Teddi Tarnoff was born and raised in Fishtown, and she was born to Rock. Tarnoff sings and plays in two all-female heavy metal tribute bands (Queen Diamond and Misstallica). She also hammers away at her own solo career in music with writing partner and band mate Gina Gleason. Teddi also sometimes performs solo shows under the stage name E Lois. Not only does she play in and around Philly, but she has performed all over the world with some big names like Alice Cooper, Jon Anderson, Marky Ramone, Stu Copeland, and Eddie Vedder.
Tarnoff has focused on a wide variety of musical genres throughout the course of her life, singing and playing bass and violin. At only 11 years old, Teddi began studying classical violin at the Curtis Institute. She worked with renowned opera singers Enza Ferrari and Bruno Rigacci and studied Jazz Vocal Performance at Temple University. Although she has cast a wide net in her study of music, it is Rock that Teddi claims chose her, “There is something so incredibly raw and real about Rock and it’s been this force inside that steamrolls out of me.”
I asked Teddi if she thought growing up in Fishtown influenced the direction she has taken with her career in Rock. “Just growing up influenced my music in every way,” Tarnoff said, “The world is a funny place. One minute the ugliness is overwhelming and the next, you’ve never felt so much kindness. Growing up in the neighborhood, but really just living, gave me the ambition to want to contribute more to the beauty in the world than the hate.”
Teddi went on to state that the influence of her music comes from a variety of places, “Everything I have ever heard, thought, loved, hated, saw and felt has influenced my music. I write from what I know whether it’s spurred from a book or a really crappy day. I try to turn my experiences into something thoughtful and aesthetic. And when Gina and I write together, it’s our combined selves that create the music we play.”
Tarnoff initially made her mark as a teacher and featured musician at the School of Rock. I asked her what the experience was like, and she told me, “I was a student and teacher at the school. I met a lot of my really great friends there and most of band mates as well. If nothing else, I think that place prepared me with a ton of stage time and even just the knowledge of what all goes into a gig. When I left, I was the director of the All Stars, which is the group of kids that tour all over the world. I have a lot of fond memories, mostly of just getting to play music I love with friends and musicians I respect. And there’s nothing much better than that!”
When asked about the famous names she played with, Teddi spoke very positively of the experience, saying, “It’s always really cool when musicians you “know” turn out to be good people. And I’m lucky enough to have had just that experience. All of the famous musicians I’ve worked with, like Alice Cooper and Jon Anderson, have all been truly kind and are people that sincerely love music.”
With all the experience in music, I wondered if Teddi still considered herself a “fan” of any band or musician. “Of course,” she told me. Tarnoff explained that she would love to somehow get linked up with King Diamond and Metallica (who her bands pay tribute to). As for her solo career, Teddi told me her dream collaboration would absolutely be with John Wetton of King Crimson. Tarnoff has actually worked with Wetton in the past. However, since he is hands-down her favorite bass player and one of her all-time favorite singers, she would love the opportunity to sit down and write with him.
Although Misstallica and Queen Diamond are metal bands and a lot of her original songs were written for a full heavy metal Rock band, Tarnoff does have a softer side. She detailed the experience of playing these songs acoustically, “Gina and I usually play out as a two piece, so they (the songs) get acoustified, which is great because when you change the way you play something, you can very often discover something new about it. So we’ve been having fun breaking the songs down and reinventing them.”
Tarnoff will usually do three or so proper tours a year, but all of her bands play out all of the time. “It isn’t uncommon that I’ll have multiple shows in a week,” Teddi said, “ We try to get all over here in the States and Misstallica just finished our second United Kingdom tour.”
Rock has definitely taken Teddi Tarnoff places. I asked her where down the line, at the end of the line, does she hope Rock will ultimately take her? She responded realistically, but hopefully, “If I were younger, I’d probably still say that I want to be a Rock star. But the world doesn’t make Rock stars anymore and maybe I just know better anyway. What I’d really love is to have success in the industry enough to be able to devote all of my time to writing and playing music. So until that day, I’ll keep doing what it is I do as best as I can.”
You can learn a lot more about Teddi Tarnoff by visiting her website: www.tedditarnoff.com, which has tour dates, photos, music samples, press information, and a mailing list.
