IndiePulse Interviews: 21 Taras

21 Taras a 60’s and 70’s influences rock band from Littleton, Colorado. The band began with James Steinbach (lead guitar) and Alec Lister (drums) and soon grew with the additions of bassist Jim Williams and Austin Salazar (rhythm guitar) shortly thereafter. The four met in high school in which they all shared classes. In late 2014 singer Julian Fulco was added to the mix when he moved to Denver from his hometown of Anchorage, Alaska. Fulco encountered Steinbach on an online web forum and a rehearsal was immediately scheduled . The band went on to play their first performance; consisting of a few original songs as well as covers; just days after their first rehearsal.

​The band’s new album “Change” is reminiscent of the mid 60s and 70s. Featuring horns and strings, as well as vintage keyboards in the Fender Rhodes and Vox Continental; the making of Change truly served as an open playground. The no limits, outside of the box approach to writing and recording as demonstrated in this album truly opens them up to push the boundaries as to how many sounds they can encompass as a band; and they feel their options are endless.

IPM: What inspired you to write music like you do

I (James) think we write music the way we do because we want to make something unique. There is so much music in the world today that sounds very cliché. I for one hate being in the comfort zone. Everyone in 21 Taras loves stepping it up a notch to push their boundaries.

IPM: Tell us about the other members of the band, and of your chemistry. 

Some of us like to take more of a zeppelin approach to the band while some of us see it more as The Beatles. Each member comes from a different background of music. Julian our singer came from a grunge background like Pearl Jam and Tool, but more recently he has turned to bands like The Beatles, Sugar Candy Mountain, and even Queen. Julian is a chef for Alamo Draft House and enjoys basketball. His favorite team is the Dallas Mavericks. I came from a background of heavy metal and classic rock. I really enjoy bands like Ozzy, Mötley Crüe, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Led Zeppelin. My top guitar idol has to be Randy Rhoads. I work as a plumber during the day. I also enjoy collecting sand from other states and countries. Austin’s background comes from bands like Tame Impala, Dead Kennedy’s, Joy Division and Mac Demarco. In more recent years Austin really enjoys King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard. Austin works as a tech for BMW. He enjoys working on his car in his free time. Jim’s music background goes from Smashing Pumpkins all the way to Dillinger Escape Plan. Jim works with animals and sleeps a lot in his free time. Alec comes the classic rock era. He really enjoys bands like Deep Purple, Little Feat, Led Zeppelin and even CCR. Nowadays, he’s really into bands like KNOWER, Bad Suns, and Paul Revere & The Raiders. Alec works with his dad at their auto shop. Alec enjoys video games.

IPM:  What are or were some of the challenges for you in producing or performing while keeping true to your vision of your music.

There may be writing differences from time to time, but overall I think it was a matter of just trying to get out an album we could all believe in. We found it hard to get attention when we didn’t have any music out at the time.

IPM: Tell us about some of your recent shows / performances.

We recently played the RAW Showcase in Denver at The Church Nightclub. Tons of art and cool people. We have a few shows lined up. We’ll be co-headlining with Float Like a Buffalo at Larimer Lounge for the River North Art Showcase on November 25th.

IPM:  Any Albums coming out soon or shows you are looking to promote

We’re currently in the process of releasing a single, new music video and album 3. We have more shows TBA soon.

IPM:  Any “strange tales” or things that may have happened during a show that seemed too weird to be true?

Alec got hit on by a 30 year old, I (James) was offered drugs in a venue bathroom, Jim is always on time, Austin had his car hit after a show, and everyone thinks Julian drinks Vodka on stage.

IPM:  Where do you see your music going, where would you like to be in the near future, goals, dreams and passions?

We see our music getting better and better as albums come out. We all want each album to be better than the last release. I think we’d all like to be able to live off our music and quit our day jobs. We’d love to tour the U.K. and play Red Rocks one day.

IPM:  What would you like our readers to know about you.

We try to make the album come alive when we perform. The new album ‘Change’ has so many layers that we’re always thinking of new ways to reproduce it live. If you like to dance and enjoy high energy shows, you just might like ours.

IPM:  Where can our readers find your music?

https://21tarasband.com/
https://www.facebook.com/21tarasband/

https://21tarasband.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/album/3F84tSNasU53idg7ESKpeA