We recently connected with Taylor Watkins and have shared our conversation below.
Taylor, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
In grade school I told my mother “I will play music for the rest of my life, even if I live on the side of the road to do it.” Now 26 years old, I live in a travel van and have explored the country for 3 years and counting. I guess my prediction to my mother wasn’t too far off, but all jokes aside, van-life has brought countless opportunities. As a child I knew music had the power to bring people together. Not only could music make others happy, but it could allow them to open up and be vulnerable. A great song can evoke emotions, intense memories, and even heal. I took my position as a musician, as a greater opportunity to spread this feeling of love and unity. I wanted to make every audience feel at home.
For over 15 years now, I have performed around the country. As an entertainer, I have experienced a wide range of concerts and live performances. I have played in venues ranging from massive outdoor stages to tiny living rooms, from dive bars to front porches, breweries to farmers markets, the list goes on. And after all the shows that have stacked up, I spent the last couple years reflecting on why I started doing this in the first place. I realized some nights the shows became more about partying than the music. The late night gigs seemed to be taking a toll.
I had spent years taking any opportunity or chance to play music that was presented to me. I was losing focus of my intentions. My music has always been a reflection of my spiritual journey and it was time I slowed myself down enough to get back to my roots. I want the audience to see the honesty in my lyrics and resonate with the overall message I am spreading. The environment I decide to play in has a huge impact on my shows, and it was time I start to truly curate an experience at my concerts.
The last three years I have traveled the U.S. and performed in over 10 states. I have used my platform to curate events that include artists of all genres and mediums. These events could be described as a one-day, mixed-media festival. These events include local food, local artists, and pop-up vendors. The performances can range anywhere from a punk show to classical music with lectures or stand-up acts in between. The festival is meant to feel as a melting pot for all creative minds: a vulnerable space for artists to express themselves and connect with like-minded individuals.
This year I have put together a summer tour with these goals in mind. My intention was to give back to smaller communities and travel to towns where my music will have a positive influence on the local scene. I have teamed up with local artists, farmers markets, and festivals to curate events that will promote and support the immediate community. Each show provides an opportunity to speak with artists, farmers, town representatives, and community leaders about ways to connect and progress each area I perform in.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?
At the age of two, I began strumming acoustic guitars and writing songs. My family was never shy about their appreciation of music. Countless home videos from my childhood include my sister and I running around singing, playing with instruments and microphones. There wasn’t a moment that passed that I wasn’t performing to one family member or another. Whether it was telling a joke, performing a magic trick, or singing with my guitar, I was making sure to entertain anyone that passed. As I got older, the desire to perform grew and my focus on music became serious. Grade school brought talent shows, high school introduced downtown venues and house shows, and college gave me weekly residencies playing around town. I have always viewed myself as a songwriter more than anything. As much as performing and singing is important to my life, it has always been the melodies and riffs I write while playing acoustic guitar that truly give me my purpose. I learned early on that music is a medium for an artist to express the lessons and truths of the universe. Each song a connection, a memory, a stepping stone, a reflection. I used these ideas as a guiding factor for my decision to play music.
When I decided to play music for the rest of my life it was not a yearning for fame or a desire for money. I felt a burning inside of me to travel and share my message. The world has been a long series of life lessons, one after another. Each day reveals a new experience and a chance to learn. I wanted to take my journey and translate it through music. My soul wanted to see the world and I knew I was taking a life-long oath to explore and play my music everywhere.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
One thing that has changed tremendously in my lifetime is how we consume music. The internet and online streaming services have forever changed how we listen to music, and it isn’t necessarily beneficial. Apps like Spotify make uploading and streaming music extremely accessible. Although this allows any song to be available at your fingertips, many of these services take advantage of the musicians. Millions of streams only equal out to fractions of a cent per listen. A world that once bought physical copies and invested time in researching each artist can now shuffle through curated playlists without ever knowing the artists name. Don’t get me wrong, these playlists are a great tool and a terrific way to find new music. The issue is that younger generations will never be exposed to the old beauty of music such as shuffling through all the records in a music shop or reading the CD paper inserts while sitting in front of your stereo. I’m not asking the world to boycott these services. This is a call-to-action for more music listeners to get out to a live show, buy merchandise, spend time researching each artists’ journey, and deepen their overall connection to the music that fills their everyday life. Understand the work that goes into making music and you will begin to see how supporting local artists and going to live shows is one of the only true ways to support musicians.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
As a musician, you always hear about your favorite artists “selling out”. Your beloved rock n’ roll idol starts making cringy pop music and all you can think is “they must be doing it for the money”. Like I said, music is a spiritual outlet for me, a way to connect with the world and decompress. Hearing these stories of “selling out” I pledged to myself that it would never be about the money. And making songs that just have a quick appeal and hold commercial value just wasn’t going to cut it. When music has become your full time job, you have to learn a healthy balance between staying honest while receiving financial support from your performances. The term “struggling artist” hits a little too close to home when you’re a young kid traveling the country performing and just nearly breaking even. As my fanbase has grown over the years, new opportunities arrived that made it possible to live comfortably as a full time artist.
My songs are tiny memoirs and hold great meaning in my life. It isn’t always easy to find an audience who is willing to give the musician undivided attention, and a lot of times the band is there to be background noise. Many musicians use this small segment of time to showcase original songs they have spent hours of time writing and perfecting. As an audience member, we must listen with an open mind and realize each new artist is laying the ground work for the modern music of your time.
Countless times have we all heard the classic scream from the audience requesting a song to be covered. And we all have heard “freebird”, “brown eyed girl” being requested at venues around the world. I have traveled the country looking for unique spaces that provide a unique listening experience and promote the focus to the artists being showcased. It isn’t always appropriate to request cover songs, and artists like myself want to promote their original music.
This is why it is extremely important to support local talent, buy a ticket to the show, and grab a cd or shirt when possible! Being a traveling artist you invest your whole being into your work and will do whatever it takes to spread the power of creativity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/thebandwatkins
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/thebandwatkins
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebandwatkins
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChbMsSut3VGU-TfBsLOj-Bg
- Other: Store: https://thebandwatkins.myshopify.com/ Shows: https://www.bandsintown.com/a/238003?came_from=267&app_id=linktree-0000238003&utm_medium=api&utm_source=public_api&utm_campaign=artist
Image Credits
Taylor Davis