Tasha Valentine

Singing “bluegrass infused gospel blues” in smoky, loud and smelly dives, Valentine forges her own musical passage.

by L.J. Kelly

Tasha Valentine was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, moved to Texas when she was about five years old, relocated to New Mexico when she was in the 6th grade, and the day after she turned 18, left for L.A. “(I) couldn’t get out of my hometown fast enough. I’ve been all over the Southwest since then, and have been settled in Nashville for almost five years.”

Maybe it’s the influences of all those moves to all those places which contribute to her description of her music. When asked to talk about where she falls, in terms of genres, Valentine responds: “Hmmm. This is the hardest question ever. It never becomes any easier to answer. I am a direct result of my influences. I guess its sort of … bluegrass infused gospel blues. Make sense? Ha!” Making sense isn’t exactly the goal, of course. What Valentine is intent on making is her own music.

Toward that end, she identifies a few major musical influences. “Patsy Cline for sure. I remember listening to her as a kid and thinking ‘this lady must have a really hard life, she always seems so sad.’ No matter what the tempo or style of song she sang, there was always this dark sincerity. There’s nobody else like her.’”

Another “big one” is Ray Charles. “Everything about him makes me smile. His music is timeless. I was lucky to meet Ray before he died. Still full of piss and vinegar and as amazing as ever.”

Stevie Wonder is a third artist who, “has made such a deep impression on me. I can’t figure out what it is I love about him so much. He just has this great range. I’ve not heard anyone else sing simple words like he does.”

Whatever the various influences along the way, from early on she knew music was essential. “Oh lord! I’ve always known exactly what my path is. I was a terrible singer when I was a kid. I just wanted it so bad! I started mimicking my favorite artists. The earliest form of karaoke. I think that did the trick.”

Since those early beginnings many songs have been sung in many venues. When asked about places she especially likes to play, Valentine responds, “I love dives. If it’s smoky, loud and smelly, it’s right up my alley.” In fact, she just completed her live record, “Live. Less Ordinary.” At this point, she’s traveling a lot. “Doing live shows is what I’m about right now.” She adds, however, “I plan to start working on a new record very soon.”

A big part of what Valentine talks about is her band, which has been together for several years. Rich Gilbert (guitar), is from Frank Black and the Catholics. Steve Latanation (drums) is from Agent Orange. And Ed Cain (bass) has, according to Valentine, “been on the road with just about everyone you can think of.”

“These guys have helped to mold a very distinctive sound,” Valentine says. And she gives them a lot of credit for their ability to create that sound in live venues. “Well, anyone who knows me also knows that I can be a little flighty. For instance, I’m not sure that I’ve ever sang a song the same way twice. It’s not an element of creativity or anything, I just usually forget the words to songs. Even my own.” And the band, well, “They just follow right on along! Those guys have put up with quite a lot of flaking on my part. It just doesn’t seem to bug them. It must just be a really great fit.”

And while the diverse influences, and the musical artists with whom she plays, should give you some idea of what you’ll hear from Valentine, her voice and her stylings are, of course, her own. She won’t be playing again in Nashville for a while, though she does say to she’ll keep us posted on that. Her next scheduled show is in September, in Lexington, KY. In the meantime, you can check out her music via her website (www.TashaValentine.com) and her MySpace (www.myspace.com/tashavalentine).