Tarkio (band)
Encyclopedia
Tarkio was an alternative country
band from Missoula, Montana
which included Colin Meloy
prior to his forming The Decemberists
. Tarkio broke up in 1999, but found new popularity in a retrospective released by Kill Rock Stars
in 2006.
in 1996. Meloy, from Helena
, had studied English at University of Oregon
at Eugene
for two years, then returned and enrolled in the creative writing program at the University of Montana in Missoula. He recruited banjo player Gibson Hartwell, bassist Louis Stein, and drummer Brian Collins following a meeting at an open mic night at a local coffeehouse. The band took its name from Tarkio, Montana
, a small town in the western part of the state, based on a false memory
from Meloy's childhood . Pearl Jam
bassist Jeff Ament
helped out with some rehearsal space and the band built a following at bar-clubs in Missoula, Great Falls
, Butte
, and Whitefish, Montana
.
In 1997, the band self-released a number of demos. Limited to 500 copies, this self-titled EP
was followed by an album, I Guess I Was Hoping For Something More, released on Barcelona Records. This album included musician Kevin Suggs on pedal steel.
In 1999, the band self-released Sea Songs for Landlocked Sailors. Limited to 200 copies, the EP included a song that would later be re-recorded by the Decemberists, "My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist."
Meloy finished school in 1998. The band broke up shortly after this, when Meloy moved to Portland, Oregon
.
A number of live recordings of the band's songs were released on a radio compilation in 2002.
As the Decemberists began to achieve more fame, fan demand for the hard-to-find Tarkio material grew, paving the way for Kill Rock Stars to release Omnibus. The two-disc compilation featured detailed liner notes and stories from members of the band, including Meloy, as well as all of the available recorded material by the band, including a live radio performance from 1998.
The band's sound has been variously compared to The Waterboys
, Uncle Tupelo
, and Wilco
.
Meloy said of the early days:
Alternative country
Alternative country is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music...
band from Missoula, Montana
Missoula, Montana
Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...
which included Colin Meloy
Colin Meloy
Colin Patrick Henry Meloy is the lead singer and songwriter for the Portland, Oregon, folk-rock band The Decemberists. In addition to vocals, he performs with an acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bouzouki, harmonica, percussion and interpretive hand gestures.-Early life...
prior to his forming The Decemberists
The Decemberists
The Decemberists are an indie folk rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy. The other members of the band are Chris Funk , Jenny Conlee , Nate Query , and John Moen .The band's...
. Tarkio broke up in 1999, but found new popularity in a retrospective released by Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission...
in 2006.
History
Tarkio formed in Missoula, MontanaMissoula, Montana
Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...
in 1996. Meloy, from Helena
Helena, Montana
Helena is the capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. The 2010 census put the population at 28,180. The local daily newspaper is the Independent Record. The Helena Brewers minor league baseball and Helena Bighorns minor league hockey team call the...
, had studied English at University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
at Eugene
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
for two years, then returned and enrolled in the creative writing program at the University of Montana in Missoula. He recruited banjo player Gibson Hartwell, bassist Louis Stein, and drummer Brian Collins following a meeting at an open mic night at a local coffeehouse. The band took its name from Tarkio, Montana
Tarkio, Montana
Tarkio is a place in Montana, located in Mineral County.Tarkio falls in Mountain Time Zone and observes daylight saving time.Tarkio's elevation is 2,940 feet above sea level.Tarkio is approximately 40 miles outside of Missoula, MT....
, a small town in the western part of the state, based on a false memory
Confabulation
Confabulation is the process in which a memory is remembered falsely. Confabulations are indicative of a complicated and intricate process that can be led astray at any given point during encoding, storage, or recall of a memory. Two distinct types of confabulation are often distinguished...
from Meloy's childhood . Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
bassist Jeff Ament
Jeff Ament
Jeffrey Allen Ament is an American musician who serves as the bassist for the American rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of Pearl Jam...
helped out with some rehearsal space and the band built a following at bar-clubs in Missoula, Great Falls
Great Falls, Montana
Great Falls is a city in and the county seat of Cascade County, Montana, United States. The population was 58,505 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Great Falls, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cascade County...
