Tasha’s Laughter
A Vision of Stone

Minneapolis group Tasha’s Laughter know a thing or two about the alternative rock music formula. Crunchy riffs, thunderous drumming and melodic lyrics reminiscent of Stone Temple Pilots and Foo Fighters are the recipe of the day on the group’s full-length debut, A Vision of Stone. This album is a dish best served hot.

Give ‘em a try. Stream “Bent” here

We sat down with Kevin Patrick (Guitar/Vocals) to discuss influences, ocean-dwelling creatures, Britney & Kevin, and appropriate uses for a Whammy II guitar pedal. Read on…

What’s the backstory of the group?
A couple of years ago, I (Kevin) was playing in an electropunk band called Vhent, Mike was (and still is) playing with a classic rock cover band called Geckojam, and Stephan was moonlighting with a church band while seeking a band to join. Mike caught a Vhent show and decided we were going to work together. Stephan and I had a mutual friend named Spidey who introduced us to each other a few months later. Once the three of us started jamming, we immediately knew there was a chemistry. Many moons passed as we searched for our sound while playing gigs here and there. We’re glad that we waited to really figure out our direction and write many songs before recording our first album. Many bands I’ve been in feel they need to record an album as soon as they have enough material, and then later regret it because it’s not the best representation. We think our patience paid off because this debut represents what we’re about. Plus, we have a ton of material we can play at our shows that isn’t recorded.

It took a LONG time for you guys to get this album put together. Can you talk about the process?
We actually had the songs and artwork worked out ahead of time and were right on schedule when we first chatted with you. It should have been released last summer as planned, but the business next door to the studio didn’t agree with that plan. They decided to do some seriously loud redecorating in the evenings and weekends for several months, causing a lot of delays. The recording process itself was very straighforward. We layed down the basic tracks live, threw on some overdubs of guitar and a sprinkling of keyboard, and then I sang the leads and harmonies. We like to keep it simple and as close to live as possible. It helps with the energy and keeps it real. Whenever we were able to get in and record, it always went very smoothly.

Did you work with others beside engineer Jeff Halland (Houston, Dogshine)?
Adam Krinsky is Mr. Halland’s partner in crime. He helped with the engineering on half the tracks. We originally had someone else in mind to master it but we’re glad we went with Jeff. He has a great ear for dynamics and making an album “breathe”. We’ve always been fans of the Pink Floyd type production, rather than having everything in your face the whole time.

We hear a lot of late 90s rock influence here, but also some industrial and nu-metal influence at the foundation of your riffs. Which one of you is the Foo Fighter’s fan?
Oh yikes! You said the n word! haha. Yes, we are definitely influenced by Seattle stuff, NIN, and a lot of classic rock. I think we all like the FF’s but I only own one album and I don’t think either of the other members own any. I saw them the last time they came through though. Along with Weezer and Kaiser Chiefs, the Fighters of Foo played an awesome show and Grohl is one helluva showman. And they have an incredible drummer.

What are your Top 3 influences for this album?
That’s a tough one. We’ll say Black Sabbath, Faith No More, and Nirvana. Honorable mentions go to Hendrix, Houston, and 12 Rods, and the only reason I didn’t mention The Beatles is because that should go without saying. Was that cheating?

What’s up with the KORN guitar screeches on “No More”? (love it, btw)
Thanks! That’s a song I wrote in my former band Vhent, the only Vhent song Tasha’s Laughter performs. It originally had a high pitched keyboard part that I wanted to emulate with my guitar. Being into Rage Against the Machine and 90’s era Duran Duran, I already owned a Whammy II guitar pedal and it served the purpose beautifully. You can actually listen to the original version if you put our cd in your computer. We threw on a couple mp3’s of demos and some other little goodies on the multimedia part of our album.

What’s the writing process like when you guys write songs?
I wrote the majority of this album on an acoustic guitar. I usually just bring songs into practice and Mike and Stephan figure out their parts there. We also wrote a couple of tunes on the album together. A Little Jam and Green Light are both based on a couple of Mike’s bass lines. I usually find it hard to write from the bass up but I’m starting to get the hang of it. Plus, we have a few new songs that are based on ideas the other two members have contributed. Yes, even the drummer can write groovy tunes. Crazy, huh?

If Tasha’s Laughter was an ocean-dwelling creature, what would it be and why?
Coral. We’re solid with an edge and slowly growing, we’re not pushy but would rather people came and checked us out, and we would love to do our part to help build community in the local and indie scene - just like coral.

Other news?
Britney and Kevin split up! I couldn’t care less but that will help the search engines find your site! Actually, we just had a couple of songs picked up by indie record label [301 Studios] for play on their radio staion [301 Radio]. We also just sent the album out to a bunch of local radio stations in the hope they’ll play something from it once in a while. We have a host of groovy stations here that support the locals. Our website www.tashahaha.com is back up with a new look, along with our myspace site www.myspace.com/tashaslaughter so please check it out. You can even get Tasha’s Laughter ringtones from our myspace page now!

Upcoming gigs?
Saturday, Jan. 20th @ The Terminal Bar w/ My Vengeance and Floozie - 9:30pm

Friday & Saturday, February 9th & 10th @ Buffalo High School Auditorium - 7pm

Wednesday, February 21st @ Station 4 as part of the D.E.M.O. Hi-Fi show - 9pm

Where can you buy the new album?
Right now it is available online at www.tashahaha.com, our myspace site, CD Baby and other similar sites, and it will be in all the cool Twin Cities stores (like Cheapo, Electric Fetus, Down in the Valley, etc.) in January ‘07. It will also be available on iTunes and in Barnes & Noble soon too but we’re not sure exactly when.