Julian Taylor's Folk Evolution: From Misfit to Musical Storyteller, ep. 340

About this episode

Julian Taylor discusses his musical journey, the importance of truth in storytelling, and the influences that shaped his work.

One of the things I [lizzie] really enjoyed about interviewing Toronto-born singer-songwriter Julian Taylor is his relationship with the truth. He has a really peaceful attitude towards learning and sharing new information. For example, at the beginning and the end of our interview, there were biographical facts about him that I had gotten wrong in my research. Gently and matter of fact he fact-checked me and we just moved on. It was such a cool example of, "Oh, you've got this a bit wrong and it matters that we get it right," but nothing about that is personal. In an era of misinformation and alternate facts, it feels really grounding to have an hour-long conversation with someone who really cares about getting it right. That shows through in his songs and in his storytelling. Julian experienced an eclectic musical upbringing thanks to his classical-and-gospel musician father, his mother’s love of Motown and folk, and wide influences from pop to blues. Oral tradition in his family shaped how he tells a story. Especially on his mother's side with his Mohawk grandfather, a pastor who told incredible stories. He also discusses being pigeonholed by race and genre. Oftentimes, people…

People in this episode

Host: lizzie

Guest: Julian Taylor

Topics covered

• musical storytelling
• truth in music
• cultural influences
• identity and genre
• oral tradition

Keywords

• Julian Taylor
• musical influences
• The Ridge
• storytelling
• identity
• folk music
• cultural heritage

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Ridge

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