What a year it has been. As a working musician, I guess the prep of playing and writing at home hasn’t changed dramatically but the change in collaborating and meeting up with other musicians has definitely been missed, almost as much as not being able to play live. I have missed that so very very much.
A typical day this last year has revolved around playing guitar, taking a daily walk and Zooming friends and family.
One might think that playing on a daily basis and writing would have been quite straightforward, but in reality, pushing yourself to do it without the goals and incentives of playing live at times has been a struggle. I’m lucky to have a supportive partner who has helped and made staying positive easier than it otherwise could have been. I’ve also been lucky that in the break between tiers last summer I was able to get down to London and record some of the songs I’d been working on. A visit to the studio wasn’t just a cathartic experience; it also reminded me of why I love doing this job so much. Working with friends at The Animal Farm helped to put things into perspective, and meant I had songs to release.
Whilst I’ve steered away from doing gigs online this last year, I did do a challenge of playing a cover song every day last June. This was not just great fun, having to learn the track, actually first and foremost deciding which tracks to play, but also resulted in people who wouldn’t have connected with me previously looking into what Christopher Taylor’s music is all about. I’d like to hope that this helped in making my music more accessible.
My latest single, “By My Side”, written and recorded in lockdown, is out now. Why not check it out and let me know what you think. I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to play it live this summer, all being well!
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