Talented musician delivers the goods

EVERY Saturday night, I present a show on BBC CWR called BBC Music Introducing. It’s where we fly the flag for local music across Coventry and Warwickshire.

Our Band of the Month for October is Tarragon, the brainchild of Callum Pickard (above), a 26-year-old singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist from Coventry.

Born and raised in Binley, Callum has had a passion for music from an early age and wrote his first songs in his early teens.

I first came across his music when he formed Callum Pickard & The Third Look.

Over the past four years, he’s been honing his craft, writing and recording his debut album ‘I’ve Just Seen A Scene’ under the new Tarragon namesake.

Callum self-funded the recording of the album as a Deliveroo cyclist delivering food and drink, and has collaborated with some of his best friends, including Loz Pettite, Jon Pudge and Bill Cameron, who all play in the live band too.

Much of the album was also recorded at local Kenilworth studio, Abatis Studios.

As well as his local friends, Callum worked with an array of incredible virtuoso musicians, including JT Bates (Bon Iver/taylor Swift), John Helliwell (Supertramp), John Waugh (The 1975), and Aaron Sterling (Leonard Cohen, John Mayer) and has created a debut that deals with maturing into young adulthood and the emotional growing pains and frustration that come with it.

The spirit of Tarragon may be about collaboration, but it also rests on Callum’s unique and beautiful songwriting and production skills, all of which were instrumental on his signing to boutique label, Luna Sky, and the album’s subsequent release in June.

Callum is already working with new collaborators and has hopes of taking his future releases to the next level and touring internationally.

If I’ve got you in the mood to hear Callum, I may have good news. BBC Music Introducing will be hosting monthly gigs at The Tin Music and Arts in Cov, featuring our Introducing artists

The first gig is tonight and features Bar Pandora and Tarragon. If you fancy going, it’s £9 on the door from 7.30pm.