Singer/songwriter Ben Taylor’s recent performance at Infinity Hall was sold out. This musician is getting increasingly more attention these days, with more than a half-dozen albums and EPs. But Ben Taylor had to face some inner soul searching before he decided to make music his career. It wasn’t easy to be a musician when his parents were giants of their era, folk singers James Taylor and Carly Simon. He considered other paths, like gardening and agriculture. When Taylor finally decided at 23 to be a songwriter, his mom Carly Simon told him she would write a book of rules for him. She advised that you never write about what you don’t know, and let your songs be honest. His father James Taylor told him that it would be a difficult life because the times are not like they were in his day.
While in Los Angeles in 2001, Taylor met with drummer Larry Ciancia and a few other musicians, forming the Ben Taylor Band. He was signed by WEA’s Iris Records and released many albums, including “Listening,” an infusion of guitar , blues, folk and expressive lyrics. Raised in Manhattan and educated at various schools in New England, Taylor took up guitar at age 12. Before he was 20, his cover of the Beatles’ “I Will” had found its way onto the soundtrack of the 1995 Paul Reiser film , Bye Bye Love.
Joined on the Infinity Hall stage by fellow guitarist David Saw, percussionist Benjamin Thomas and vocalist Beth Mendes, Taylor presents an irresistible acoustic set of intimate melodies and harmonies. Between anecdotes of his life on the road, relationships , and his famous family, the 36 –year- old singer offers a captivating mix of songs from his six albums and EPs.
Ben Taylor Infinity Hall Live airs on WLRN TV on Saturday August 3 at 9 p.m.
