FOR YOUR GRAMMY® CONSIDERATION "MOURNING DOVES OF JOSHUA TREE" BY TARA BEIER

BEST AMERICANA ALBUM

Honored to be among the first Asian American artists represented in this category.

Mourning Doves of Joshua Tree offers a fresh voice in the americana tradition—one that honors its emotional core while expanding its boundaries. With elements of alt-country, indie rock, and cinematic soul, the album speaks to the evolving identity of Americana and folk music in the 21st century. A debut built on depth, vision, and fearless vulnerability.

For Your Consideration
Best Americana Album
Tara Beier – Mourning Doves of Joshua Tree
(Manimal Records, 2025)

A cinematic and soul-stirring journey through grief, healing, and creative rebirth, Mourning Doves of Joshua Tree was written in the Mojave Desert following Tara Beier’s near-fatal childbirth and the arrival of her twin sons.

Beier may be the first female Asian American artist to be recognized in this category — bringing a rare and powerful voice to the evolving Americana landscape. Her music draws from lived experience: PTSD, family trauma, motherhood, and spiritual awakening.

Blending alt-folk, desert soul, and Americana with poetic storytelling, the album was produced by Steve Stout (Lifehouse) and is recommended for fans of Neil Young, Mazzy Star, and Fleetwood Mac.

A classically trained musician, Canadian-American artist, activist, and filmmaker — Beier expands the boundaries of Americana with a sound both timeless and trailblazing.

Tara Beier is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, filmmaker, and activist whose cinematic folk sound transcends boundaries — fusing healing, identity, and activism into deeply personal works of art. Her 2025 album, Mourning Doves of Joshua Tree (Manimal Records), is a striking meditation on grief, rebirth, and transformation. With acclaim from Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Billboard, Beier's voice speaks to a generation longing for authenticity, truth, and emotional resonance.

Born in Vancouver and now based in California, Beier is a proud immigrant whose multicultural roots—Filipino, British, Austrian, and Scottish—bring a rich, cross-cultural soul to her music. She began playing piano at just five years old and spent over a decade immersed in classical training at the Royal Conservatory of Music. That intense early education, carried through even in the face of personal trauma, became the foundation for the expressive musical language she uses to share her story today.

After more than a decade of living in California, Beier became a U.S. citizen in 2024—an achievement that reflects years of perseverance and growth. “I’m a proud American immigrant and a lover of this country,” she says. “It’s given me the space to heal and create freely.” Her journey, both personal and musical, continues to be shaped by the places she’s called home and the resilience that drives her forward.

Her path to music wasn’t linear. With a degree in criminology and an early interest in justice reform, Beier originally planned to enter law — but her life changed course when she portrayed folk legend Buffy Sainte-Marie in a biopic. The role awakened a creative calling that led her to songwriting, filmmaking, and performance.

In 2016, she released her debut album Hero & the Sage, produced by Bret Higgins (Great Lake Swimmers). Its title track was chosen for the Biden-Harris Inauguration’s “100 Days, 100 Nurses” campaign, reflecting her commitment to art in service of public good.

Her 2020 sophomore album Super Bloom, produced by three-time GRAMMY® nominee Ken Coomer (Wilco), expanded her folk roots into lush, Americana-inspired territory and led to her signing with Manimal Records. Two years later, she released Her Story, a reverent covers EP honoring trailblazing women in folk such as Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez. She performed her powerful rendition of “California” live on Daytime Chicago.

But it is with Mourning Doves of Joshua Tree that Tara Beier makes her most fearless artistic leap. Written in the solitude of the Mojave Desert while raising her adorable twin sons, the album is a soul-stirring tapestry of loss, love, spiritual renewal, and maternal strength. Seeking refuge in the desert landscape, Beier found unexpected comfort in a quiet but powerful symbol: mourning doves began appearing outside her window—each pair arriving with two babies, mirroring her own journey through motherhood.

“They mirrored my own experience of motherhood,” she recalls. “Mourning doves are said to be messengers from the other side. I felt my grandmother’s presence through them.” Just before her passing, Beier’s grandmother had left her with a final, resonant message: “You go now with your boys.” That moment became a quiet but guiding force behind the album, anchoring its themes of grief, transformation, and rebirth.

Named after the doves that nested near her home—a sign of peace and spiritual presence—the album blends haunting folk with desert soul and Americana textures. Produced by Steve Stout (Lifehouse), it channels the emotive depth of artists like Neil Young, Nick Cave, and Mazzy Star, while remaining unmistakably her own. Mourning Doves of Joshua Tree stands as a testament not only to Beier’s evolving artistry, but to the healing power of music, nature, and the unspoken bonds that connect generations.

Beier’s music is more than sonic — it’s cinematic. It evokes silence, solitude, and the sacredness of nature. Through her lyrics and activism, she champions women’s fertility journeys, climate consciousness, and the deep intersection between art and healing. She is the founder of Lovendar, a lavender-based fragrance line inspired by her postnatal sensitivity — another example of how her creativity flows from every part of life.

