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“blew
me off my presupposing haunches” — HM Magazine "Down
Goes the Day" displays Taylor's knack for writing deeply personal
lyrics that have universal appeal, and melding them with moody &
intense music. While acoustic-based at its core, Taylor's music borrows
a number of colors from an extensive musical palette. Although "organic"
is perhaps overused to describe a lot of modern rock, it seems the most
fitting tag for Taylor's work. Supporting Chris Taylor on the musical
adventure are a number of Nashville's finest talents, including Jerry
McPherson (guitar), Steve Brewster (drums, percussion, loops), Blair
Masters (keyboards), Mark Hill (bass), Matt Slocum (guitar, cello) and
vocalists Michelle Palmer, Chris Harris, and Chris Rodriquez.
Starting with the core elements of Taylor's voice and acoustic guitar, producer Steve Dady blends in keyboards, strings, ethnic percussion, exotic drum loops and good old fashioned electric guitar. It's a captivating and eclectic mix from a guy who admits "I don't think I had really decided what I wanted to do with my music until this record. What I do best is write three, four, five chord tunes that have a groove going and have some interesting little things happening in them. I wasn't interested in making a record that had a lot of solos or "stuff" going on. I wanted this record to be more about rhythms and lyrics than solos. It's really a live thing. Most of the songs were done in one or two takes. It's not like we went in and said, 'O.K., let's painstakingly piece together this tune.'" But Taylor says one thing he is painstaking about is his lyrics. "When I sit down to write, I follow the inspiration to its conclusion. I don't necessarily stop after three verses and a couple choruses, and think I've got a song. If it takes two pages or fifty, I write it. Then I say, 'What's the absolute best of all this stuff?' This record is exciting to me because it's extremely bold. I hope that people will be refreshed and think 'Wow, I've never heard God talked about in this way before.'" --excerpt from iMusic.com on Down Goes The Day CHRIS, ON DOWN GOES THE DAY: "...Choosing the right producer was something important for my first official solo deal. We found that man in one Steve Dady who has done ccm stuff, but I was more interested in the work he had done with some Korean artist overseas. I soon found myself in a one room flat in Brentwood, Tn. living & recording a record in the cold and crazy month of November. I had a super-sonic studio band who paid close attention to the previously recorded live demos & achieved the feel of how I wanted to approach the record as opposed to a live set....despite the cold weather & overcast skies, rain & snow... we made a thick warm record to wrap around anyone who tries it on for size. I've called it "Down Goes The Day" which is about, among other things, The beauty of the morning & the emotion of the setting sun. If you've heard any of my other music-comparitively speaking-This is a Chris speaks to God/God speaks to Chris record. Leave the middle man out this time." HISTORYCLIP, CIRCA '97: "1997 was one heck of a year to be me... most of you probably wondered where I've been and what I'm up to musically. In February, I picked up my guitar & some friends along the way, booked some time in San Antonios' Edit Point Studio & recorded new songs -all live- in about five hours. To round the project off, I picked my favorite songs written & recorded during the Love Coma days & mixed them in for good measure. A few weeks later, I released the music as a cassette-only release entitled "always...forever...now". These tapes were quickly gobbled up & sold out during several solo dates in the Texas area. Now, the financial & musical burden of Love Coma had set in & before things got too out of hand, I decided to set the band down & focus on practical things like working & being a husband! It's funny when you become part of Gods' plan, instead of cramming Him into ours, things tend to fall into place. April rolled around, I found myself at GMA again, but this time with a renewed purpose. Met up with Word A&R man Brent Bourgeous, he fell in love with a couple of the new tunes & had me come back to Nashville in July to record them. "Good Thing" & "Bright & Morning Star" both came off without a hitch as we recruted players such as longtime Rich Mullins drummer Aaron Smith, Sixpences' Matt Slocum on guitar, bass player Brent Milligan, as well as good friend, and fellow San Antonian, Ed Morales lent a hand on some rhythm guitar parts & background vocals. I even got Mr. Bourgeous to sing on each of the tracks...These guys recreated what they heard in the Edit Point sessions & added in their own spices along the way. Over the next month or so... after examining each of my options... I knew Word Records was not where I needed to be musically. I forged ahead to a smaller lable out of Texas, who had shown an interest in my music. Rhythm House Records seemed cool to get involved with & with such a focus, both spiritually as well as musically- I could not & would not refuse. I started writing a ton of new material-some of it actually good! And then songs started writing themselves. But the foundation had to be laid before the songs could arrive (in their recorded form that is). Contracts were signed, the new band was formed-including Love Coma drummer Chris Dodds, (now going on eight years as the man behind me pounding & thrashing those drums into oblivion!) as well as a fine cast of other musicians. Management hooked me up with Streetlevel Artist Agency the people who have brought you the greats like Phil Keaggy, Julie Miller, Mike Roe & 77's. They are going to be booking us gigs in the coming months across the country. Look for [Down Goes The Day] to come your way in June of this year. There is a possibility to get this album in a pre- release form as early as April through our web-site. You guys have been so committed & such great supporters. Hope you will sink your teeth into my 1st real record. It is for you- Thanks for being so patient. Sometimes the only thing in between you and God is your own will. My 2¢ worth is to get your will out of the way, so God can pave your way & be a light unto your path." - ct God
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