| Tia Carrera | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Austin, Texas |
| Genres | Psychedelic Rock |
| Years active | 1999 - Present |
| Labels | Small Stone Records, Australian Cattle God, Arclight |
| Associated acts | Dixie Witch, Light Bright Highway, The Meat Puppets, Son Volt, Superego, Royal Neanderthal Orchestra, Black Mercy, Gorch Fock, Helltrout, Migas, Starfish, Amplified Heat |
| Website | |
Tia Carrera are a psychedelic stoner rock band based out of Austin, Texas. Forming around 1999, Tia Carrera perform a blend of improvised rock inspired by the likes of Hendrix, Sabbath, and the Melvins to name a few. Their music is mostly instrumental but on occasion there are songs with vocals.
To date the band has released five studio albums among various other releases.
History[]
Tia Carrera formed roughly around 1999 by Jason Morales, Erik Conn and John Era according to the band's Facebook.[1] The band would go through a rotating cast of bassists before Andrew Duplantis would settle in the role. The band's first release would be a live album entitled Live 6-3-03, recorded at Stubbs after a Tomahawk concert and released the same year. Signing with Australian Cattle God, Tia Carrera would release The November Session in 2005 and the eponymous debut album known as Tia Carrera the next year.[2] An EP and a single would follow over the next two years, the latter being a cover of "You Are The War" by Lungfish and the first Tia Carrera song to feature vocals.
Tia Carrera would largely perform in Texas but would perform three days in Austin as part of SXSW and as part of a showcase for Small Stone Records, whom they would sign with. The band would also perform at Roadburn Festival in 2008, the band's first show outside of the united States.[3] Tia Carerra's debut with Small Stone, The Quintessential, would see release on 27 October 2009 with a release party at Beerland on 30 October.[4]
With a new bassist in Jamey Simms work would begin on a third studio album, ultimately releasing Cosmic Priestess on 26 April 2011 to positive reviews.[5][6] The next release would be recorded in 2014 but would see delays in getting mastered and release. With Curt Christenson settling into the bass role, Tia Carrera would perform sporadic shows, often as support for touring bands or as part of SXSW.
Visitors / Early Purple would finally see release on 22 March 2019, consisting of two songs spanning over sixteen minutes and recorded in just a single day. Visitors in particular would be composed on the spot while Early Purple would be a song written in the past, properly recorded.[7] The band would also notably make an appearance at the inaugural Monolith on The Mesa in Taos, New Mexico.
Tia Carrera's fifth album Tried and True would see release on 12 June 2020, the title track in particular the very first song the band had ever written roughly twenty years ago.[8] Tried and True would see positive reception from the likes of The Obelisk,[9] Metal Temple[10] and The Sleeping Shaman[11] just to name a few.
Discography[]
Studio Albums[]
- Tia Carrera (2006, Australian Cattle God)
- The Quintessential (2009, Small Stone Records)
- Cosmic Priestess (2011, Small Stone Records)
- Visitors / Early Purple (2019, Small Stone Records)
- Tried and True (2020, Small Stone Records; Kozmik Artifactz)
Other Releases[]
- Live 6-3-03 (Live Album) (2003, Emperor Jones)
- The November Session (Demo) (2005, Australian Cattle God)
- Heaven / Hell (EP) (2007, Arclight)
- You Are The War (Single) (2008, Arclight)
Members[]
Current Members[]
- Jason Morales - Guitar, Bass, Vocals (2003 - Present)
- Erik Conn - Drums (2003 - Present)
- Curt Christenson - Bass, Guitar (2009, 2012 - Present)
Past Members[]
- John Era - Bass (1999 - 2003)
- Andrew Duplantis - Bass (2003 - 2007)
- Jamey Simms - Guitar, Bass (2007 - 2011)
- Josh Zarbo - Bass (Unknown Time Period)
- Gian Ortiz - Bass (Unknown Time Period)