Ten Minutes with Sean Taylor

AT the heart of Sean Taylor's music is a desire to turn the world into a song.

His songs are of love, desire, heartbreak and social commentary, and he is an international touring troubadour.

Nominated for both 2023 and 2024 UK blues acoustic artist of the year award, his songs are best described as roots; influenced by blues, Americana, jazz, spoken word and folk music.

As well as a prolific songwriter Sean Taylor is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, guitarist, pianist, and harmonica player.

This week he took time out to talk to the Irish Post...

What are you up to?

I have just released my new single Way Down In Enniscorthy — a song inspired by a small town in Wexford called (you guessed it) Enniscorthy.

Which piece of music always sends a shiver down your spine?

John Martyn Small Hours gets me every time. It was recorded in the small hours by a lake so you can hear the birds and wildlife in the background. Perfection.

Which musician has most influenced you?

Tom Waits. The lyrics, songs, voice and live performances are special.

How did you get started in music?

I was trying to write songs even before I started to play guitar. In my teens the band of the day was Oasis. That made me pick up a guitar and start singing. Later I got into piano and somewhere in between harmonica. My first live performance was in 2001 aged 17 at the Virtually Acoustic Club in Angel, London.

Where do your Irish roots lie?

I was born in Kilburn. My family are Liverpool Irish. My gran was from Navan, Co. Meath and I’ve always felt a huge connection with Ireland. It truly is the land of saints and scholars.

Have you a favourite all-time singer or band?

Keith Jarrett or John Martyn. Both very different artists but their music takes me to a similar magical place.

What’s on your smartphone playlist at the minute?

JJ Cale. The coolest music ever.

What’s your favourite film?

24 Hour Party People or La Haine.

What is your favourite place in Ireland?

Galway is special. Great music, Salthill walks and the best pint of Guinness I have ever tasted at O'Connells on Eyre Square (although I don't drink any more, which is a good thing).

Have you a book that has been a major influence on you?

On The Road by Jack Keroauc. The book of a travelling artist which captures the danger of the road. When you are constantly moving things happen and we experience things differently. The road is my home as a troubadour.

Which trait in others do you most admire?

Creativity.

What would be your motto?

Give everything you got and then let go. I think George Clinton from Funkadelic might have said this.

Have you a favourite quote from the movies?

‘Why not?’ from The Wild Bunch. Warren Oates says it before he and his three friends take on an entire army.

Have you a favourite quote from a song?

‘There ain't no devil only God when he's drunk’, Tom Waits.

What books are on your bedside table at the minute?

The Grass Arena by John Healy. Beautiful, sad and brilliant. The true story of an Irish family in London which was made into a great film with Mark Rylance and Pete Postlethwaite.

In terms of inanimate objects, what is your most precious possession?

The albums that I release mean the most to me. They are little diaries of my life. The latest album The End Of The Rainbow is available for pre-order @ www.seantaylorsongs.com and is released this September. You see how I subtly got that one in there? Effortless.

What’s best thing about where you live?

Multiculturalism is the best thing about London. Different languages, food from all over the world and everyone looks different. This is what makes London so special.