May 10th, 2018

Meet LEAF Contest Finalist: Carly Taich

Carly Taich is an Asheville, NC-based songwriter whose songs are at once soft and intense, fantastical and real. Her performances boast orchestral-rock arrangements paired with swooning vocals. Add in her her witty and irreverent writing style, and it’s no wonder Carly has steadily gained recognition in Asheville and beyond.

Taich will release a brand new single this summer, the first release since her October 2017 album titled Reverie. Her music video for her song “Give Me a Likeness” recently won “Best Soundtrack” at the Music Video Asheville awards show.  To top it off, she, along with her powerhouse band, will perform at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival this June.

We asked Carly some questions to learn more about her artistic process and vision. See her perform at NewSong’s LEAF Singer-Songwriter Competition Saturday May 12. 

What is your songwriting process like?

I write with my guitar. Usually the melody and lyrics come out together and inform each other. It’s nice to have no idea where your song is going and let each line unfold all together. Completely on the contrary, lately, I’ve been inspired by the more structured and repetitive verses of old hymns and folk tunes, and in that case, I may approach the lyrics more like a puzzle, trying to squeeze the most accurate picture into just a few syllables. Paper is my best friend.

Where do you find inspiration? Do you have any songwriting heroes?

Growing up I was exposed to songwriters from every generation and recall a lot of Cat Stevens, the Beatles and the Andrew Sisters, among so many others. On my own I ventured into Tori Amos and Elliott Smith, which was my first exploration into more alternative songwriting. I also loved musical theater and am still very inspired by the big song productions of old musicals.

What does it mean to you to be selected as a NewSong finalist, and what do you hope to get out of the experience?

It’s an honor to be considered among such wonderful songwriters. I hope to make some new friends who I can collaborate or share the stage with again, perhaps at a future LEAF. It’s a great opportunity to get to connect with other artists from around the country through an event like the NewSong competition.

What would you like your audience to know about you and your music?

I just try to be as honest as possible in my own language. Songwriting has always been the most natural way for me to express the deep complexities of life. I’m grateful that I get to share my stories with those will listen!