, Butte
Butte, Montana
Butte is a city in Montana and the county seat of Silver Bow County, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. As of the 2010 census, Butte's population was 34,200...
, and Whitefish, Montana
Whitefish, Montana
Whitefish is a city in Flathead County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,032 at the 2000 census. It is home to a ski resort on Big Mountain called Whitefish Mountain Resort. Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer hails from Whitefish....
.
In 1997, the band self-released a number of demos. Limited to 500 copies, this self-titled EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
was followed by an album, I Guess I Was Hoping For Something More, released on Barcelona Records. This album included musician Kevin Suggs on pedal steel.
In 1999, the band self-released Sea Songs for Landlocked Sailors. Limited to 200 copies, the EP included a song that would later be re-recorded by the Decemberists, "My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist."
Meloy finished school in 1998. The band broke up shortly after this, when Meloy moved to Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
A number of live recordings of the band's songs were released on a radio compilation in 2002.
As the Decemberists began to achieve more fame, fan demand for the hard-to-find Tarkio material grew, paving the way for Kill Rock Stars to release Omnibus. The two-disc compilation featured detailed liner notes and stories from members of the band, including Meloy, as well as all of the available recorded material by the band, including a live radio performance from 1998.
The band's sound has been variously compared to The Waterboys
The Waterboys
The Waterboys are a band formed in 1983 by Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland and England. Edinburgh, London, Dublin, Spiddal, New York, and Findhorn have all served as homes for the group. The band has played in a...
, Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo was an alternative country music group from Belleville, Illinois, active between 1987 and 1994. Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, and Mike Heidorn formed the band after the lead singer of their previous band, The Primitives, left to attend college. The trio recorded three albums for Rockville...
, and Wilco
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...
.
Meloy said of the early days:
“We [Tarkio] had aspirations of being able to base ourselves as a band out of Missoula, Montana, like LowLow (band)Low is an American indie rock group from Duluth, Minnesota, formed in 1993. As of 2010, the group is composed of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker , both founding members, and Steve Garrington ....
is from Duluth and Modest MouseModest MouseModest Mouse is an American indie rock band formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington, by singer/lyricist/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy. They are based in Portland, Oregon. Since their 1996 debut album, This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think...
is from Issaquah [Washington], but I think we pretty quickly discovered that the reason why those bands succeeded was that were within an hour’s drive from a major metropolitan area.”
Band members
- Colin Meloy - vocals, guitar
- Gibson Hartwell - guitar, banjo, vocals
- Louis Stern - bass, vocals
- Brian Collins - drums, percussion
- Kevin Suggs (pedal steel)
Albums
- I Guess I Was Hoping For Something MoreI Guess I Was Hoping For Something MoreI Guess I Was Hoping for Something More is an album by Montana band Tarkio, released under the Barcelona Records label. Every track on the album was re-released by Kill Rock Stars as a part of the 2006 Tarkio collection Omnibus....
(CD) - Barcelona Records - 1998 - OmnibusOmnibus (album)-Track listing:Tracks 1-12 on disc one were originally released on the album I Guess I Was Hoping For Something More.Tracks 1-6 on disc two were originally released on the EP Sea Songs For Landlocked Sailors.-Disc One:#"Keeping Me Awake" - 5:42...
(CD) - Kill Rock StarsKill Rock StarsKill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission...
- 2006
EPs
- Falleness (Cassette) - Self-released - 1997
- Sea Songs For Landlocked SailorsSea Songs For Landlocked SailorsSea Songs For Landlocked Sailors is a self-released EP by Montana band Tarkio. Every track on the album was re-released by Kill Rock Stars as a part of the 2003 Tarkio collection Omnibus....
(CD) - Self-released - 1999