The Be Good Tanyas

The Be Good Tanyas are a Canadian folk music group formed in Vancouver in 1999.^[1] Their influences include folk, country, and bluegrass. The style of music they perform can be referred to as alt-country or Americana.

The Be Good Tanyas
The Be Good Tanyas in 2006
Background information
Origin	Vancouver, Canada
Genres	Folk
Years active	1999 (1999)–present
Labels	Nettwerk, Birthday Cake
Members	Frazey Ford Samantha Parton Trish Klein
Past members	Jolie Holland
Website	begoodtanyas.com

History

The Be Good Tanyas formed in 1999 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Samantha Parton had been living on the road as a tree planter and wandering and making music, when she met Jolie Holland. The two began playing songs, including one called "Be Good Tanyas", which had been written by a friend of Holland's. When the duo launched the Be Good Tanyas when they were joined by a mutual friend, Trish Klein.^[2] Frazey Ford, who had been planting trees with Parton, joined the trio, and they went on their first tour, opening for Bill Bourne.^[3] Holland left the group in 2000 but returned to contribute to their first album, Blue Horse.^[2]

In 2000, the Be Good Tanyas embarked on a North American tour that ran from Vancouver to New Orleans, before returning to BC to record Blue Horse, which was released in 2001.^[4] The record, described as a "simple yet provocative and enchanting collection of tunes", is said, in the same article, to have been recorded in a "run down shack on the outskirts of Vancouver...[which]...provided the perfect home for the Tanyas to spin their charming tales into songs".^[5]

The group's second album, Chinatown, followed in 2003. Times Colonist noted in a review that the album represented the group's "well-earned...unblemished reputation for interpreting traditional folk songs and penning moving originals".^[6] Their third album, Hello Love, was released on October 10, 2006, with one critic noting that "Ford's curiously breathy and intimate singing creates an immediate connection with the listener...[and]...all the music has a kitchen-porch feel punctuated by the meditative plunk of the mandolin and banjo".^[7]

The Tanyas gained US exposure when the Showtime series The L Word selected one of their songs, "In Spite of All the Damage", for inclusion on its soundtrack. A live version of "In My Time of Dying" was also included in the third episode of the third season, in which Ford was featured as a nun and played the song in the opening sequence. The track "The Littlest Birds" was played during the first season of the Showtime series Weeds and was included on the soundtrack. The band's music has also featured in the CTV series The Eleventh Hour and in the film Because of Winn-Dixie. Their cover of Townes Van Zandt's "Waiting Around to Die" was also used in "Bit by a Dead Bee", an episode of AMC's Breaking Bad. Their rendition of "What Are They Doing in Heaven?" was played on the episode "Searchers" of the AMC series Hell on Wheels.^[8]

After the release of the first two Be Good Tanyas albums, Klein collaborated with Alison Russell under the band name Po' Girl.^[9] The Be Good Tanyas took a break from touring and recording in 2008.^[10]

 

Samantha Parton and Jolie Holland in Cambridge, England, 2017

In 2010, Frazey Ford released her debut solo album, Obadiah, which featured Klein on guitar. Ford said making the recording allowed her to explore soul music more than she had with the Be Good Tanyas. She also noted that some of the songs reflected her role as a new parent, [and she had enjoyed] "exploring the concepts that are relevant to my life in terms of motherhood and generations".^[11]

In 2011, it was announced that the Be Good Tanyas would return to performing, beginning with an appearance at the Winnipeg Folk Festival.^[12][13][14] Following this, the band released a retrospective of their work, A Collection (2012), which featured selections from previous albums and two new songs.^[15] This release saw them touring throughout North America and Europe, including an appearance in San Francisco at the Outside Lands festival.^[16] While there, the band was invited to Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir's studio, Tri Studios, where they recorded three songs.^[17]

In September 2012, Parton suffered a concussion as a vehicle in which she was a passenger was struck from behind by a pickup truck.^[18] Medical procedures on her head during her convalescence revealed an aneurysm behind her left eye as well as a benign tumor. Parton took a leave of absence as the band continued touring North America and Europe in 2013, with fellow Vancouver musician and visual artist Caroline Ballhorn filling in.^[19]

In 2014, Ford released her second solo album, Indian Ocean. It was recorded at the Hi Recording Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, with various members of Al Green's original backing band, the Hi Rhythm Section, and Trish Klein contributing electric guitar on two tracks. Indian Ocean is described by one reviewer as [striking]..."a fine balance between light and dark, between elegiac, soul-lifting musicality and confessional, soul-baring lyricism".^[20] Ford toured worldwide in support of Indian Ocean, and in 2019, she announced her third album, U Kin B the Sun, released the following year to critical acclaim.^[21][22]

In 2016, Parton resumed touring,^[23] accompanied by former band member Jolie Holland, and in September 2017, they released their long-awaited album Wildflower Blues, on Cinquefoil Records.^[24][25]

Band members

Current

• Frazey Ford – guitar, vocals
• Samantha Parton – guitar, mandolin, banjo, vocals
• Trish Klein – guitar, banjo, vocals

Past

• Jolie Holland

Discography

Albums

• Blue Horse (2001)
• Chinatown (2003)
• Hello Love (2006)
• A Collection (2000–2012) (2012)

Singles

Year	Single	Album
2000	"The Littlest Birds"	Blue Horse
2003	"It's Not Happening"	Chinatown
2006	"Scattered Leaves"	Hello Love

Official music videos

• The Be Good Tanyas (October 6, 2006). It's Not Happening. NettwerkMusic. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
• The Be Good Tanyas (July 2, 2007). Human Thing. NettwerkMusic. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
• The Be Good Tanyas (July 27, 2010). Littlest Birds. NettwerkMusic. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2015.

