Tara Beier: Don’t Rain on My Parade

Singer/Songwriter Tara Beier graces the cover of Contrast Magazine and gives us some insight into her world. In March of this year, Tara released the funky song, “SUPER BLOOM.” The message echoing from this song seems to be something like “be who you are because you’re free to be you.” The following May, her album, also named “SUPER BLOOM,” was released to the masses. The album has a Folk/Americana vibe throughout and seems to come from a very passionate place within Tara.  

“SUPER BLOOM” on Manimal Records made its premiere on USA Today. Glamour Magazine also took their piece of Tara by including an exclusive interview with the premiere of Tara’s song “Hopeless Romantic.” Not to be outdone, though, GQ added Tara’s “SUPER BLOOM” to their “Perfect Workout Playlist.” Tara can’t be held down by anything; it seems! She’s pointed towards the stars and ready to catch all her dreams!  Starting to play classical piano at five years old in Vancouver, Canada, it’s safe to say Tara had the creativity bug early on. She nurtured her talents for thirteen more years before moving to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams even further. As soon as she moved to L.A., Tara linked up with her band “The Purple Space Rocks.” It seems to be smooth sailing for Tara from there because her latest album seems to be a timeless one. We hope to be hearing many more albums from this poetic talent!

What inspired “Flying Saucer?” I live in a cool part of Joshua Tree called Landers, which is an unincorporated town with one post office. It’s pretty trippy, there are streets named after planets and stars. I moved there a couple years ago as an escape from LA and I wanted to explore and find the history behind this little town. The residents are sometimes referred to as “Landroids” – an allusion to the popular UFO culture that occurred in the 50s and 60s. I’m bit of a research nerd and discovered a legendary story about a famous army pilot who claimed he had met an alien named “Solanda”.  In their supposed conversation, George Van Tassel asked what can he can do to extend his life. The alien told him to build this energy vessel, which George later did, to become the famous “Sound Integratron”. The structure is now turned into a sound bowl healing bath that people flock to from all over the world for a healing experience. Nevertheless I took this story and dramatized it to a conversation about humanity that I think we all should have. How can we as humans survive? The answer is to build an energy of love. The chorus is about this longing to escape the chaotic world. To go somewhere else, perhaps to space and metaphorically, to sit up with the stars objectively looking down. Or perhaps to another planet where humans do not fight or need money. A supernatural place where we can all live together in peace and in love. No killing, fighting or greed. It’s an idealistic point of view I guess. But I hope to challenge people in the song to think about our existence and what could be next.

What are the main reasons you chose a “folk music” style path? I don’t know if I chose it. More like it chose me or what was coming out of me naturally. Genre is a tough one because I feel my music is it’s own vibe and style. I’m just delivering a medium. But I guess it does fit in the genre of folk, indie, pop. Though I would call my style  “modern folk” or “alternative”. The one thing I love about folk is that it’s based on story telling and connected to nature. Folk has a very down to earth “home” feeling, that is honest, real and timeless. The musicians of the 70s, like Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Rodriguez Sixto, Neil Young and Johnny Cash are the closest to my spirit. I played classical music when I was a kid and those musical roots I guess laid the foundation for understanding the core structure and mechanics of a song. My first album “ Hero & The Sage” was produced by the bassist of the Great Lake Swimmers. My second album “Super Bloom” was produced by the founding drummer of Wilco. What is genre anyways? I guess the world will try to fit me in a box! 

What steps have you personally taken to reduce plastic pollution? As Bob Marley says, we gotta be the change that we wanna see. So I try my best to keep my household plastic free. I try to use glass as much as I can. I prefer to buy bulk liquid soaps and use glass soap containers. Whenever I go for takeout, I make sure to tell them not to include  plastic utensils or ask for wooden utensils. Whenever I go shopping I try to carry the product itself and avoid using a plastic bag or take reusable bags when I take my groceries. If I see plastic at the beach, I always pick it up and bring it to garbage can! I try to recycle the best I can. I buy biodegradable garbage bags. Plastic is oil, it contaminates your food and causes cancer. I do not use plastic wrap on any of my food, I use glass Tupperware.

I use a glass water bottle and my water tanks are full glass. Lastly I do not allow plastic straws in the house and try to avoid it when I am at a restaurant or ordering take out. It’s mainly the restaurants that are creating a lot of the plastic waste. I believe in progress over perfection. The great thing I’m seeing is that more and more grocery stores are using biodegradable or reusable bags. Amazon needs to work on bettering their packaging. The biggest corporate plastic polluter is Coca Cola, they produce 3 million tons of plastic. The country that is the biggest polluter of plastic is China. 

What’s one bit of advice that you would give your younger self? I would tell myself that everything you are doing is right and on the path to your success and to stop worrying. To trust your intuition. For me, I was making moves in my art career. I got my Bachelor of Arts degree, I did a year of method acting, then documentary films which I wrote and directed and it led me to do a film on legendary folk singer and icon, Buffy Sainte Marie. It was this film that led me back to music in 2015. I did a full circle from playing music as a child to where I felt I was meant to be, as a singer-songwriter. In 2016, I released my first album “Hero and The Sage” in Toronto, Canada. Then I moved to LA shortly after. I was always trusting and letting go. Another thing I would say to my younger self is to accept yourself.  I was always doing what I wanted to do but there was something deep inside of me that was fighting to prove my worth. I would tell my younger self you don’t have to fight to prove you’re worth, enjoy what you are doing. Understand that everything is connected to the greater whole, that you are fulfilling your purpose. 

What inspires you to keep moving when you have bad days? Try to do things that will cheer you up. When you are having a bad day, there is something deep within that needs to be nurtured. Therefore you must do self care. Buy yourself something nice, go outside, see nature, watch a favorite movie, take a bath, see a friend, cuddle up in a blanket, hug your family. Whatever you got! Be grateful for what you have. Those bad days are the days you learn something. We have discernment and we can choose how we deal with life’s ups and downs. Journal or talk it out, pray. On the bad days, take it as an opportunity of growth. Change is not easy but sometimes necessary. On the bad days, you need to really tap into your higher power. Take those bad days as an opportunity of growth.

What can we expect from you in the future, musically and otherwise? I’m writing a new single right now. It’s a bit of an anthem song about walking away from things that do not serve you. A folk, pop, electro sound. I’m wanting to explore more of a mainstream audience but still staying true to myself. I’m also working on having a baby. The last months I’ve been doing IVF and promoting my current album “Super Bloom”. It has been a bit of a balancing act and I commend all women out there working, carrying out fertility practices and having a child. It’s definitely not easy! Did I also mention I’m scheduled for a show at the Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood with Trapt for May 2021?! Let’s see how that goes! Nevertheless, I’m continuing to write music and evolve. My life and music go hand in hand. I’m very blessed and thankful for everything I have.

What animal do you think best represents you? The Eagle. Flying is something I wish I could do. Eagles have an obsession with freedom I heard, that is definitely me. I also have to be in motion and on the go. Eagles I heard are comfortable with their own company. I enjoy my solitude as an artist. I heard the Eagle spirit to be an inspiring messenger and hope to demonstrate this through my music. 

How long does the whole process for a song usually take you? If I have a deadline, the shortest amount of time, would be in a day. With no deadline, I like to take my time and let the feeling sink in. I think about what kind of song I want to create, the intention and purpose of the song. I find the tune on the piano or guitar and lay down the lyrics last. The best songs for me come from visions, dreams and emotional breakthroughs