A Taming Experience
Bruce Von Stiers
Yesterday I had a rare opportunity. I normally don't interview singers or members of bands whose material I'm reviewing. But I was able to do a phone interview with Monica Salci, the lead singer for Taming Ingrid. They released an album last year titled Tame This! The album is fantastic! It is a mixture of pop and rock tunes that will leave you wanting more.
Taming Ingrid is Monica Salci doing the lead vocals and Rhonda Valles on guitar and background vocals. The guys in the band are Drew Masterpole on drums and backing vocals and Lee Wright on bass. Lee also provides backing vocals.
The band has become a hot property. They had been part of the Budweiser True Music Live concert series. The band has been featured on Wild On Rocks Hollywood. Their music was also featured on MTV's Sorority Life.
Taming Ingrid has also been opening for some great bands. I asked Monica about opening for Peter Frampton and Styx . She said that not only had they opened for them, the band had recently opened for Michael McDonald and Hall & Oates. Monica and the rest of the band had a great time doing these concerts.
There is a difference between songs that will be commercially successful and ones that are truly heartfelt and have significance for band members. That holds true for not only Taming Ingrid, but for just about every good band. I asked Monica about the songs on the album that meant the most to her. Monica wrote all of the lyrics for the songs on the album. Monica told me that the song that meant the most to her was I Can See. The song was written in memory of someone in her life who passed on.
My favorite song on the album is Yes Sir. It is not exactly a rock ballad but listening to it you will feel a lump in your throat. The song has some great vocals by Monica and fantastic guitar by Rhonda. It deals with giving to the homeless and what they can teach us. Monica told me about the influence for the song. She had met a street gentleman in the San Jose area. She said that he became a mentor to her and she kept going back to visit him. Monica told me that one of her ambitions is to open a large homeless shelter.
One of the songs from the album that is getting a lot of airplay is Rollercoaster. It is a fun pop tune. The band recorded a funny video for the song that you can find on their web site.
Another good song on the album is Token. It is a song that deals with relationships. It has some solid vocals by Monica and unbelievable guitar by Rhonda. When I mentioned the guitar on the song, Monica said that the band considers Rhonda their token. The way she put it was that Rhonda goes beyond what female guitarists usually do in bands. Rhonda's influences run all the way from Led Zeppelin to Michael Jackson. In her bio on the band's web site, they say that these things made Rhonda “a wonderfully rounded musician capable of fitting multiple styles into a commercially hooky tune while keeping it real to her classical roots” You might think that was a bunch of hooey until you hear this lady play. Token is a great example of how Rhonda can rock out. You can also find homage to ‘70's and ‘80's Southern Rock in Rhonda's guitar playing at the tail end of Yes Sir. Rhonda wrote most of the music for the songs on the album.
Drew and Lee also do a good job on the album. The end of Yes Sir has Drew laying down some solid bass and Lee's sticks hold the background on the songs well.
The song Vulnerable is light and easy. It has a smooth jazz/ pop feel to it. You might think that it was Lee Ritenour playing the guitar instead of Rhonda as you listen to the song.
The band has picked up a fairly large fan base. Monica said that the fans have been just amazing. From messages on the web site, it seems like fans are begging the band to come back to their areas for shows again. This is definitely not a band that you listen to just once.
Tame This! is not an album to be missed. Taming Ingrid is a fresh and formidable presence in the world of pop / rock music. With Monica's great vocals, Rhonda's fiery guitar, the deep bass and hearty drums by Drew and Lee make Taming Ingrid a fantastic band to listen to. With their unique blend of rock, funk, pop and R & B, Taming Ingrid is a band that is exciting and thoroughly enjoyable.
Taming Ingrid is also at work on material for a new album.
Tame This! can be purchased at Tower Records or through the Taming Ingrid web site. The site has clips from the songs on the album. The video for Rollercoaster is on the site along with the Wild On Rocks Hollywood segment. There are also band bios and tons of pictures of the various gigs that they have done.
The site can be found at www.tamingingrid.com .
© 2004 Bruce E Von Stiers