edited by courtney marie
photos by Leah Jones
artwork by Marco Zavala
Spiderweb Salon is absolutely pleased to bring you the newest release from our Songwriting Scholarship, in collaboration with this month’s talented recipient Taylor Teachout and our dear friends from Shiny Sound Recording Studio! We have been enamored by Taylor’s musical voice for the last year or so at least, so we were thrilled to include her on this project.
Corbin Childs (owner of Shiny Sound, drummer, guitarist, synth-lord, and onion-shaker extraordinaire) and Jacob Greenan (studio musician, king of the keys, and Shiny/Spiderweb mainstay) spent the day with Taylor and her pal Court Hoang working together to record her song, 64 Days. Nervousness be damned! what came out of the studio that day is a masterpiece to behold! Give it a listen here (or twelve), check out the beautiful contribution of artwork created especially for the piece by Marco Zavala, and enjoy our exclusive interview with Taylor about her recording experience, musical influences, and beyond. We think you’ll love it.
Tell us a little bit about your journey with music.
I remember writing songs for my dogs when I was really little. I got a guitar for Christmas when I was 12 and was always grounded for something or another so I checked a book out from the school library and taught myself how to play. My dad and uncles who all live up north play, and so did my grandfather who passed before I met him. A shared love of music has helped me connect with all of them in such a special way.
When you knew you'd have a half-day at Shiny Sound to record this song, how did you feel about it?
I was SO excited! I’ve had some ideas for this song for a while but have not had a way to put it together. Also it’s just such an honor for anyone to take interest in my music!
What were your anticipations for recording?
I am not very musically educated, so trying to explain my ideas to people who actually know what they are talking about can be really intimidating. But everyone at Shiny Sound took the time to understand what I was trying to do and make something like I’ve never made before. I was nowhere near as nervous as I expected to be.
What was the recording process like for you?
I was crazy nervous at first but everyone was so nice and it ended up being a really cool experience! I learned a lot and I hope I get to record something with Shiny Sound again.
Can you give us a little background about your song, "64 Days"?
I dated one of my closest friends in high school for exactly 64 days before we broke up. We tried really hard to go back to being friends. I surprised him with cupcakes and candles to celebrate a year of friendship and that kind of stirred up all of the hurt from the relationship all over again. Long story short, we tried to date again in college and remain friends to this day.
What are your interests and passions outside of music?
Human rights have always been important to me. Right now I’m really interested in the future of elderly care from the perspective of holistic care and helping people live full lives even in long term care.
What or who are some of your influences as a musician/artist/writer?
I’m really influenced by old country and folk music, like Lead Belly. I also really love early Dolly Parton because she tells stories in such a way that you wonder if she has really experienced those things.
What would you like to accomplish creatively this year?
My main goals this year are to write more songs and play more shows. It’s not a very specific goal (which means I can’t fail) but it’s something to keep in mind when I start to chicken out of playing a set.
If you loved the concept of this project, YOU'RE IN LUCK! We got to wondering, why don’t we do this all the time, with many different musicians, to create a whole catalog of new songs and sounds? With that simple idea, Spiderweb Salon’s Songwriting Scholarship has been born! We’ll be working with Shiny Sound Recording Studios, a lineup of professional studio musicians, and a new musician every month to record an original piece of music to share with the world. If you’re looking to get involved, send along a submission, and if you just need an awesome place to record your next project, look no further than Shiny Sound.