You might have seen Maria Taylor play with Azure Ray or Now It's Overhead. You might have heard her on a Bright Eyes recording. Hell, you might have heard her on an episode of Grey's Anatomy.
Regardless of where you heard her before, know this: Maria and her sweet voice will be on display later this week at Dan's Silverleaf in Denton. And, to help promote that Thursday night show, the Saddle Creek-signed performer -- her most recent solo album for the Nebraska-based label, Overlook, was released back in August -- was nice enough to talk to us about her first show experiences.
And one of them sounds very similar to a certain other, recent My First Show guest also signed to Saddle Creek.
Read more after the jump.
What was the first show you remember seeing? Were you with your parents?
The first show I remember seeing was Cyndi Lauper. She was my idol. At 7,
I knew every lyric by heart and would sing in front of the mirror pretending to be her everyday after school. When my parents told me
she was going to play in Birmingham, I could not believe it! My
dad took me to the show and said that the look on my face when she
walked out on stage made him cry. I sat on his shoulders for most of the
concert and, though my memory is spotty, I still can remember the
overwhelming excitement of watching her perform the songs that I loved
with all my little heart.
What was the first show you remember paying money to see? Anything you can brag about today?
I think that would be INXS on the Kick tour. I was in love with
Michael Hutchence and even had a life-size poster of him on my wall.
Ziggy Marley opened the show, which was great as well. I remember Michael
Hutchence throwing roses out to the crowd, but, unfortunately, I wasn't
close enough to catch one.
What's the worst show you've ever seen?
Well, I have spent a good portion of my life in clubs watching bands
play. A band called Seeds and Stems comes to mind as one of the worst.
But sometimes when bands are so bad, it's entertaining and fun. My
friends and I have laughed about Seeds and Stems for about 15 years now.
Bob Dylan in Atlanta about 10 years ago comes to mind as one of the
most disappointing shows. We were so excited to see him perform, and he
seemed like he would rather be anywhere else, doing anything else. He
didn't talk to the crowd, there was no chemistry with the band members,
and it sounded terrible.
What can you remember about the first Azure Ray show?
The first Azure Ray show was a sad occasion. My boyfriend had just died
and we had written all of these songs that were helping us cope with
everything. We had a night where all of our friends and family got
together. We played those songs, which later would turn into the songs
on our first Azure Ray record, and lots of other friends got up and
played songs. It was an emotional night full of love and tears.
What can you remember about the first time you played Dallas?
I remember this night distinctly. We were with our first band, Little Red
Rocket. We played at a club in Deep Ellum. It was a crazy psychedelic
club that had different levels and different themes. I remember hearing
the dance music thumping through the floor as we were playing. The next
day, we went to the grassy knoll and the conspiracy museum!
