Brandon Taylor & Radio Ghost
Memphis, Tennessee, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2016 | INDIE
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Local singer-songwriter Brandon Taylor marks the release of his debut album Friday with a free multi-act concert at Studio 688 (688 Cox). Taylor’s “Radio Ghost” is just out on local indie label Madjack Records. The disc finds the Americana up-and-comer working his way through an immediately likeable 10-track collection of story songs.
The concert will feature a series of mini-sets from a variety of performers, stating with DJ Andrew McCalla, and Memphis singer-songwriters Michael Graber, Crockett Hall, Jeremy Scott, Kelly Anderson and James Godwin. Taylor and his backing combo The Radio Ghost Band will close out the show with a headlining turn.
Admission is free, but donations are accepted and will go to support the protests at Standing Rock. Half of the proceeds from Taylor’s record sales also will go to Standing Rock charities. - Commercial Appeal
The first time I met Brandon Taylor was down in the Delta at the caretaker’s lodge flanked alongside the Baby Doll House near Benoit. Wiry, curly-haired, and soft-spoken, he was visiting river-man Matthew Burdine, who happened to be watching the property for a few days. The two of them wore cowboy hats and toothy necklaces and discussed Neal Cassidy and Jack Kerouac the way Civil War buffs might trade information about the battle of Shiloh or Gettysburg.
In his debut album, Radio Ghost, Taylor runs the gamut of Americana styles with pedal steel, and Dylan inspired ballads to Deep South crooning and bluegrass. I had a chance to catch up with him to talk about his new album.
Brandon recalls being in fifth grade trying the smorgasbord of musical instruments for a sort of aptitude test for the school band.
“Their recommendation was for clarinet, but I was dead set on playing drums. I never liked to read music or anything like that—I always just wanted to play what I wanted to play.”
As time went by, he realized that most American music was played in 4/4 time and his curiosity drifted towards melody, inspiring him to pick up the guitar.
“The Christmas I got a drum set, my brother got a Sears guitar. He just never learned how to play it, so one summer when I was twelve, I dragged it out from under his bed and started Googling guitar chords.”
On the intro track, “Need a Fix,” Brandon belts out, “Don’t trust the government.” He explained that this was inspired by Edward Snowden. He recalls family members at Thanksgiving talking about how unpatriotic Snowden was to come forward about the extent of NSA surveillance.
“It’s unpatriotic to come forward and say ‘your government is lying to you’?” Taylor asked.
“In that song, it evolved into, well, what else is wrong? We’re always on our phones—we’re more connected than ever, but less connected than ever.”
The album- which was produced by Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell- will be released on Mad Jack Records and features a who’s who of regional musicians. Taylor recorded live duets with Shannon McNally, has Cody Dickinson backing him on drums in “Memphis in the Summer-time,” and Luther Dickinson playing electric guitar on multiple tracks including “Baby Blue” - which sounds like a song straight off of Exile on Main Street.
The album release of Radio Ghost will feature several opening acts including Kelley Anderson and DJ Andrew McCalla, and of course a live performance by Brandon Taylor and friends. The event will run from 9pm to 12am on Friday, December 9th at Studio 688. - The Memphis Flyer
Brandon Taylor — Radio Ghost (Madjack Records)
Release Date: Available Now
Mississippi transplant Brandon Taylor camped out at Jack Oblivian's place while recording the album Radio Ghost, but don't expect to hear any garage-rock guitar licks on Taylor's folky debut. Radio Ghost was released last December, a truly dismal month to release new music, so we're going to pretend that Radio Ghost is a 2017 release for Taylor's sake. Recorded at Royal Studios, Taylor has an A-list of guest appearances, including Luther and Cody Dickinson, Shannon McNally, and Boo Mitchell in the producer's chair. The album is available at all local record stores. - The Memphis Flyer
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Bio
A Memphis native, Brandon Taylor has an acoustic sound inspired by the 60's folk revival and a full band sound reminiscent of alt country abstract rock band Wilco. He started playing shows in Oxford, Mississippi where he fell into a crowd of songwriters including Cody and Luther Dickinson, Shannon McNally, Cary Hudson, Jimbo Mathus, and Tyler Keith. A born rambler, Taylor has explored America with his acoustic brand of melody making, fusing folk with electricity in the form of his first band, The Tenants, as they toured the Western U.S. throughout Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana.
A lover of the great outdoors, Taylor has spent multiple summers working and playing in Yellowstone and Denali parks and wintered in the mountains of Colorado. His travels provided the inspiration from which he wrote the songs for his 2016 Madjack Records release, Radio Ghost, which was engineered and produced by Grammy winner Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell and recorded live to tape at Royal Studios in Memphis, TN.
Radio Ghost features drumming by Cody Dickinson, electric guitar riffs by Luther Dickinson (formerly of The Black Crows), soulful duets with Shannon McNally, and collaborations with members of Lucero and The Memphis Dawls, among others. Taylor flexes his songwriting in an array of Americana styles from Dixieland crooning to Stones-esque rock n' roll in his 2016 release, showcasing a talent ready for the road and on its way to a smoky bar room near you.
**A live video link of Brandon performing "Poor Man's Blues" at his record release can be accessed below
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