Deeper Digs: Tal Wilkenfeld
This episode we get the immense pleasure talking with Tal Wilkenfeld! Known first as an extraordinary bassist playing on just about everyone’s record for the last decade or so, and now her very own solo artist with a record called, ‘Love Remains’, out now!
Tal Wilkenfeld is an Australian singer, songwriter, bassist and guitarist whose career began performing alongside artists including Jeff Beck, Prince, Eric Clapton, Herbie Hancock and Mick Jagger. In 2008, Wilkenfeld was voted "The Year's Most Exciting New Player" by Bass Player magazine readers' choice poll. In 2013, Wilkenfeld was awarded Bass Player Magazine's "Young Gun Award" by Don Was, where she performed "Chelsea Hotel" by Leonard Cohen.
Wilkenfeld is a bandleader of her own eponymous bands in which she sings, plays bass and guitar. In her earlier work, she was backed by musicians such as Wayne Krantz and Vinnie Colaiuta. She opened for The Who on the North American part of The Who Hits 50! tour in 2016. In 2016, Wilkenfeld released a single entitled "Corner Painter" which features Blake Mills and Benmont Tench. Rolling Stone praised "Wilkenfeld is working on new music that sees her evolving from an instrumental prodigy into a formidable singer-songwriter"
On 15 March 2019, Wilkenfeld released her vocal debut album Love Remains,which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseeker charts on the first week of its release. Love Remains has been highly praised by the press and featured in Rolling Stone, Relix, Paste, Billboard and Forbes. Rolling Stone described Wilkenfeld's vocal debut as "ten dense, riff-heavy tracks with brazen, introspective lyrics—prove her songwriting abilities."
Wilkenfeld has also been a guest on popular podcasts including Marc Maron and Bill Burr. Wilkenfeld was featured on the cover of Bass Player magazine's March 2019 issue.