Helia Tatla Talk Debut Album, New Single And More

Helia Tatla, a dynamic musical collaboration, is the creative and expressive project of Leah Attali and Geoff Bradford, and a group of talented musicians from Austin, Texas. Leah and Geoff graciously gave us their time to talk about their debut album and more: 

Who is in Helia Tatla, what do they play and how did you meet?

[Geoff] Leah and I met through a mutual interest in French. The others in the band are jazz musicians, I met them through the Austin jazz community. I’m not a jazz musician but I do play bass, and do some singing, in a swing band called the Armadillo Swing Band.

Frank Cano – Keys

Eric Hargett – Sax

Brennan Howell – Drums

Marco Antonio Santos – Guitar

(Leah) Geoff Bradford and I met through a mutual friend. Through Geoff, I met Marco, Brennan, Eric, and Frank, who have been playing together for the last couple of years.

What is your earliest musical memory?

[Geoff] My father loved music and had a big record collection, my love of swing music comes from him. My earliest musical memories are of novelty songs he would play for us like “The Sheik of Araby”.

(Leah) Listening to my mother, who is Spanish, play flamenco at full volume in the house, I would find myself dancing to the beat and bellowing along.

You also the single ‘Behind The Wheel’. What is the story/inspiration behind the song?

(Leah) “Behind the Wheel” captures the feeling of taking hold of your future—making decisions regardless of what others think or some prescribed ideal. It’s about how your choices ultimately make you feel inside and whether they lead you to the type of life you want for yourself.

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

[Geoff] I want to create good music that is entertaining but my songs have an intellectual content also, observations and realizations.

(Leah) I always hope to connect with at least one person. I hope to be in a flow cause if I’m in a flow, i know other people feel it- it’s contagious.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

[Geoff] I’m pretty utilitarian when it comes to instruments. For writing, I use Musescore, and the DAW I use for my home recording is Reaper.

(Leah) I love love reverb!

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

[Geoff] The band is from Austin, Texas – “Live Music Capital of (the) World” – though all of us moved here from somewhere else.

(Leah) NYC: loud, pointed, rich.

How do you look after your voices?

[Geoff] I think the voice is like a muscle that needs regular exercise. Austin is a town where you drive around a lot, I keep the songs I’m working on on my phone. When I’m driving I play them and sing along.

(Leah) I drink lots of tea, water, exercise and I do breath-work.

Your debut album ‘Third Culture Kids’ is out now. How did you want to approach the making of the album?

[Geoff] Besides French, something that Leah and I have in common is an interest in cooking. With making records at this point, I’m concerned with trying to find things that sound good, similarly when you’re making a recipe, there are a myriad of ways to approach it but you want it to taste good. So there’s no rules and not much explanation, but you know when you hear something if it sounds good. And that cuts across all styles.

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

[Geoff] Mostly at King Electric Recording in Austin, with Justin Douglas as engineer. At a high level I’m the producer, but Justin has a lot of input in the recording process, he’s a wizard with the edits.

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

[Geoff] Some kind of science fiction so I can do a lot of weird synth stuff!

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

[Geoff] Of the bands I liked when I was teenager, I think my music now is similar to “Spirit”. I like the Talking Heads but haven’t been able to get that rhythmic. More recently, I listen to a lot of different music. An artist I think made a lot of brilliant records is Kanye West, unfortunately he says and does idiotic things that makes it hard to endorse him.

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

[Geoff] Behind The Wheel, Third Culture Kids, and Caught Up In

(Leah) Most relective behind the wheel / Happiest ocean blue / Angriest third culture

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2024?

[Geoff] No plans at this time!

What makes Helia Tatla happy and what makes you unhappy?

[Geoff] Going back to the food analogy, happy when something works and sounds good. If something doesn’t work and doesn’t sound good, I’m not exactly unhappy but close. I may try a different approach, or just scrap it and move on.

(Leah) I enjoy nature and being in a flow ( swimming , palying music, cooking)

Unhappy- when it’s constant go go mentality. I grew up in ny, where the “always on the go” mentality is prevalent. I’ve learned that slowing down is critical for a healthy life. Mental, emotional and physical health is my priority.