Solving a ‘mystery’
Colo.-based Taarka finds a good place in songwriting
David Tiller is a master at juggling. Whether it’s planning new music or working with his son on violin lessons, he strikes a balance that works for him.
“Our schedule has been so busy,” he says in a recent phone interview. “There’s not any one way to properly get things done. My son is learning violin and is getting more interested in music. We want to guide him correctly.”
Tiller is a member of Colorado-based indie folk band Taarka.
The band was formed in 2001 by Tiller and his wife, Enion Pelta-Tiller. A host of artists have joined the duo over the years, but the two remain the core of the group.
Taarka has released eight full-length albums and one EP. Its most recent is “Fading Mystery.”
Tiller says the two are constantly writing songs.
And the pair have been adding different elements to their music.
“Recently, we’ve been starting to play with drums,” he says. “We’re not doing it all the time. It’s nice. It’s sort of like an extra support system, and as a mandolin, I’m used to just the rhythm section. It’s a nice challenge in terms of letting go of the responsibility.”
Over the course of nearly two decades,
Tiller says, there are multiple facets to the band and its songwriting.
“In the beginning, we did a lot of the writing together,” he says. “In a lot of the cases, one of us will have an idea or a creative bubble. Then we bring it to the other and we begin to elaborate together. We’ve been doing a lot more complete pieces.”
Yet for the Albuquerque show, Tiller says, the group will be a string band.
He says the majority of the set list will be from the last two or three albums.
“We’ve been working together for 17 years, and there’s a lot of music,” he says. “There will be some tracks that haven’t been on a record yet.”
Tiller says Albuquerque is a place that is close to his heart.
“I lived in New Mexico for a while,” he says. “It’s where I spent my formative years. I lived in a house with a bunch of girls and I tried to charm them with music. It’s funny to think about now.”