"Blues can make you feel happy, sad, angry, and sexual. It can make you feel like dancing and feel like crying at the same time. It covers a very broad range of human emotions and people can connect to that."

Taylor Scott: Far Away From Cliché 

Taylor Scott is a roots musician whose heart is overflowing with the passion to make soulful music. Influenced heavily by blues, soul, funk, gospel, and jazz, Taylor’s singing, playing, and writing tells his story.  Truth is an important component in Scott’s music. “When I was younger, 15 or 16, I was making decent money singing and playing blues tunes, Muddy Waters and all that,” says Scott. “I absolutely love that music, but through my own heart and some life-changing discussions with friends and mentors, I realized ‘Hey I didn’t live what those guys did, that’s not my story.  I’m up there telling somebody else’s stories.’ So I started telling my own, and that has made all the difference.”

Photo by Dennis Maloney

Being influenced by so much great music has allowed Taylor to “put it all in the mixing bowl,” and create his own sound.  His first solo record, an EP called “Soul Satisfaction,” is dripping with the influences of R&B/soul, gospel, funk, and blues. “There’s way too much beautiful music out there to section myself into one very specific genre,” Taylor states, “great music is great music.” Live performing is something Taylor Scott is very comfortable with. He began performing live around age 14, and has worked at it ever since. As the former leader of Taylor Scott & Another Kind of Magick, successful Rocky Mountain region blues band and finalists at the 2012 International Blues Challenge, he has a lot of performing hours under his belt. Playing clubs and festivals all over North America has kept him at home with the stage and the crowd. His live performances are filled with the same passion as every other aspect of his music. As a guitar player, a singer, a song writer, and a live performer, Taylor Scott puts his heart and soul into all things music.

Interview by Michael Limnios

When was your first desire to become involved in the music and especially with blues culture?

When I was 8 or 9 years old, I started listening to Rock & Roll.  I wanted to play drums at first, but soon my sights sort of shifted to the guitar. My parents got me an inexpensive electric guitar and amp for Christmas when I was 9. I immediately connected with it and fell in love with the entire idea of playing Rock & Roll music. I started taking guitar lessons from a teacher named Scott Turner who taught me for the first few years. He was a great teacher; I hardly ever put the guitar down. 

I found blues music a few years later. I was at home and my dad called me into the living room. B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Eric Clapton were on TV at some VH1 awards show playing together. I had heard of B.B. and loved Clapton, so I watched and was amazed. They played "Let Me Love You, Baby." What I saw was three guys playing with so much feeling, honesty, and spontaneity. The way I thought of it at the time was, "wow, these guys are playing whatever they want, whatever they feel like playing." Each note came straight from the heart, without being planned out ahead of time. That is when I fell in love with blues. The next time B.B. King came to a city near me; my dad took me to see him.  I think I was 13 years old.

What do you learn about yourself from blues and what does blues mean to you?                                                    Photo by Annie Nelson

To me, blues is about honesty and emotion. When I was a little younger, I sometimes pretended to be somebody I was not with blues. I thought that I had to dress up like a "bluesman" and sing only about certain things and play songs a certain way in order to be "blues" enough. However, I realized later that that is often the exact opposite of what blues should be. It should be honest and different to each individual. As my good friend Gino Matteo told me, "You have to tell your own story." Some people think, as I did, that only certain lyrics, notes, chord progressions, and even certain types of clothes represent blues. This is bullshit. Blues is about honest, raw emotion. It's not about how cliché you can dress or how many times you can play the same chord progression over and over again. Believe me; I did not always understand this. I learned this from mentors and soul searching when I was 17 or 18 years old.

How do you describe Taylor Scott's sound and progress, what characterizes your music philosophy?

I'm not really sure how to describe my sound. All I know is that the formula for my sound is basically this: Mix all of my musical and artistic influences together, put as much raw emotion into it as I possibly can, then just try not to fuck up the song. What comes out after that ends up sounding like "me" somehow, and I try not to question it too much. 

I have a lot of thoughts on music philosophy and have spent a lot of time developing mine. A few things I try to keep at the forefront are to always be honest and soulful, always try to move people, and always do what's best for the music, not for your ego. Being honest, emotional, and soulful are all things I learned from the blues. I don't play only blues anymore. My band fuses the sounds of soul, funk, blues, jazz, gospel, rock & roll, and other genres together. The thread that runs through ALL of my music is soul, emotion, and honesty. As long as I keep that in the music, the blues is with me. I also always hope to move people with music. If you can move people emotionally, mentally, or physically, they will become fans. I say that as artists, our job is to inspire thought and inspire emotion. That's really the basic formula for making great art, if you ask me.

What experiences in your life have triggered your ideas for songs most frequently?

I write about a lot of things; political subjects, relationships, life experiences. But most often my songs end up being about heartbreak.  I've had my heart ripped out a few times. That shows up in my music a lot.

"To me, blues is about honesty and emotion." (Photo by Pete Arnold)

Why do you think that blues music continues to generate such a devoted following?

I think a big part of it is that blues is relatable. It's a music that is easy to relate to because everybody has had problems in their life. The whole concept of "feeling good about feeling bad" is very interesting. It's also a music that, when done well, has the ability to make you feel many different things all in one show. It can make you feel happy, sad, angry, and sexual. It can make you feel like dancing and feel like crying at the same time. It covers a very broad range of human emotions and people can connect to that.

