 Credit: Stacie Huckeba Nashville-based artist Lynn Taylor's songs are narratives that tackle both life’s angels and devils. On his third release with his band the BarFlies, Staggered (February 9, 2018), Taylor continues this path while revealing a deeply personal side on songs surrounding deep grief. Recently, Taylor answered his Essential 8 and discussed Staggered, his prized possession from a fan, and more! With any particular song, was there an "a-ha" moment when you felt it was completed and perfect? Writing the lyrics to "Staggered." My wife, Kim, was in the hospital in Orlando. We had to stay there for 4 or 5 weeks. Our kids were at home with my parents. My mother-in-law and I would take shifts staying with Kim. On one of my breaks, I'd gone for a long walk, meandering through backstreets, trying to get lost. I was working on the lyrics as I walked. Stopped for lunch, wrote down what I had so far. Found my way back to the hotel. Showered and finished the song. I sent they lyrics to Larry O'Brien, and he came up with the halting kinda clumsy waltz. I knew that "Staggered" would be a cornerstone to whatever I recorded next. Is there a story behind your album's title? Staggered was the best way to describe how I felt the summer of 2015. Pushed, pulled but hanging on. I noticed that several people depended on me greatly, and I depended greatly on several others. It was an awkward dance through life, being beat down and propped up simultaneously. Why did you chose to close the album with "Crumble Away?" I had carried the idea for this song for a while. I heard a woman on the radio speak of a piano that was in her backyard as a piece of lawn art. I became fascinated with the idea of composing on a decomposing piano. The song was fleshed out towards the end of Kim's illness. The piano ended up on the porch. It speaks of losing Kim incrementally as well as from Kim's perspective, of me not taking care of myself. Again, Larry beautifully set the lyrics to song. It seemed to be the natural end to the record. When/where do you do your best writing? I don't write very well sitting down with paper and pen. It's far better for me to write in my head, at work, or while driving, or walking, saving phrases into my phone. I then transfer to paper, rearranging phrases like putting a puzzle together.  Where do you draw from when writing?
Like most writers, I draw from the deeply personal to the dramatically fictional. Most of the new record is personal, but there's also songs like "Macon" and "Mountain Jack Marmalade" that are observational or complete bullshit. Favorite or first concert you attended? 2010 was the year of the concert. I saw lots of my heroes that year. Bob Dylan, John Prine, Levon Helm, Neil Young, Van Morrison. But the best show was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. They played two and a half hours. Maybe 2-3 songs off of their newest release, Mojo, but the rest were hits that were the soundtrack of our lives. Simply amazing. Do you have a favorite gift from a fan? Many years ago I was in a band called Felix Wiley. We played every Friday night at Windows on the Cumberland in downtown Nashville. An elderly woman named Bea Stoops, would come to see us most of those nights. One night after a show, she said that her deceased husband had an old banjo up in her attic that hadn't been taken out of it's case since the 1950's. She asked if I'd be interested in having it? Absolutely! It was a 1927 Gibson Mastertone! One of my prized possessions to this day. Have you ever met one of your heroes? If so, how did it go? I've been a fan of the Bad Livers since the early '90's. In 1997, they came to Nashville for two shows; Billy Block's Western Beat and a show at the old Sutler. Billy's show was packed. The band was sandwiched between 2 loud electric bands. When the Livers took the stage the crowd was loud and the volume was low, making it difficult to hear them. After their set we left to head over to the Sutler and catch their second show, when we saw Danny Barnes, front man for the Livers. I walked up to him and said a rather stupid thing, "Tough show." Barnes immediately got in my face. He said something like "I don't give a fuck about the drink or the food, all I care about is the music. Do you understand that?" Veins popping out of his forehead. I cowered away and headed over to the Sutler. The only audience there were me and my 5-6 friends. But you could hear everything perfectly! A great show. Afterwards Danny said a funny thing. He apologized for getting pissed but said, "It does me no good for someone to point out that my rear tires are stuck in a ditch!" Website Purchase
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