Tamar Dart
http://littlestrike.com/
https://www.instagram.com/littlestrikemusic/
Little Strike – Come Out Alright
Biography
“Little Strike is the alias of Middle Eastern-born musician and multimedia artist Tamar Dart, based currently in Philadelphia. The project feels like a collage of organic and inorganic sounds, with acoustic guitars that conjure West African finger styles, melted together with murky keyboards, atop a bed of grimy beats. The vocals aim to first hunt, then tame, encouraging the listener to go on a nostalgic walkabout together. Will a friendship form?
At age 11, Dart became enamored with live music after playing in a conservatory orchestra , where she played the Oboe for 3 years. She eventually went on to teach herself guitar and Keyboard. Born and raised in a politically charged environment, Dart and her family decided to move to Miami when she was 15, with the intent of escaping questionable ideologies. After graduating with a BFA in Multimedia Arts from Florida State University, Dart traded the US for East Asia, where she traveled and worked in China, Thailand, and Nepal for a year. She remained involved in music throughout a variety of audio-visual endeavors, including a drum-based project where she attempted to video document herself learning to drum on a kit for 4 months. In the summer of 2013, she settled in Philadelphia where she recorded her first EP, Forever Always Leaving; it released the following year, in July 2014. She is currently playing shows both acoustically and electronically.” – Lifin’ Magazine
Q & A
What have you been doing since graduating from FSU?
I have been working as a musician, graphic designer, and sound artist. My passions are simple and direct: to travel and gain cultural knowledge, music, personal growth, friends and family. On a daily basis, I try and cultivate these passions, so I save money year around doing design work and playing music so I can travel. After college, I spent a year in China, Nepal & Thailand. I then moved to Philadelphia where I compose music and play under the project Little Strike.
What did you learn at FSU to get you there?
I am a fan of FSU’s critique culture. I think the studio art environment fosters self-critique and invites (if one is willing) both introspection, and the opinion of others, as a tool for growth. It promotes a community feel where everyone can participate in each other’s work, and that’s major. Community matters. I also learned a lot about collage as a practice, which I now apply to my music. I am a collector of sounds. In FSU I collected objects. //You should have seen my studio — endless artifacts! Now they are simply in wave form.
What advice would you give to art students?
Support each other. Be fans of each other. Together you are stronger, no man or woman is an island. Collectivize, start a movement, chase ideas that affect communities and where you physically are. Don’t think of just the “I”, you are not singular and lonely in the arts, and if you feel this way, know that there is another way. This took me years to fully understand. Best of luck.