With performances across the United States, Canada, and Germany—including iconic venues like Pappy & Harriet’s, the Troubadour, Whisky a Go Go, and Rockwood Music Hall—Beier has built an international presence in the indie folk scene. She’s appeared at major festivals and on television throughout North America, with features in Rolling Stone, Billboard, Paste, American Songwriter, and NBC, establishing her as a powerful and stand out voice in modern Americana.

Mourning Doves of Joshua Tree is Tara Beier’s third studio album, reimagining Americana for a new generation. Inspired by the stillness of the Mojave Desert, the album weaves together alt-Americana, indie folk, psych textures, and lo-fi soul. Across nine tracks, it explores themes of grief, rebirth, and spiritual grounding—delivering a sound that feels both timeless and contemporary.

Track Overview

1. Desert Soul
   A hypnotic, rhythm-forward opener that draws from Southern gothic and desert noir aesthetics. Inspired by The Alchemist and the mythology of the artist’s path, the track blends gritty textures and ghostly vocal layers, evoking Nick Cave, The Kills, and the slow-motion urgency of a dream.

2. Lost Brother
   A sparse, folk elegy rooted in personal and generational loss. The story of a long-lost relative becomes a meditation on memory, told through lo-fi guitars, soft dissonance, and layered harmonies. A haunting moment of stillness that connects past to present.

3. Rainbow
   A gentle psych-folk vignette centered on emotional boundaries. With vintage-leaning harmonies and dreamy slide guitar, this track uses the metaphor of a spectrum to map out relational closeness. A reflection on human connection with echoes of Big Thief and Tennis.

4. Close the Door
   Sunlit alt-Americana with a quiet ache beneath the surface. Written during a literal clean-out, the track takes on the emotional act of releasing the past. Upbeat but wistful, it fuses Tom Petty–esque narrative ease with Norah Jones–style intimacy.

5. Rocketdyne
   A desert departure anthem—the beginning of a new chapter. Marking the artist’s escape from the city and return to clarity, this track pulses with steady resolve and sun-bleached warmth. Stylistically grounded in 70s rock and California folk, it embodies a mantra of self-preservation and creative survival.

6. Lost in Death Valley
   Inspired by a real survival story, this track becomes a minimalist folk ballad about vulnerability, surrender, and the harsh beauty of the desert. Quietly cinematic, with echoes of Wilco and Bonnie “Prince” Billy, it sits at the edge of myth and lived experience.

7. Mourning Dove (Title Track)
   A spiritual centerpiece, both emotionally and sonically. Rooted in childhood memories and symbolic loss, the song moves from bare-bones simplicity to layered, harmony-rich serenity. Drawing from Sheryl Crow, George Harrison, and American folk traditions, it offers a gentle release.

8. Shooting Star
   A lo-fi, 90s-inspired meditation on presence and distraction. Written under an actual meteor shower, the song unfolds with dreamlike restraint—drawing listeners into a space of quiet clarity, wrapped in Mazzy Star–esque atmospherics.

9. Wild Rejoice
   A bold and sensual closer, fusing folk structure with electronic movement. Built on a foundation of minimalist synths and percussive restraint, it crescendos into a vibrant anthem of freedom and embodiment. A modern folk rallying cry: “Let the Wild Rejoice.”

Credits

PRODUCER, STEVE STOUT

Goat Mountain Recording Studios, Landers, CA (Engineered by Pat Kearns)

Pat Kearns served as second engineer on select tracks from Tara Beier’s album Mourning Doves of Joshua Tree, lending his technical expertise and deep musical sensibility to the project. A respected producer, engineer, and musician, Pat is best known for his work on Guitar Romantic by The Exploding Hearts, and as the frontman of Portland’s Blue Skies for Black Hearts. His production and engineering credits include artists like Jerry Joseph, Walter Salas-Humara, and Pat MacDonald.

Now based in the Mojave Desert, Pat and his wife Susan built Goat Mountain Studio, a solar-powered, off-grid recording facility near Joshua Tree. The studio merges vintage analog gear with modern tech in a one-of-a-kind desert setting, offering a creative environment that’s both rugged and refined.

Pat’s contributions to Mourning Doves of Joshua Tree reflect his ability to support and enhance an artist’s vision with precision, warmth, and respect for the music.

RECORD RELEASE SHOWS

APRIL 13, 2025 - PAPPY & HARRIETS, PIONEERTOWN, CA (OPENING FOR HUMBIRD)

SEPT 11, 2025 - WHISKY A GO GO, WEST HOLLYWOOD

OCT 12, 2025 - TROUBADOUR, WEST HOLLYWOOD (SPECIAL GUEST W/ LIAM ST. JOHN)

OCT 19, 2025 - MORONGO VALLEY MUSIC FESTIVAL, JTCITYLIMITS PRESENTS (HEADLINER)

Dedicated to Mary Lou Konrath

This album is lovingly dedicated to my grandmother, Mary Lou Konrath, a true Canadian pioneer and humble servant to God. Thank you for always being with me, and for the serenity you send through the gentle spirit of the mourning dove — a quiet messenger from beyond. Your life has been my compass: humble, faithful, kind. A woman of compassion, charity, and quiet grace. I love you.