''Taarka'' is a

Lyons, Colorado The Town of Lyons is a Statutory Town in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 2033 at the 2010 United States Census, up from 1585 at the 2000 United States Census. Lyons is located at the confluence of North St. Vr ...

-based musical group originally formed in Portland, Oregon in 2001 by the husband/wife team of David Tiller (mandolin) and Enion Pelta-Tiller (violin). The group originally included Jarrod Kaplan on percussion and James Whiton on stand-up bass. Since their departure Taarka has primarily consisted of a rotating membership. Recent Taarka contributors often include Dale Largent on percussion, Daniel Plane on cello, and Troy Robey on bass.

History

In 2000, David Tiller's band, ThaMuseMeant, took a hiatus and Tiller moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, where he met Enion Pelta through a band called Brooklyn Browngrass. Tiller and Pelta started playing and writing together in early 2001, and the couple soon moved to Oregon. In the coming months, Taarka was formed. In 2002, ''Taarka: Live In the Studio'' was recorded and released, and although it is currently out of print, it is still available for digital download on iTunes. In 2003, ThaMuseMeant re-formed with a new member: Enion Pelta–Tiller on violin, David Tiller's new wife. In the same year, the Tillers released an acoustic duo album, ''Man Chasing Woman around Table''. On the

Frogville Records Frogville may refer to: * Frogville, Oklahoma, US, a small community *'' The Frogville'', a 2014 Taiwanese animated film * Frogville Records, a record label in Santa Fe, New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neome ...

website, ''Man Chasing Woman'' is listed as being out of print, but "maybe available for download soon." With 2004 came two new albums, ThaMuseMeant's '' Silver Seed'' and Taarka's ''Even Odd Bird''. ''Even Odd Bird'' is the oldest album by Taarka that is currently available for sale on their website. After constant touring for several years, Taarka announced in early 2007 that a new album and EP were to be released that year, titled ''The Trailer'' and ''The Martian Picture Soundtrack''. Both the EP and the album featured renowned bluegrass fiddler

Darol Anger Darol Anger is an American violinist and founding member of The David Grisman Quintet. Career Darol Anger entered popular music at the age of 21 as a founding member of The David Grisman Quintet. Anger played fiddle to David Grisman's mandol ...

on "The Creepy," a song written by David Tiller, and

Joe Craven Joe Craven is an American freestyle folk, world and roots music multi-instrumentalist, singer and educator. He is the Director of RiverTunes Music Camp and a Co-Director of the Wintergrass Youth Academy. He plays a wide variety of string instr ...

("Tutu Tango") and

Casey Driessen Casey Christopher Driessen (born December 6, 1978 in Owatonna, Minnesota, United States) is an American bluegrass fiddler and singer. He plays acoustic and electric five-string violins, each of which has an additional low C string. He is a gr ...

("Lonely Woman") were featured on the album.''The Martian Picture Soundtrack'' liner notes Beginning on March 18th, 2020, Taarka began hosting live social isolation concerts through Facebook due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus.

Etymology

Taarka answered how the name "Taarka" came about on their website.

Band members

*David Tiller - Mandolin, Guitars, Vocals, Bass,

Bouzouki The bouzouki (, also ; el, μπουζούκι ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', from Greek ), also spelled buzuki or buzuci, is a musical instrument popular in Greece. It is a member of the long-necked lute family, with a round body with a flat top and ...

*Enion Pelta–Tiller - Violins, Vocals

Discography

Albums

References

External links

Taarka's official site

Facebook

Official MySpace

Taarka on Frogville Records
{{Authority control Musical groups from Portland, Oregon Musical groups from Colorado Musical groups established in 2001 American street performers Jam bands American folk rock groups 2001 establishments in Oregon