

Do you have a set time for how long you will tour in support of Soho Lights?

What band or artist are you currently listening to on your iPod or CD?

TV on the Radio

If you could have TAT and three other artists on the same bill, who would they be? And why?

TAT, The Clash, Michael Jackson and a TAT cover band. The Clash and Michael Jackson because I would LOVE to see that and a TAT cover's band so I wouldn't have to play and could just enjoy the night

For more information go to: www.tatness.com