Still Rockin' It - Cheryl Lee
Still Rockin' It - Cheryl Lee
What has Taylor Sheridan been up to lately? OR From Farm to Fame
Join Cheryl Lee - That Radio Chick on STILL ROCKIN' IT for news, reviews, music and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musician
Taylor Sheridan brings us directly into his world, where farm life, fatherhood, and music converge to create something uniquely authentic. Growing up on his father's mobile animal farm in Victoria's Macedon Ranges taught Taylor responsibility and connection from an early age – lessons that now infuse his songwriting with genuine emotion and purpose.
What makes Taylor's musical journey fascinating is how organically he found his way to country music. Unlike artists born into the genre, Taylor first fell in love with the soul stylings of Stevie Wonder before gradually discovering that his natural storytelling abilities aligned perfectly with country traditions. "I just write music that I like," he explains, revealing how his approach transcends genre limitations while honoring the storytelling heart of country music.
The conversation turns deeply personal as Taylor shares the inspiration behind his new single "Stories," written at a pivotal moment in his life. With fatherhood transforming his perspective and a national tour with Jimmy Barnes on the horizon, Taylor finds himself looking forward rather than backward for the first time. "Now having a daughter, it's the first time in my life where I've been looking forward to what's to come," he reveals, describing how this shift influences his creative process.
His five years touring with Taxiride provided an education in connecting with audiences through music that serves others rather than ego – experience that continues to shape his authentic performance style.
Whether discussing his ambassadorship for youth mental health through the Life Changer Foundation or reflecting on the Michael Jackson performance that changed his life trajectory at age eleven, Taylor embodies an artist committed to genuine expression and meaningful connection.
Join us for this intimate conversation with one of Australia's most thoughtful country voices as he prepares to share stages with Jimmy Barnes while navigating the beautiful chaos of new parenthood.
Listen now to discover the stories behind the storyteller.
What has Taylor Sheridan been up to lately? Let's find out!
Get out when you can, support local music and I'll see you down the front!!
Visit: ThatRadioChick.com.au
That Radio Chick Cheryl Lee here. Welcome to the Still Rocking it podcast, where we'll have music news, reviews and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians and artists. Today we are speaking to Australian country music artist from Victoria's Macedon Ranges, taylor Sheridan, as he shares his new single and video Stories ahead of a national tour with Jimmy Barnes. With Stories, taylor takes stock of life about to dive headfirst into a new chapter, a new single, another run with Jimmy Barnes and his first go at fatherhood. He said I wanted a song that reflects where I am right now. These are the moments that will make one hell of a story someday. Please enjoy our chat with Taylor Sheridan. To catch up on podcasts from other favourite artists, simply go to thatradiochickcomau. Now, what's that hat?
Speaker 2:you've got on, it's a big freeze. So basically, Neil Donahoe, yeah, big thing in Victoria. Brain cancer yeah, exactly. So a lot of us Victorians are wearing it. Good on you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think so. It's a great cause yeah.
Speaker 2:I agree.
Speaker 1:Taylor Sheridan, let's get started shall we, let's do it.
Speaker 2:You're with Shirley, that radio chicken I'd like to welcome into the Zoom room today, country musician Taylor Sheridan.
Speaker 1:Thanks for joining us today.
Speaker 2:Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:You've got lots of things on the go at the moment. In fact, I think I'm going to see you here in our beautiful town of Adelaide.
Speaker 2:Yes, I've got two shows in Adelaide, which is very exciting.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you've got one at the Murray-Downer-er Duke joint. That's you, isn't it?
Speaker 2:And then you're partying, that's just me by myself, yeah, yeah. And then the Entertainment Centre on Saturday and it's going to be a big, big weekend in South Australia. And it's nice to kick off those shows in South Australia too, for a couple of reasons One, jimmy's from Adelaide and two, my fiancée's from Adelaide to my fiancée's from Adelaide, so I've got a big family connection to the place. So I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 1:Is she? I love that yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, I've spent a lot of time in Adelaide, so I'm very fond of your little part of the world.
Speaker 1:What area is she from?
Speaker 2:She's from Greenwith.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know Greenwith.
Speaker 2:We've been together for seven years and when I was in Victoria I'd go back and forth and drive there quite a lot.
Speaker 1:so yeah, I love, love, adelaide, love the whole of South Australia really yeah, it's a good spot it is a great spot being an Adelaidean and of my vintage, of course I'm a Jimmy Barnes fan, so I bought front row tickets, so I'll give you a wave oh, we'll definitely make sure you wave out and I'll be looking out for you.
Speaker 2:It's going to be an amazing show.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but apart from that, you've been very busy with a brand new single and video called Stories. I know that you're from a Victorian country town, is it?
Speaker 2:called.
Speaker 1:Kyton, kyton.
