Photo credit: Chris Dzierzewski
Tallan Noble Latz
“You can really see for miles up here and it’s beautiful.”
Tallan Noble Latz is standing in a secluded spot on a cliff overlooking Devil’s Lake and its rocky and forested surroundings. He’s in the midst of reflecting on his musical career during a recent phone interview.
It’s the first time the singer and guitarist has been to the park. In a way, his hike destination is not too unlike his decade-plus journey from a 7-year-old guitar prodigy to releasing his debut album. His talent as a guitarist has caught the attention of America’s Got Talent and many veteran players, including Les Paul, B.B. King, Johnny Winter and Joe Bonamassa. He’s thankful for their encouragement and the experiences that have gotten him to this point.
“I’m really lucky to have everything that I’ve had. It’s meant the world to me,” says Latz. “Some of the things that I’ve been able to do and accomplish, it’s been a blessing. I’m just taking it day by day and I’m enjoying the ride. It’s been an amazing journey so far and I’m really excited for the upcoming journey that lies ahead of me.”
He hopes he’ll be able to release his debut, titled Tallan, in the next few months. In the meantime, he’s using his freer than usual schedule to keep learning.
Writing, Learning
“I’ve been writing a lot and just trying to develop more and learn more about music and be able to play anything, any style, any genre, and just master everything that I can,” he says. “Music is always evolving and so is guitar playing. Guitar playing is always evolving. You can never know enough. I still take lessons and I’m still practicing and testing myself and really pushing myself to grow as a player and as an artist and really broadening everything. Expanding my horizons.”
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“I want to play everything and anything. If I get a call from anyone, whatever style, I could sit right in and do it, whether it's metal, funk, blues, jazz, rock, whatever it is. Be able to fit right in and be able to play it. I've been playing a lot and writing a ton in these last few months more so than ever.”
Latz is excited to share his first release of original material. It’s his first chance to share his own personal writing and abilities on guitar and share what the songs mean to him. “It has a little bit of everything,” he says. “I've got some heartbreak in there, a love song for it. I’ve got an instrumental. I think they’re very relatable songs. Like you can relate to them in your everyday life. I think if there was a theme, I would say a lot of it you can relate to it as your everyday life…I think it's really relatable and it relates to anyone no matter their age, whether they're real young or old.”
Latz chatted with the Shepherd Express about his new album and future goals.
You’ve been able to play shows here and there. Can you talk about those shows?
Every Friday night I do an open jam at Kelly’s Bleachers at Wind Lake, which I call Tallan’s Friday Night Monster Jam. I’m playing every Friday night, so for me at least, I’m starting to get shows. They’re slowly starting to come back, which is good, but I know there are still a lot of bands that unfortunately can’t play as much as they used to. I think it hurts everybody including musicians. It’s a universal language. It heals. It speaks to everyone. I think especially during these times, music is what brings us all together and what’s helping us get through it and forget about the struggles that we’re dealing with this COVID. It really unites us and makes us stronger.
Can you talk about some of the songs on the new album?
One of the songs is called “Worse Than Me.” It’s probably one of my favorite songs. I just sat down with the guitar and I started playing these chords and then I started having this voice in my head and I started humming it and it just fell onto the front door and I started playing it.
It’s one of those songs that I think everyone has someone in their life that makes you crazy. Just drives you nuts, no matter who it is. It can be a good nuts and it can be a bad nuts. This song is about someone who really drives you crazy in the worst way. They’re making you do all these irrational decisions. That song is definitely about someone who is bringing out the worst in you and just making you angry.
I have one song on there that is called “All in For You,” which has to do with the crossroads down in Mississippi. It's another love song and it talks about fighting the devil. You're heading down Highway 49 with a Bible in your hand and you're going to call up the devil to make your final stand. You’re fighting for what you believe in and you're fighting for someone no matter what the cost is.
Another one is instrumental that I wrote in a dream with Joe Satriani. I played this song and wrote it in my dream. The next morning, I picked up the guitar and played it in its entirety.
What’s the oldest song on the album?
“SwampBoogieDoogee,” which is my instrumental, I did that when I was 15. But other than that, most of the songs I wrote a couple months prior to us going into the studio to record.
How would you describe the sound of the album?
I would say it’s blues and rock. It’s got that blues and rock vibe to it. It’s a very guitar driven record and it definitely has a lot of riffs and it's got some really punchy grooves. It definitely has a blues vibe on this record.
What past advice from veteran players has really served you well making this album?
I would say really following through with your vision. Music means something different to everybody and each song means something different to everyone. The way I take a song, may be different to how you relate to it or think about how the song is or what the song is about. I don't want to say people can get you away from the way you're feeling it, but you really have to stick to your gut and stick to your feelings about how the song is written and what the song's about and not let people deter you from the meaning of it. Like how you want this record to sound.
For me, I had a certain sound. I wanted it to be guitar driven and very rock with a heavy blues vibe to it. I really pushed for that and that was something that I felt was me. I play all styles and blues and rock is more of my thing and I wanted something that was really edgy with a blues, with a hard rock to a light rock vibe. What stuck with me is, you have to have songs that move you because if they move you, they're going to move other people as well and really it has to fit with how you want the record. How you want it to flow. You have to believe in that.
For me, really hearing people telling me, you got to stick to what you believe in, how you want it to sound. This is your record. You need to voice how you want it to sound. That’s one thing that's really stuck with me and that's what I’m going to do from not just this record, but for my next record as well, is really play it for how I want to hear it, how I envision it, and I’m going to stick to how I want it and drive it.
What are some of your favorite stories from the album sessions?
I have a song on my record that's called “Without an Alibi.” It was one of the first songs that I completely finished first for the guitar part. I was playing this solo, ending before it goes into the bridge, which goes back into the chorus and I was playing the solo into the bridge and then the chords for the bridge and I was goofing off. I already had my take of what I wanted, but I came up with this melody line for the last two choruses.
When I finished recording and heard it back, I just thought it was the greatest thing in the world…I just started playing a little basic, but it just flowed with the chorus. It outlined the chorus.
Just the way when hearing it back, it just gave me chills. It’s indescribable. When you hear it for the first time, it just moves you and you get super excited about it. That's how I felt recording it. Just hearing those notes and how they just fit perfectly with it. Obviously, like I said, it's my first record and I’m going into this, I’m producing it and I’m doing everything. For me, it’s super exciting. It was a huge accomplishment, but it’s super exciting for me at the same time. It’s indescribable, that feeling. It just feels so good.
Where did you record?
The Exchange Recording Complex, I love that place. My favorite record is Van Halen and I wanted to go for a raw sound. I wanted to go to a studio that looked and had the same similar kind of vibe as their studio that they were in when they recorded their first record. I just had that vibe that this was the place I needed to be at. That's where we did our recording at and it's probably one of my favorite places. I love the atmosphere and just being able to turn the lights down low and burn some sage and just play. It was just amazing.
What are your future plans?
Once we release the album, once we are able to get back on the road, I would like to tour on this record. I want to be on the move all the time. Music is my passion. It’s what I want to do. I want to tour as much as I possibly can whenever I can. I want to be touring, not just in the United States. I've Canada and Denmark before. I want to tour the whole world. I want to be able to play everywhere and anywhere in every country, every city that I possibly can.
By the time I’m done, this has always been my dream, I want to be the greatest entertainer of my generation and the greatest performer and art and guitar player, the greatest guitar player of my generation. The greatest entertainer and guitar player. My future end goal, and when I decide to retire and say, I want to just go fishing for the rest of my life. But in five years, I want to be on the road all the time and have at least two, three records out by the end of five years.
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