While attending Treefort Music Fest, K-UTE got to sit down with Ethan Tasch, an up-and-coming indie folk artist based in Los Angeles ahead of his Boise show. Ethan is coming off of his first album release, Got Him, as well as a tour with Bea Miller and his own headline shows. We asked him some questions about the album as well as his plans for the future. 

K-UTE: “How has it been since you released Got Him? You’ve obviously done some shows, how has everything been?”

Ethan: “It’s been great. It’s opened some doors — I hadn’t ever been on tour before, and I went on my first two back-to-back. Even just like the Denver show, and I played a couple headline shows, having people come and know all the words to my songs, it’s a whole new experience.”

K-UTE: “What’s been your favorite city you’ve been to? I guess, what’s been memorable for you?” 

Ethan: “The headline show I did in New York was the first time it felt like a real thing. Especially releasing a bunch of songs in the pandemic, having all of these big numbers but then actually playing a show where people know the words and stuff, it’s like, ‘Oh, there are actually real people listening.' Especially playing three headline shows in LA, SF, and New York, I don’t know anyone in New York and the most people came to that one.”

K-UTE: “You’re about to release your deluxe album; how was it working with collaborators like Claud and Jordana on that?”

Ethan: “These ones, it was more like, since the songs were already written, they just kind of took what I had scrapped and made it their own. Slimdan and Jordana, we recorded it together, Claud just sent it over while I was on tour, and I was like ‘Sounds good.’”

K-UTE: “What is the inspiration behind the visuals for the album? You’ve got you on the cover in a little cowboy outfit … where does that come from?” 

Ethan: “I think it’s just the way the music sounds. The whole thing is kind of about finding yourself, so having me on there … the whole vibe of that felt right.” 

Images via @ethan_tasch on Instagram.

K-UTE: “And then music-wise… inevitably, who’s really influenced you and your style?” 

Ethan: “I feel like the album’s a combination of the things I like and also my own thing. I feel like sonically, it was Kacey Musgraves, Alex G, a lot of Faye Webster. I guess lyrically, Phoebe Bridgers really changed the way I wrote songs. John Mayer, for the kind of clever one-liners and metaphors.” 

K-UTE: “I like how you say some more modern names; it seems like so often it’s the ‘classics’.” 

Ethan: “Yeah, it’s what I’m listening to, so it definitely changes what I’m creating.”

K-UTE: “The music video for ‘Shell’… where did that come from? Was it just kind of like ‘this is the song, this is the video’?”

Ethan: “We found that crab costume, and the rest is history.”

Images via @ethan_tasch on Instagram and Youtube.

K-UTE: “‘Room’ is like, your big breakthrough. What was it like after that song came out?” 

Ethan: “That was the first thing I ever released. It blew up — it was out for six weeks, and a label kind of found it by chance. Some people I knew sent it to each other, I put it on a free distribution service … it got put on some playlists, and it just started doing really well.” 

K-UTE: “Has it impacted where you are now?”

Ethan: “Yeah, it’s always easier, working with producers, to have a little proof of ‘I can make a song.’ I think when people randomly find you on Spotify and they see others are listening, they’re more likely to pay attention. I still play ‘Room’ at every show.”

K-UTE: “What’s next?” 

Ethan: “I have the deluxe coming out, and I’m going on a short headline tour in June. We also just booked another tour in the fall opening for Wilderado. I don’t think the tours I did before were necessarily the right fit – not that they weren’t good – I just think their fans will work with them.” 

Ethan’s deluxe edition of Got Him is out now, and he’s embarking on his “Deluxe Tour (with Ethan” this June. He’ll also open for Rainbow Kitten Surprise in May. If you’re able to make it to any of his shows, definitely do, as he’s a fantastic performer. Check out our photos from his Treefort show below!