Interview with Tatanka

Interview by Chad Hillje
Editor – Kyle Hillje
Photography – Mark Franzen

Tatanka has seen recent success playing alongside acts such as Passafire, Katchafire and the Black Seeds to name a few. We caught up with the up and coming kings of “dubtronic” after their set at the Fox Theatre in Boulder on July 15th 2010 and this is what they had to say. Enjoy!

DRS- Amazing set tonight guys. You really set the stage for Katchafire and The Black Seeds! How you guys feelin’?
Tatanka- We’re good Chad. How you feelin’?
DRS- Another beautiful night at the Fox Theatre in Boulder! You guys played last night at Cervantez Masterpiece Ballroom with the Black Seeds and tonight you guys are here at the Fox with Katchafire and the Black Seeds. How has the last couple nights treated you guys?
Tatanka- The last couple of nights have been very nice to us. Denver came out and rocked with us really hard on Wednesday night and Boulder was an incredible show and well worth it and we give it a 9.5 out of 10!
DRS- You guys have been around for a couple of years now. How did Tatanka come about?
Tatanka- (ChampIan)-Wow that’s a long story man (laughs). (The Mexico)- I was walking to class and I seen Ian. I had seen him the night before at The Expendables show here in Boulder and recognized him and said, lets go burn one and that’s pretty much how it started. (Malonestarr)- I moved back from Vermont after graduating college and I was hittin’ up all these weirdo’s on craigslist and you would not believe what type of people are on there, It’s crazy. I ended up finding the only post in regards to reggae and thought that this has got to be cool. So, I replied and got a call from Ian. Him and I met everyone at his house and we banged it out.
DRS- Awesome! Not only can you get hookers on Craigslist but you can also get a band mate.
Tatanka- Trust in Craig! (Laughs)
DRS- You guys have some pretty awesome names. Details?
Tatanka- (Malonestarr)-My last name is Malony and that’s an interpretation of all sorts of nicknames such as Bologna, Ba-logue-nuh and Malony-head. I get spaced sometimes and I feel like I’m in space when I play music and that’s where the “Starr” comes from. I also like Malone-ranger. (The Mexico)- It started back in high school by this kid Luke Van Leary and I’m Mexican, my names Mike and not much more to say. (ChampIan)- My life off of stage and on stage are completely different so it’s an entity that I can be and express myself through different than my normal self. It’s ChampIan now and might be something later, ya know? For right now, I feel like the champ, like we are fighting, like this is what we gotta do and we’re gonna do it. Not much more than that.
DRS- You guys used about 30 minutes for your EP “Sounds In Technicolor” therefore, there must be more music on the way. Can your fans look forward to an album soon?
Tatanka- You can never rush greatness. The album might come out in a year, it might come out in two years, or it might come out in three months. We will definitely let our fans know. As of now, we have a few things we are working on like getting out on the road.
DRS- Excellent. We will definitely do our part and let the DRS fans know when you guys are ready. You guys are becoming quite the staple in the dubtronica sound. Have you guys given it some thought about teaming up with electronica dj’s and producers to create some songs or do some remixes of your songs?
Tatanka- A lot of dj’s like certain recordings a certain way and we will probably produce some tracks and mix them down. Also when we play in Denver we like to bring our dj by the name of dj Del Rio. He always brings the proper sounds after we are done and before we play. It’s just a matter of time before we all start mixing and doin’ one thing.
DRS- You guys played in Austin last spring at ATX Wildfire. How was that for you guys?
Tatanka- It was a blast! We bunked with the Silver Surfer dudes for like four days and we were on the floor. There were way too many dudes but it was fun. The Episode Phive and Music Bailout guys were really cool too.
DRS- Sounds wild. You guys have both an electronic and reggae feel to your sound. Who influences your unique sound?
Tatanka- (Malonestarr)- Lately I have been listening to a lot of that dubstep that is from the U.K like Skream and Benga. (The Mexico)- Same thing man, all of that new dubstep shit. Ian has shown me a lot of new bands like Fat Freddy’s Drop and The Black Seeds. (ChampIan)- I really enjoy John Brown’s Body. I have always thought that those guys bring it really hard. They are the ones that really inspired me to do this kind of stuff. The Black Seeds are really good. I like how they bring the funk. I like Fat Freddy’s Drop and anything that comes in with a fat bass line and a heavy punch. That’s when I’m like, thank you!
DRS- Thanks for your time guys! Are there any last comments you want to share with your fans?
Tatanka- You guys can pick up our E.P for free at tatankadub.bandcamp.com and make sure you check out our weekly schedule and come out and see us!