My friend Adam Taylor has launched a Kickstarter campaign for the forthcoming CD for his band, also called Adam Taylor, ironically enough. I kind of went back and forth about whether or not I should do a blog post about this. I mean, it's not really Alice-y, and it's not really about me. But I've written about him before, and some others, and this is a project that's really close to my heart.
So I'm going to take a moment to ask you to consider helping Adam Taylor.
I first learned about Adam through his older brother, Chad Taylor, on his Facebook last fall. Chad is a founding member of both Live and the Gracious Few, my previous and current favorite bands, respectively. Chad is also an accomplished music and film producer, and an all-around nice guy. Chad and I had met and chatted many times before he asked his Facebook fans to give his brother a listen, so I thought, "Why not?"
Turns out, Adam's a genius. Seriously. His music is smart and funny and really damn good.
And guess what? He's not Chad.
Musically, he's nothing like his older brother. They didn't really grow up together; Chad was already a young musician with a burgeoning rock band, Live, by the time Adam dropped into the world. There are similarities in their personalities and their work ethics. They're both cute brunets with facial hair who love their friends and family. Oh, and they both play guitar. That's about it.
Seriously, I'm sure there's something more, but don't expect Adam to play like a younger version of Chad. It's just not happening.
But when I gave Adam a shot, I realized I adored his music. He did an interview with me about my fiction project, much like Kevin Martin (Candlebox, the Hiwatts, the Gracious Few) did, and it turned out that I really liked the guy. He's just nice. He's also an amazing performer, as I discovered for myself at Smith's Olde Bar in December 2010.
So now he's almost finished recording his new album but needs help raising the $6,000 to make the CD and go on tour. I can't imagine that anyone wouldn't hear Adam Taylor and go, "My God! This kid's a genius!" (Okay, so maybe not everyone would say it. But even if you're a die-hard metal freak who doesn't like anything but four guitars speed battling for screech, you have to admit the guy is unbelievably talented.)
The music business is a nightmare right now, and the economy sucks. But budding musicians need the opportunity to have their talents heard and judged. Please consider supporting him, or some other musician, by donating $1, $5, $10, or whatever you think their music is worth to you. Think of yourself as a neo-Renaissance Patron of the Arts. Great classics of art and music would never have been created were it not for the original patrons and groupies who paid to support their favored aesthetics.
You can go to his Kickstarter page and watch his video. You can also check out his debut EP, Play the Piano Drunk, though my Amazon aStore links at the right of this page. If for some (insane) reason you decide that he's not worth your $1, take a look at some of the other projects being featured on Kickstarter. I guarantee you'll find something that tickles your fancy and could use your help, and you can say you were there when.
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