Tariq

Tariq is a Juno nominated songwriter and recording artist with a music career that spans over two decades. Born in rural Quebec to parents from Pakistan and Fiji, Tariq grew up on a healthy diet of Bollywood soundtracks. Then, in high school, he got his hands on a guitar and started writing songs which sounded more like Cat Stevens and Neil Young than Mohammed Rafi.
By the end of the nineties, Tariq had released two full-length albums, Splat, and The Basement Songs. The Basement Songs, which came out on EMI Music Canada, earned him national radio play as well as a Juno nomination for “Best New Solo Artist.”

Into the early aughts, Tariq went on to release more music—two albums and one EP—independently and through small imprints. In 2009, he joined the ranks of the Vancouver based band, Brasstronaut. Since joining, this critically acclaimed act has been putting out music and touring extensively in both Canada and in Europe in support of their records.

Tariq’s latest offering is Telegrams, his fifth full-length album and follow up to the 2013 Moonwalker EP. On Telegrams, the songs feel a bit like short stories, hence the title—three-and-a-half minute snippets of fictional lives. A fan of short fiction, Tariq found characters in stories by some of his favourite authors, like Lorrie Moore and Roberto Bolaño, and cast them as leads in his songs. Written in his apartment on an acoustic guitar, the songs were eventually shaped by a band who helped him envision fresh tempos, feels, and arrangements, adding layers of texture and melody. The result is a ten-song album with thoughtful lyrics and singable melodies reminiscent of artists like The Mountain Goats, and John K. Samson.

Sometimes though, those Bollywood soundtracks still play for him somewhere in the background.

Telegraphers: 

Sam Davidson   CLARINET, EWI (ELECTRONIC WIND INSTRUMENT), SAXOPHONE + MUSICAL ARRANGEMENTS

John Walsh  BASS

Skye Brooks  DRUMS

JP Carter  TRUMPET

Jesse Zubot  VIOLIN

Micajah Sturgess FRENCH HORN

Leah Abramson BACKGROUND VOCALS