Maria Taylor

Birmingham, Alabama's Maria Taylor
photo by Autumn De Wilde

MARIA TAYLOR has had a full life. A multi-instrumentalist singer-song-writer born into a musical family Maria has been in bands and on the road for over half her life. Her third solo effort, “LadyLuck,” overflows with moving narratives and self-reflective stories. Performing April 21st at Madison’s High Noon Saloon, Maria was kind enough to answer some questions via email.

MAXIMUM INK: What’s your take on luck? Do you consider yourself superstitious?

MARIA TAYLOR: I think that luck is a state of mind. If you believe that luck is on your side….it probably is. I also think that the energy we put into the world comes back to us, giving us a hand in our own luck. On being superstitious ... I guess I feel similarly. I feel like if you believe in superstitions… they can manifest themselves in your life.

MI: When you were with AZURE RAY you got tagged with the dream-pop label. Have any of your dreams ever been incorporated into your songs?

MT: I’ve incorporated dreams into a couple of songs. “No Stars,” from,” Lynn Teeter Flower,” was about a dream - a dream of a devil!!

MI: You’ve relocated numerous times – the latest being L.A. – what drew you to the city and if I waited around long enough will you eventual move to my home town?

MT: There’s a good chance I might be your neighbor one day. It seems as though I get the “five year itch” and need a change of scenery, but I have a feeling I’ll be in LA for a while. I wanted to go somewhere warm, someplace I had never lived and someplace where I already had friends. Los Angeles seemed to fit the bill!!

MI: “LadyLuck,” was recorded in Nebraska, Georgia and California. Was this intentional, a matter of seizing opportunities or a result of your restless spirit?

MT: It just so happens that my good friend Andy Lemaster lives in Athens and my good friend Mike Mogis lives in Omaha. Not only do I feel extremely comfortable working with them, but I also feel that recording with them is one of the more fun things I ever do. They are both hilarious and hear music the same way I do… it makes working together effortless and we’re always laughing.

MI: How do occupy your time on the road?

MT: There is really not a lot of free time on tour. I usually drive all day, sound-check as soon as we pull up to the club, eat dinner, play show, pack up, drive to hotel, collapse, wake up and start it all again.

MI: Your songs have been featured on a number of television shows. Why do you think your songs make a good fit for sixty minute dramas?

MT: Maybe it’s because I’ve watched way too many sixty minute dramas in my day. I’m writing FOR them and don’t even know it. Maybe it’s because my life is like a long, long sixty minute drama. Who knows…?

MI: You began your musical life at fifteen – where do you see yourself in twenty years?

MT: In twenty years….. I see myself having a house in Birmingham, Al and a place in LA. I see myself having a really funny, honest, loving, caring husband that is the best dad to our two kids. (I’d like to have three, but feel like I’ll only have two…) I see myself having a studio in the house so that I can work all the time with my family a shout away. I hope that my husband enjoys cleaning. I simply cannot do that.

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