10 questions with Taylor Hunnicutt
Courtesy artsBHAM
Local singer-songwriter on music, roots and upcoming performance at Sloss Fest, which will be July 14-15.
Q: How did you get your start in music?
A: I sang in choir from a young age, but as I got into my teens, I started looking for other outlets for my creativity. I begged for a guitar for Christmas, and my parents got me one when I was 17. As a senior, I auditioned for a vocal performance scholarship at Montevallo and got it.
Q: Your roots are in blues, soul, country and Americana. Tell us a little about how these genres came to influence you and what draws you to them.
A: I worked in a fried chicken juke joint called Champy’s while I was in college, and that’s what sparked my love for blues and soul music. I would walk around the restaurant, waiting on tables, not noticing that I was singing out loud. Eventually the bands playing heard me and they started pulling me up on stage. Growing up in Maringo County, I was, naturally, brought up on country music — just the “good stuff.” I can remember dancing with my grandfather to Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and Tom T. Hall. I got more into the Americana scene when I moved to Birmingham. It seemed like a perfect fit for me, and on my off days when I can just listen, that’s what I gravitate toward.
Q: When did you realize you wanted to become a musician?
A: I started really focusing on trying to learn the guitar right after I left Montevallo. As I was saying before, working at that restaurant and singing with live bands was the most exhilarating thing I’ve ever done. It still is. So, I started to form a band with the help of some friends who saw my potential, and I just couldn’t get away from it. It truly is my passion.
Q: What topics and experiences do you like to explore in your songs?
A: Ever since I learned my first few chords on guitar, I tried to write about everything that was going on in my life and the lives of the people surrounding me.
Q: Tell us a little about your creative process for songwriting.
A: I tend to lean toward simpler songs. If I had to pick one artist, I think I unintentionally model myself after, it would definitely have to be John Prine. I just love his honesty. I almost always write about what I know: where I grew up, love and loss, etc.
I’m sure a lot of people would say that this was not the right way, but I usually have one-liners or melodies stuck in my head throughout the day. I jot them down when I get home and I try to build around that. My dear friends and two of my favorite songwriters, Ryan Sobb and James Mullis, have pushed me to try to write something down every morning. That is resulted in some of my better stuff so far, I think.
Q: You’re also currently are a member of Black Jacket Symphony. Tell us a little about that.
A: Being in Black Jacket Symphony is, to date, one of the best things that have happened to me. To be involved in and a part of a group of the best musicians around, well, honestly it still doesn’t make sense to me. Not only are the musicians so devoted and talented, but the production crew/management are as well. I could not be happier to be happier to be a part of the BJS family.
Q: What are some of your goals for the future of your music and songwriting?
A: My main goal is just to be better at connecting with an audience, whether it’s 1,000 people or one. The main reason I do this and bare my emotions through my songs is in hope that my words will help someone get through the same things I have. I’m working on it. I’d also really love to co-write more with people from different backgrounds.
Q: In what ways do you feel your music has evolved/grown over the years?
A: For the longest time I tried to repress my roots in country. The older I get, the more it shows and I’m completely OK with that. My earlier songs/style weren’t as genuine. At 25 years old, I’m more comfortable in my voice and my skin and that is a good feeling, let me tell you.
Q: How did you find out that you would be performing in Sloss Fest?
A: I was actually in Pensacola at the Sanger Theater in my dressing room, about to sound check with BJS before the show that night. Dan [Drinkard, of Seasick Records] gave me a call, and once he asked me if we wanted to be a part of Sloss Fest, I tried my hardest to contain my excitement. You can probably guess how well that worked.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about performing at Sloss Fest?
A: I’ve been to Sloss Fest the past four years, and I’ve seen so many of my favorite artists perform there. I’m humbled that I even get to be on the lineup this year. July can’t get here fast enough.
Get tickets to Sloss Fest at https://www.slossfest.com/.