What's the best jam you have ever played in? What are some of the most memorable gigs you've had?

As far as jams go, I like being reunited with friends who I haven't played with in awhile. It's always fun to get together with someone you used to play with many times and see how the chemistry instantly returns. That's how I feel anytime I get together with Nic Clark, a great harp player from Denver. He's a close friend and we played together for several years when we were in high school. Every time we get together, I feel our chemistry return at the first note. I enjoy that. 

One of my most memorable gigs was in Memphis, TN at the 2012 International Blues Challenge. We played in the Rum Boogie and it was so packed that nobody could get in or out of the club. People were standing on the tables and stuff, going absolutely nuts. That always sticks out in my mind. There have been a lot of great moments though.

Which meetings have been the most important experiences for you?  What is the best advice ever given to you?

I met a man named Rodney Golay at Snowy Range Music Festival in Laramie, WY a few years ago. Rodney is not a musician or in the music business at all. He is a dedicated and devoted music lover and an amazing spirit. It's a long story, but I'll just say that he has changed the way I look at music and life in general. He has since become a good friend of mine. 

I have been fortunate to have many great friends and mentors who have offered up so much great advice. However, a career changing discussion I had with Gino Matteo of L.A. always comes to mind (I mentioned this earlier). I was 17 or 18 and he told me "You have to tell your own story." That has stuck with me, reminding me to be myself and not pretend to be someone I'm not with my music.

"Some people think, as I did, that only certain lyrics, notes, chord progressions, and even certain types of clothes represent blues. This is bullshit. Blues is about honest, raw emotion." (Photo by Dennis Maloney)

Which memory from Otis Taylor and Erica Brown makes you smile? 

Otis is a great guy and he is very hard to read. The whole first tour I did with him, I wasn't sure whether he liked my guitar playing or not. We were in Europe for 3 weeks and at the end of the tour I still had no idea if he was ever going to call me for a gig again. When we got back to the U.S., we were leaving the airport to go home. I helped Otis put his bags in a taxi. He got into the cab and I was standing on the sidewalk. Just as the driver began pulling away, Otis rolled down the window and yelled "You did a good job" to me as he drove off. I guess that meant he liked my playing, and that I would continue to play with the band. That makes me laugh, Otis is a good guy.

I have known Erica since I was 15. The first time we got on stage together she had no idea who I was, nor did anyone for that matter. I was just a kid that played guitar. I remember as soon as she started singing I thought, "Holy shit I'm really playing blues now!" She has always been great to me, even when I was a 15 year old, long haired rock & roll kid trying to learn blues. We have shared the stage many times. I always remember that first time though, and how nice she's been to me. We're good friends now.

Are there any memories from recording and show time you'd like to share with us?

Too many to name. When I was in 8th grade we played the talent show at school. We played a rock & roll version of Killing Floor. The bass player, my best friend Louie, was rocking out so hard that his shoe flew off into the crowd and hit somebody. Shortly after that, the shoe came flying back up on the stage. We won the talent show.

What are the differences of Wyoming, Colorado, and other local blues scenes?

Honestly, Wyoming doesn't have a blues scene. I know of one blues artist who lives in Wyoming, his name is Gary Small. Other than that, I haven't heard of many. When I was in high school, my blues band was the first blues that a lot of people in my home town ever heard. Most of them ended up loving our band and supporting us, but it was something new to them. 

Colorado has a good blues scene. There are quite a few blues clubs, lots of bands, and lots of blues fans. Denver has more music than you might think. You just have to know the right places to go.

"It's a music that is easy to relate to because everybody has had problems in their life. The whole concept of "feeling good about feeling bad" is very interesting." (Photo: Taylor with Grady Champion and Matt Guitar Murphy)

What do you miss most nowadays from the blues of the past?  What are your hopes and fears for the future?

I think that back then, blues artists were more truthful with their music. Some blues artists are now, but some seem to just copy the music of blues idols of the past. My hope for the future is that people allow blues to continue to grow. Sometimes people seem to think if you are not playing a 1-4-5 chord progression, you're not playing blues. I think the only way we as artists can change that is to stop caring what label is put on us. For example, look at people like Robert Cray and Derek Trucks. They are widely loved by the blues community, but their music is original. It has melodies and chord changes and rhythms and lyrics that aren't traditional blues. More artists need to have the courage and creativity to make the music their own, rather than copy something that has been done thousands of times. That's how music grows and continues to change.

What are the lines that connect legacy of blues with soul, jazz, and rock music?

Well we all know that pretty much all forms of American music draw huge influence from blues. If it wasn't for blues, we wouldn't have these other types of music. Or at least they would sound much different than they do now. It's good to understand where your music came from, no matter what it is.

What is your music dream?  Where would you like to be 10 years from now?

It's simple for me. I just want to share my music with as many people as possible, try to make a difference in people's lives through music, and make a living doing it. I want to tour and record consistently and get better at playing, singing, and writing. I'm not a money person.

Let's take a trip with a time machine.  Where and why would you really want to go for a whole day?

There are a lot of days I wish I could go back to. I think it would be cool to go back in time to the first day I started playing guitar. I guess that day changed my life in a major way. It would be cool to experience that feeling again, knowing what I know now, that I would become a professional musician for a living.  

Taylor Scott - Official website

Photo by Annie Nelson