Tarkio (band)

Tarkio was the former band of Colin Meloy prior to his forming The Decemberists. An alternative country band from Missoula, Montana, Tarkio separated in 1999, but found new popularity in a retrospective released by Kill Rock Stars in 2006.

History

Tarkio formed in Missoula, Montana in 1996, after Meloy returned from a few semesters at the University of Oregon with a mind to change his major to English from theater. Once settled, he recruited banjo player Gibson Hartwell, bassist Louis Stein, and drummer Brian Collins over the course of a few weeks following a meeting at an open mic night at a local coffeehouse. The band took its name from a nearby ghost town, in Western Montana, based on a false memory from Meloy's childhood.

In 1997, the band self-released a number of demos. Limited to 500 copies, this self-titled EP was followed by an album, "I Guess I Was Hoping For Something More", released on Barcelona Records. This album included musician Kevin Suggs on pedal steel.

In 1999, the band self-released "Sea Songs for Landlocked Sailors". Limited to 200 copies, the EP included a song that would later be re-recorded by the Decemberists, "My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist."

The band broke up shortly after this, when Meloy finished school and moved to Portland, Oregon, later forming the Decemberists. A number of live recordings of the band's songs were released on a radio compilation in 2002.

As the Decemberists began to achieve more fame, fan demand for the hard-to-find Tarkio material grew, paving the way for Kill Rock Stars to release "Omnibus". The two-disc compilation featured detailed liner notes and stories from members of the band, including Meloy, as well as all of the available recorded material by the band.

Meloy still occasionally plays some Tarkio songs.

Tarkio is also a small town in Montana.

Discography

Albums

* "I Guess I Was Hoping For Something More" (CD) - Barcelona Records - 1998
* "Omnibus" (CD) - Kill Rock Stars - 2006

EPs

* "Falleness" (Cassette) - Self-released - 1997
* "Sea Songs For Landlocked Sailors" (CD) - Self-released - 1999