Songwriter Tara Craig returns to Utah in Hometown Tour

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Tara Craig’s life has been full of music. Growing up, her mother played the piano and her father loved to play records. Her biggest exposure to music was at church where she participated in choirs and afterward would come home and try to plunk out melodies she had learned by ear.

“To say that Tara Craig was born into music is more than an expression,” said Laurie Stark on Craig’s website.

Utah born artist Craig, is returning to Utah with her band for a hometown tour this month. Her Provo show is at Muse Music, Aug. 13 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $6.

Her first album, “As The Leaves Were Changing,” was released in August 2010. Craig’s self written music has earned praise from critics and local press.

“Tara’s lyrics are crisp and cutting edge,” said Monty Chandler of the Charlotte Music Examiner. “She drives a powerful message for a young lady.”

There is a recording studio in Craig’s house, which is where her album was recorded and produced. The name of the record came about because the oldest song included was written 10 years ago. Craig liked the imagery of leaves changing over that span of time as she was changing. The songs included have an acoustic feel.

When Craig was 13, her parents were going through a divorce. This is when she wrote her very first song and discovered songwriting as a form of expression.

“I sat down and the song came out,” Craig said. “It just flowed out of me. It was kind of a prayer of what I was going through. I think that was the emotional catalyst that first started everything.”

When Craig is songwriting, she said she treats each song differently.

“Each song is a little bit different,” Craig said. “I’ll have some ideas brewing in my head, maybe have a lyric or something, almost like a line of poetry. This process can last anywhere from a day to a few months. Then one day I’ll sit down and the whole song will come out. Lyrics and everything will come to life in a few hours.”

Craig recently wrote a new song that will be released especially for her upcoming visit to Utah. It was inspired by a songwriting challenge where the theme of the week was numbers. She researched math terminology with the goal of writing a love song using mostly math lingo.

After moving to Austin, Texas, Craig decided she needed a band to move forward in her music career. She posted ads on Craiglist and the Austin Chronicle’s wanted listings. The first responders, drummer Marco Arroyo and bassist Wayne Decker, would eventually become her band members. Craig was amazed at how well they clicked and worked well together. With her band, Craig has been able to produce work that is reflective of her deepest feelings and life story.

“I was in a long term relationship and a lot of the songs on the album take you through the relationship and the end of it,” Craig said. “The song ‘Revolution’ was written when I finally came to the point where I knew this is the best thing for me and where I need to be.”

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