The Be Good Tanyas

The Be Good Tanyas are a folk music group formed in 1999 in Vancouver.^[1] Their influences include folk, country, and bluegrass. The style of music they perform can be referred to as alt-country or Americana.

History

Formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, The Be Good Tanyas (Frazey Ford, Trish Klein, and Sam Parton) first played together at tree planting camps in the Kootenays region of British Columbia. They eventually played their first concerts in Vancouver in the late 1990s.

In 2000 they embarked on a North American tour that ran from Vancouver to New Orleans, before returning to British Columbia to record their first album Blue Horse with producer Garth Futcher.

The second album, Chinatown, followed in 2003. Their third album, Hello Love, was released on October 10, 2006.

The Tanyas gained U.S. exposure when the Showtime series The L Word selected one of their songs, "In Spite of All the Damage", for inclusion in the series' soundtrack. A live version of "In My Time of Dying" was also included in the third episode of the third season, in which Frazey Ford was featured as a nun and played the song in the opening sequence. The song "The Littlest Birds" was played during the first season of the Showtime series Weeds and was included in that season's soundtrack. The band's music has also been included in the CTV series The Eleventh Hour and in the feature film Because of Winn-Dixie. Their cover of Townes Van Zandt's "Waiting Around to Die" was also used in an episode of AMC's Breaking Bad. On the episode "Searchers" of the AMC series Hell on Wheels, their rendition of "What Are They Are Doing in Heaven?" was played as the main characters returned to town after finding a kidnapped baby well and alive.

After the release of the first two Be Good Tanyas albums, Trish Klein collaborated with Alison Russell under the band name Po' Girl, a project that as of April 2007 has resulted in three albums: Po'girl, Vagabond Lullabies, and Home to You.

2007 saw all members of the band pursuing their own projects.

As of 2008, the band was on hiatus, to unwind from the stresses of touring and to pursue other interests. Ford released her debut solo album, Obadiah, in 2010. In 2011 it was announced that they would return to performing with an appearance at the Winnipeg Folk Festival^[2] heralding a return to performing.^[3]

In September 2012, Parton suffered a concussion as well as multiple injuries to her neck, back and shoulders as the vehicle she was a passenger in was struck from behind by a pickup truck.^[4] In April of 2013 she was involved in yet another car accident. Medical procedures on her head during her convalescence revealed an aneurysm behind Parton's left eye as well as a benign tumor. Parton took a leave of absence as the band continued touring North America and Europe in 2013 with fellow Vancouver musician and visual artist Caroline Ballhorn filling in.^[5]

Members

• Frazey Ford (guitar, vocals)
• Samantha Parton (guitar, mandolin, banjo, vocals)
• Trish Klein (guitar, banjo, vocals)

Former members

• Jolie Holland

Discography

Albums

Singles

Other contributions

• Live at the World Café: Vol. 15 - Handcrafted (2002, World Café) - "The Littlest Birds"
• 107.1 KGSR Radio Austin - Broadcasts Vol. 10 (2002) - "Light Enough to Travel"
• Northern Songs: Canada's Best and Brightest (2008, Hear Music) - "Ootischenia"

References

Further reading

• Holt, Fabian (2007). Genre in Popular Music. University of Chicago Press. pp. 47–48. ISBN 978-0226350394. 
• Larkin, Colin (2011). "Be Good Tanyas". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958. 
• Loftus, Emily (September 12, 2011). "The Be Good Tanyas, Down and Dirty". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2015-05-29. 
• Weissman, Dick (2006). Which Side Are You On?: An Inside History of the Folk Music Revival in America. A&C Black. p. 242. ISBN 978-0826419149. 

Interviews

• Reitnouer, Amy (August 14, 2012). "Conversations with... Trish Klein of The Be Good Tanyas". The Bluegrass Situation. Retrieved 2015-05-29. 

Reviews

• Chilton, Martin (September 26, 2012). "The Be Good Tanyas, A Collection 2000-2012, CD review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2015-05-29. 
• Davey, Alan (September 6, 2013). "The Be Good Tanyas and Emily Portman – Barbican, London 03/02/13". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2015-05-29. 
• Denselow, Robin (September 3, 2013). "The Be Good Tanyas – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 2015-05-29. 

External links

• Official website
• The Be Good Tanyas at AllMusic
• The Be Good Tanyas discography at Discogs
• The Be Good Tanyas at the Internet Movie Database
• The Be Good Tanyas at Jam!

• The Be Good Tanyas at Nettwerk
• The Be Good Tanyas on SoundCloud

Official music videos

• The Be Good Tanyas (October 6, 2006). It's Not Happening. NettwerkMusic. Retrieved 2015-05-29. 
• The Be Good Tanyas (July 2, 2007). Human Thing. NettwerkMusic. Retrieved 2015-05-29. 
• The Be Good Tanyas (July 27, 2010). Littlest Birds. NettwerkMusic. Retrieved 2015-05-29. 
• The Be Good Tanyas (January 9, 2013). Ootischenia. Tamalpais Research Institute. Retrieved 2015-05-29. 
• The Be Good Tanyas (December 31, 2013). For The Turnstiles. Tamalpais Research Institute. Retrieved 2015-05-29.