Attitude is not always carried internally. Rock and roll has the ability to externalize a lifestyle. A feeling. Carlos Tarque knows a lot about this and decides to move away from the M-Clan focus to show his concerns in his solo project.. Although niche music may not be suitable for all ears, it continues to create excitement across the country.
To promote her new album, following the success of the first two dates of the tour. Volume 2Sold-out posters hung in Gijón and Vitoria. The musician will visit Sala The One in San Vicente del Raspeig on December 15, ready to present his renewed project where the hardest rock and roll reigns, both in sound and mood.
He is presenting his album on December 15th Volume 2 Sala The One Do you approach your solo concerts differently than when you tour with M-Clan?
Completely. It’s a different audience and a different group. These are concerts where you have to go out and give it your all, and I always try to do my best. Since it is a newer project, you need to break some more stones. With M-Clan, everything has already been said. Moreover, the music I make now is aimed at a more minority audience.
Did you need this project to show your musical interest?
Yes, Tarque’s project is a way of making music that connects me to my roots. It’s like meeting myself again. I was clear that it wasn’t anything innovative, it wasn’t a style that said a lot of new things. But there comes a time when this becomes more of a spiritual thing than anything else.
There’s something innovative about the return of a classic sound.
This is partly true. But when the Grateful Dead came along in the ’60s, for example, and all these bands from California that seemed like they were inventing something, they were actually making country music. They were drinking from the past. Just looking back doesn’t mean you’re not doing new things. Let me tell you this, it is not a revolutionary thing for me, but of course there are 16-year-old children who discover Tarque and are surprised. For them, this could be a small revolution. Even more so when we talk about things that are sometimes a little deeper than what is talked about in current and mainstream music.
Do you feel weird in a world where mainstream music doesn’t follow the same dynamic?
My music has never followed dynamics, I have always been a rare bird. It’s true that with M-Clan we once managed to make our music trendy, but that wasn’t what interested us. The bad thing about being fashionable is that you go out of fashion later. But if you’re a classic, you’ll always be there.
Are all these years at the helm of M-Clan taking its toll?
After all these years, music stops exciting you. When you’ve been with a band for 30 years, you lack freshness and enthusiasm. That’s why Tarque’s project evokes a special energy in me. It’s like having a new child.
The good thing about M-Clan is the benefit that can be gained from it
Certainly. I had a good life and was able to buy a house thanks to M-Clan. After all, it’s not the life of a rock star who buys a mansion in Beverly Hills or something like that. It means finding life through music. It is also true that we have an audience that has been following us for a long time because we are good at what we do.
A band that hasn’t even fallen into the cancel culture of social networks.
Exceptional CarolinaEven though it is our most famous song, we are not a band that has many discussions about its lyrics. In this song I told you about, someone questioned whether this was a sexist song. I don’t know, maybe yes. But of course almost everything is sexist. It’s a song that doesn’t talk about harassing or mistreating anyone, but it may have a sexist tone because almost the entire society does. I don’t regret writing this fiction at all. This is a story, not an apology, nor my own experience. Albert Pla said that songs are valued more than movies. It seems like you represent this idea in the songs, and in reality the singer is just a guy telling a story. By the way, this is a story that girls, especially young people, really like.
How do you navigate this world of social networking?
I act fine but they have to take TikTok to me because I don’t understand it. I love networks because they have a creative and personal part that allows you to communicate with others, but without falling into slavery or losing your mind. I just believe that people born with these may run the risk of thinking that life is what they see on the networks, and we need to be careful about this.
I’m surprised you mentioned TikTok, which is dominated by other sounds more distant from rock and roll.
This is not true because there are only rock and roll sounds on my social networks. It all depends on the algorithm. It’s normal for a 16-year-old boy who loves reggaeton to not hear rock in his networks. Although it is a way of life for many people, rock and roll is still a style of music, it continues to exist and entertainment today shows us a much wider world. What I want to tell you is, there’s a lot of rock and roll. Many rock and roll bands and many events continue to support this music. Now comes MadCool and stars Pearl Jam, Rosalía or Bad Bunny.
Is ego necessary for a rocker’s aura?
It depends on how you use your ego. Ego is necessary to be yourself. A little bit of ego needs to be good, it means loving yourself.
Do turbulent times create better musicians?
I don’t know. Turbulent moments give rise to action and thought. And this is always important. I mean, I don’t know if they are good musicians, but they come up with good ideas.
Do you see rock as a channel for generating ideas?
There are all kinds of rocks. If we talk about other styles like reggaetón, it’s clear that it’s going in a completely hedonistic direction, and I think that’s fantastic. I have nothing against reggaeton. And there are many branches on the rock. It ranges from the simplest and most basic rock and roll to the conceptual rock of Pink Floyd. But think of Chuck Berry, there is nothing political in his music; There is only hedonism, sex, drugs and rock and roll.
What does Tarque listen to beyond rock?
Actually, I don’t listen to much rock. I listen to a lot of folk, jazz… Music is a mood. If I’m partying, I like to listen to ACDC, Kiss, Van Halen, Guns N’ Roses or River Sons. But I don’t put on Motorhead in the morning, I listen to a country record or a blues record. Music should be enjoyed like food. You can’t always eat cooked food, your cholesterol will be too high.