Tanya Montana Coe: An Interview With the Americana Star & LGBTQ Ally

 

Tanya Montana Coe’s music is the sort of thing that gets under your skin. With a solid country pedigree and a lifetime of living already under her young belt she creates musical moments and stories that hit you right in the gut and keep you singing along. Recently we got a chance to talk about her music, her most recent album ‘Hide Your Emotion’, and what her forging her path has looked like so far…

 

CE: Hey Tanya – thanks for talking with us today! Let’s get started by getting the obvious question out of the way – you’re David Allen Coe’s daughter – which is a pretty impressive pedigree to bring to the table as a musician. How has that impacted your journey to this album?

TMC: My relationship with my father is a heartbreaking one, we have essentially been estranged for almost 20 years. It is very painful for me to talk about him because I honestly just don’t know what to say or what i can or should say. I wish things were different. Our relationship has a lot to do with why I so desperately needed a creative outlet but it’s also the biggest reason why I considered not putting myself and my art out into the world.

CE: You mentioned to me before that you’ve played with Lavender Country – what was that like?

TMC: A few years ago, I played right before them at the Westport Roots Music Festival in Kansas City, MO and Patrick came up to me right after i got off stage and shook my hand and said that he really enjoyed my set, and that really meant a lot to me. They are great!

CE: Your new album ‘Hide Your Emotion’ – it’s so good by the way – but it’s got a lot of varying influences. What was your journey to these songs like?

TMC: Thank you. My process is a long and organic one. It took me a while after promoting Silver Bullet to get back into the writing phase and think about what a second album would look like for me. I had a lot of variety on SB and I assumed HYE would be no different, as I do not consider genre much when writing songs. I wait until I feel inspired and just let the songs come out how they want to and then I take them to my producer, Shane Tutmarc, and allow him to work his magic. I am really proud of all of the songs on HYE and they all make me feel something different which I think is important and exciting.

 

CE: Do you have bucket list items as a musician that you’ve either been able to check off the list or are still working towards?

TMC: I’m embarrassed to say that my mind just doesn’t work like that, I don’t think about those things. I’m always just focused on the now and appreciative of anything that happens with my music although there is one thing that sticks out and that is when a review on my Album Release Show for Silver Bullet came out and the writer compared me to Ray Charles, so I’ll obviously never have anything better than that happen.

CE: Who are your top five musical influences – from any genre?

TMC: I like all kinds of music as long as it speaks to my soul. The most time I spend listening to music is when I am in the car and I pretty much exclusively keep it on 101.1 the beat jams, I love hip hop and r&b. I grew up on Merle Haggard, Roger Miller, CCR and Aretha Franklin. I love Lana Del Rey and Mazzy Star. I love old blues and jazz. I like old country and new country. I like indie and mainstream. I’m influenced by all of it.

CE: What were the first album and concert that you ever paid your own money to make happen?

My first album was Deanna Carter “Did I Shave My Legs For This?” because it had “Strawberry Wine” on it which was my first “favorite” song and I even made a nod to it on track #3 “Hometown.” I can’t remember the first concert that i paid to go to, probably Ben Kweller at the Mercy Lounge in Nashville, TN with my sister who was a big fan at the time and I liked this song he had called “Sundress.”

CE: What do you have coming up that you’re the most excited about?

TMC: I’m excited to be playing some shows again after a couple year hiatus!
8/1 – Atlanta, GA – Smith’s Olde Bar
8/2 – Nashville, TN – The Crying Wolf
8/8 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile

CE: Anything else our readers should know?

TMC: I just really appreciate y’all for taking the time to read a little bit about me and my new album. At this time, it is not available digitally but you can purchase the physical CD directly from me online or at shows.