No one would ever accuse Tauk of being easily definable. The instrumental Long Island-based outfit delves into a fusion of Progressive Rock, Hip Hop and Jazz that’s served them well over the past several years.
Ever since vocalist Alessandro Zanelli left the fold in 2011, the quartet of Matt Jalbert, Charlie Dolan, Alric “A.C.” Carter and Isaac Teel have soldiered on to great success as an all-instrumental combo. The group has become a favorite on the Jam band circuit, sharing bills with the likes of Umphrey’s McGee, Widespread Panic and Lettuce. Along the way, they’ve also recorded four well-received albums.
The musicians’ love of the unorthodox can be further found in unique influences like science fiction and the concept of artificial intelligence. In 2018, Tauk released a two-part project that kicked off with the EP Shapeshifter I: Construct, followed by the recently released full-length follow-up Shapeshifter II: Outbreak.
For Carter, film and television were where the sparks of inspiration began.
“The theme of artificial intelligence commentary on where we’re going in movies like Ex Machina and Black Mirror were definitely inspirations that we drew on to create these songs,” he says. “Plus, (to record) we had an opportunity to set up in this old house (in Oyster Bay, New York) that no one has been living in for years. We put in our soundboard and all our gear in there and it happened in that house, in the living room. It was a really cool experience that we were able to do all the pre-production, recording and overdubs all in the same space. The house definitely lent itself to that, being old and creepy. It just had this vibe that fed into where we were trying to go.”
Recorded in December 2017, both releases will tickle the fancy of anyone who has an affinity for the Funk-flavored Jazz/Fusion stylings of Medeski Martin & Wood, Soulive and Sex Mob. The band does a deep-dive into the sci-fi side of the pool, serving up songs ranging from the futuristic soundscape and heady grooves of “CMF 9000” to the psychedelic melding of guitar, keyboards and rhythms on “Let It Ride” and the melodic riffing on “Convoy” to the juxtaposition of ethereal shading and chaotic vibes on “Checkmate.”
It’s that kind of sprawling musical approach that Carter feels is Tauk’s strength, even more so when it comes to trying to define the band.
“It’s really hard to put a genre to Tauk,” Carter says. “I always ask people how they would describe it and I get everything from instrumental Rock Fusion to Prog Fusion to Funk. It ranges. I’m not really sure, but that’s a good place to be.
“I think in today’s day and age, you look in the 1990s and there was Post Rock and all these different variations of Rock. What’s Alternative Rock now? There are so many different ways to have these sub-genres. Now, it’s about what feels good and what’s coming back around. That’s obviously something that’s subjective, but if it feels good, it feels good. And people who know that will feel it.”
The roots for Tauk date back to when Carter, Jalbert and Dolan met up in middle school. What started out as jamming as part of an impromptu extra-curricular activity eventually morphed into the trio graduating from playing Long Island to booking gigs at Manhattan-based venues like The Bitter End.
“Long Island’s music scene is really tough,” Carter says. “It’s really cover bands and Punk, which is good if you’re in cover bands or a Punk band. For us, we learned early that the city was really where it’s at if you wanted to be taken seriously and get that experience at an early age, which was great.”
Brooklyn drummer Teel was recruited later by the trio after college. The unofficial fifth member of the band is music industry veteran Robert Carranza, who has worked with a broad range of artists and has produced all of Tauk’s studio efforts. His contributions have been and continue to be greatly appreciated by the members of the band.
“I think it says something for somebody to be as broad musically as Robert is,” Carter says of Carranza’s extensive experience. “For him to work with Jack Johnson and then to work with Ozomatli, Mars Volta and Marilyn Manson is him working on completely different genres on the spectrum. He’s mixed for movies. For what we do, it definitely helps, given that we’re an instrumental band. We bounce ideas off of him.
“We obviously love to play live music and being a live band and I think live shows (are) where we excel. But there’s definitely an avenue for movies and things like that. We’re capable of doing more than just playing in a band.”
While Tauk can be musically complex, its ability to connect with an audience in a concert setting is paramount for what the quartet does. That connection is as important to the band members as it is to the people coming out to see them.
“Fans coming out to see us can expect a good time. You’ve gotta dance and have fun. We take ourselves seriously, but you can’t take yourself too seriously,” Carter says. “You have to remember that we’re doing this because it’s what we love to do. When you’re sharing with people, it’s our music, but they own a part of it as well.
“The bottom line is that we want to have fun and make it enjoyable. Everything from a nice two-step and head-banging to jumping around — however you feel inspired, we definitely give 110 percent when we’re playing it live.”
Tauk plays Covington’s Madison Theater on Friday, May 10. Tickets/more show info: madisontheateronline.com.
This article appears in May 1-8, 2019.