The Music I’ve Discovered Through “The Tara”

One of the most interesting aspects of my journeys in blogging is the number of fascinating people I have met. Many of these people I have discovered through the Ghost of Blind Lemon MySpace page. “The Tara” is one such person. She is one of the few people I know whose passion for the local music scene can even rival mine. We have spent hours upon hours talking about everything from the profound to the trivial, and of course, there has been much discussion about the local artists each of us likes. I have introduced her to a number of cool local bands, and she has returned the favor. Right now, I would like to shine a light on three artists that I might not have discovered had it not been for “The Tara”.

Kristina Morland – File that name in the back of your head, because I suspect that all of you will see a LOT more of that name around town. Her voice is similar in tone to Sarah Jaffe, and the songs I have heard so far are simply beautiful. I’m not the only fan of hers. In fact, I ran into Camille Cortinas a few weekends ago, and one of the first things she said to me was that she loved the Kristina Morland song that she heard on my MySpace page. Although I have not yet had the privilege of seeing Ms. Morland live yet, I cannot imagine the live experience being anything less than wonderful.

Darrin Kobetich – Mr. Kobetich is a member of both The Electric Mountain Rotten Apple Gang and Blackland River Devils. Both bands are good bands, but I found his solo material to be more intriguing. This is a particularly impressive feat, considering that almost every song I have heard is all instrumental. Some songs sound like what Nick Drake would have sounded like if he had been born in Texas, while other tracks have a stronger Eastern and Indian influence. All of the music maintains a distinctly Texan sound that manages the impressive feat of staying interesting without vocals, and that is no small feat indeed.

jZ & Dirty Pool – The band rarely seems to venture out of Fort Worth. I would love to see that change in the near future. John Zaskoda (aka “jZ”) blends together blues rock with a slight Americana influence thrown in. The music works best, however, when the band cuts loose on more rocking numbers like “Going Crazy”.

My thanks again go out to “The Tara”, for being a friend and for introducing me to great new artists. And after all, isn’t that what friends are supposed to do for each other?