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What is your name and role with TAN COLOGNE?
I’m Lauren Green and I play guitar and sing for live shows and play guitar/vocals/bass/drums/
I’m Marissa Macias and I play guitar/synth/vocals/percussion in performance and guitar/vocals/keys/synth/some percussion for recording.
Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like?
We are based in Taos, New Mexico. For such a small population, there is definitely a wide appreciation for music with a few spaces to perform.
How did TAN COLOGNE form?
Tan Cologne began by writing experimental soundscapes to echo our landscape and then morphed into song structures with vocals.
What’s been happening recently?
A LOT has been happening in the world. Currently in the US and New Mexico, we’re ordered to stay home as much as possible due to the “pandemic”, so we’ve been creating our own dimension and writing a new EP and sending care packages to friends and family.
Who programs/instruments do you use?
Lauren plays a Fender Mustang and Marissa plays a Fender Jaguar and Strat. For pedals and accessories, Lauren uses a MXR Analog Chorus, Japanese Boss RV-2 Digital Reverb, volume pedal and at times a Sound Stone guitar sustainer made by Merkaba Electronics out of Austin, TX. Marissa uses an EarthQuaker Organizer pedal, along with a MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay and TC Electronic HOF Reverb and plays a Roland GAIA Synth. For recordings, we use a TAMA drum set and various percussive elements.
Your debut album recently came out on Labrador Recs, where and when did you record and who with?
Yes! We recorded the album ourselves in Northern New Mexico in a very old adobe structure. We mixed the album ourselves in New Mexico and had some additional mixing and mastering done by our good friend Gory Smelley who owns Marfa Recording Co. in Marfa, TX.
Who or what influenced the sound and songwriting?
Living in New Mexico, we constantly explore the vast landscape and mirrored responses. We feel like we were influenced mostly by the Earth’s elements and vibrations.
How did you go about writing the music?
At times, we would each separately have a segment of a song we individually wrote and then come together and see if they would fit together like puzzle pieces. Often they would! Otherwise, we sit down together and start with guitar parts and then mess around with vocals melody ideas and sift through percussive options. We would also write through layering ideas while simultaneously recording.
What did you find most challenging and rewarding during the creation of the record?
The challenging parts of recording happened while recording in such an old adobe structure with faulty outlets. We would have to shift a whole setup around because we would hear ghosts crackling through the amps if they were plugged into unsettled electricity. Hearing the album as a whole and hearing our unique sound that came of it was very rewarding!
What do you like to do away from music?
Soaking in hot springs, long walks, looking at rocks, rearranging spaces, cooking, swimming, researching and getting obsessed with different topics, esp having to do with UFOs.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
Lauren – Bo Hansson, The Durutti Column, Grouper, Popol Vuh, Natural Information Society, Lorelle Meets the Obsolete
Marissa – Khan Jamal, Jefferson Airplane, Johnny Hawaii.
Favourite food and place to hangout?
Lauren – Thai food and home cooked meals. Favorite place to hang out is anywhere with sun and water.
Marissa – Anything with Arugula and Tamari and favorite place to hang out is anywhere in water.