Other contributions

• Live at the World Café: Vol. 15 – Handcrafted (2002, World Café) – "The Littlest Birds"
• 107.1 KGSR Radio Austin – Broadcasts Vol. 10 (2002) – "Light Enough to Travel"
• Northern Songs: Canada's Best and Brightest (2008, Hear Music) – "Ootischenia"

References

1. Hage, Erik. "The Be Good Tanyas – Biography". AllMusic. from the original on May 15, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
2. McLaughlin, John P. (March 20, 2003). "Not finished her wandering". The Province. Archived from the original on September 17, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Keyes, Bob (April 14, 2000). "Bill Bourne a slave to the road". Argus Leader. Souix Falls, South Dakota. p. 53. Archived from the original on September 17, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Donahoe, Emily (November 17, 2005). "Down home sound". The Independent-Record. Helena, Montana. p. 11. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Waiser, Jessica (August 23, 2001). "Tanyas' sound evokes feelings of being on the road". The Star-Phoenix. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Good, Matthew (March 11, 2003). "The Be Good Tanyas Chinatown (Nettwerk)". Times Colonist. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. p. 17. Archived from the original on September 17, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Chamberlain, Adrian (November 30, 2006). "Trio's musical journey gains momentum in U.K." Time Colonist. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. p. 46. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "The Be Good Tanyas music featured in movies, TV shows and video games". Tunefind.com. from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
9. "Po' Girl Alternative folk group". Encyclopedia.com. from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
10. "The Be Good Tanyas". Vogue. from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
11. "Frazey Ford: A Soulful Return With 'Obadiah'". NPR. August 13, 2010. from the original on August 15, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
12. . Winnipegfolkfestival.ca. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
13. Devlin, Mike (February 9, 2012). "Tanyas' return fills a folk void". Times Colonist. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
14. . Begoodtanyas.com. June 1, 2012. Archived from the original on May 5, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
15. Burliuk, Greg (July 21, 2021). Murphy, Jan (ed.). "Be Good Vibrations". The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 45. Archived from the original on September 17, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
16. Lipshutz, Jason (July 4, 2022). "Outside Lands 2012 Lineup: Stevie Wonder, Metallica, Neil Young Headlining". billboard. from the original on September 17, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
17. "The Be Good Tanyas" (Webcast performance at Bob Weir's Tri Studio). begoodtanyas.com. from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
18. Patch, Nick (July 24, 2013). . The Vancouver Sun. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on July 26, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
19. Doole, Kerry (July 24, 2013). . SamaritanMag.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
20. Marchand, Francois (December 2, 2014). "Riding atop a tidal wave" (Arts & Life). The Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on September 17, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
21. Petridis, Alexis (February 6, 2020). "Frazey Ford: U Kin B the Sun review – bright shoots from knotted roots of American song" (Album of the week). The Guardian. from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
22. "Frazey Ford – U Kin B the Sun". killbeatmusic.com. from the original on July 18, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
23. "Jolie Holland and Samantha Parton (California/British Columbia)". 2016 Vancouver Folk Music Festival. April 27, 2016. from the original on May 1, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
24. Margasak, Peter (April 6, 2016). "Jolie Holland and Samantha Parton revisit the connection they forged in the Be Good Tanyas". Chicago Reader. from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
25. . Jolieandsamantha.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2020.

Further reading

• Holt, Fabian (2007). Genre in Popular Music. University of Chicago Press. pp. 47–48. ISBN 978-0-226-35039-4.
• Larkin, Colin (2011). "Be Good Tanyas". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
• Loftus, Emily (September 12, 2011). "The Be Good Tanyas, Down and Dirty". Mother Jones. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
• Weissman, Dick (2006). Which Side Are You On?: An Inside History of the Folk Music Revival in America. A&C Black. p. 242. ISBN 978-0-8264-1914-9.

Interviews

• Reitnouer, Amy (August 14, 2012). "Conversations with... Trish Klein of The Be Good Tanyas". The Bluegrass Situation. Retrieved May 29, 2015.

Reviews

• Chilton, Martin (September 26, 2012). "The Be Good Tanyas, A Collection 2000–2012, CD review". The Telegraph. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
• Davey, Alan (September 6, 2013). "The Be Good Tanyas and Emily Portman – Barbican, London 03/02/13". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
• Denselow, Robin (September 3, 2013). "The Be Good Tanyas – review". The Guardian. Retrieved May 29, 2015.

External links

• Official website
• The Be Good Tanyas at AllMusic  
• The Be Good Tanyas discography at Discogs
• The Be Good Tanyas at IMDb