Speaker 2:Yes, If you're a local, you just drop the T. So it's Kyton.
Speaker 1:Right In the Macedon Ranges, which sounds absolutely beautiful, and you grew up on your parents' farm. My husband's actually from a farming community in Victoria.
Speaker 2:I have to ask you because he'll ask me.
Speaker 1:Crops, sheep. What have you got on your farm?
Speaker 2:We've pretty much got every farm animal you can kind of poke a stick at really. And that's because my dad a job, he is a mobile animal farmer, so he takes his animals to schools and to events, and so I grew up, you know, before school I would feed, I'd be bottle feeding cows and lambs and goats and and then I'd go to school do that thing and then I'd come home and do it all again. So it's in my blood really. So I guess music's a little bit of a know, a bit of a sidestep. I mean, I've loved it for such a long time but when I was really young it was pointing towards that thing and then I sort of went that way.
Speaker 1:So any crops.
Speaker 2:No, all animals.
Speaker 1:I love what your dad does. That's a great concept. It's really important, especially for city kids, that are closer to animals.
Speaker 2:Yeah, city kids, that is closer to animals. Yeah, definitely, and I think you know, when people haven't had that much interaction with animals and looking after animals from such a young age, I think it makes you a little less self-absorbed, because it's like, well, if you don't get up in time, these animals literally rely on you. And as I've gotten older, it's just a part of who I am, like I just need animals around me because it just feels like it's just so familiar and it just feels like home.
Speaker 1:Exactly. Was there any question about there being any other type of music other than country? Is country music in your veins?
Speaker 2:Country music is something that I've kind of grown into. Really, I think when I started I started, my first love was like soul music and now I fell in love with Stevie Wonder and like that sort of generation of music when I first got into it and then, as I've gotten older, I just found that my little niche, especially with songwriting, is I tell stories in my music and then it just kind of has found its way into country music. But you know, I think for me I infuse a lot of different inspirations and influences and that's the great thing about music is you can take your favorite things from every genre, put it together and hopefully get something new. So for me I just write music that I like. At the end of the day people just go oh that's, you know, that's a country song, or that's this song, or that's that song. So I don't really mind what genre I sort of dabble in at that time. I just love making good music. You are listening to Still Rocking it, the podcast with Cheryl Lee.
Speaker 1:It's playing one of the songs from one of the artists that was influential in Taylor's introduction to music. One of his favourites, stevie Wonder. Let's have Living for the City. This is from his album Number Ones in 2007. Then back to find out some more about Taylor Sheridan's music music tell us about the single stories, or just quickly first, though, I was actually speaking to Kevin Boric last night.
Speaker 1:I don't know if you know him, but he's my vintage or it's Express Party. Boys la-Das have things moved from the old album to? Everyone seems to be releasing singles and then another single, and then another single. Is this part of a release? Is there an album coming?
Speaker 2:I released an album last year called Tribidor and that was a long time in the making. That took me like the better part of five years to make, and it was such an incredible experience and you feel like as an artist you're putting something together that has this common thread. And I do understand the singles market because you know you've got more content, especially with social media now. Everything happens so fast and the lifespan of a song is so short, so people just churn out singles, which we are in a singles world. But for me I think I have to be working on something a little bit more deeper than just a song. You know like I think it all has to lead to one thing. So I've just had a baby, so I'm not spending a lot of time at the moment making an album. I'm just waiting for the album to kind of unravel, but there will be an album. I'm just waiting for the album to kind of unravel, but there will be an album, but probably not in the near future.
Speaker 1:I'm with you, taylor. I love the story of an album, you know from beginning to end flipping it over part two, the whole, you know reading all the gatefold, is it?
Speaker 2:The line of notes and all that yeah.
Speaker 1:All of that. What Kevin was saying was that it is a, you know, an instant gratification world now, isn't it?
Speaker 2:totally. And you know the lifespan of a song is, you know, maybe eight weeks and then you know it kind of goes out in the dozen sting. But in saying that you know back when people were selling vinyl or cd's, you know like people would always be getting the new. You know like, at least now online it's always there. I've got music that people stream now and I released it 12 years ago. Yeah Well, to them it's new. So I can see how the singles market is the way to go, I think, to be an artist. Album is still king. Album is still king.
Speaker 1:Yay, I love it. So tell us about the single though stories. There's a little bit of a background to it, isn't there?
Speaker 2:yeah, so stories. So, as I said, I just become a father for the first time and I'm just about to go on tour with Jimmy. I'm just hyper aware of what's going on in my life right now. I think that I'll talk about forever and I know that, like in years to come, like I'll say to her hey, your your first tour, we're on tour with Jimmy and you know, like me, navigating fatherhood, it just feels like I'm someone that is very nostalgic and I love the past and I glorified, I think, a little bit. Now having a daughter, it's the first time in my life where I've been looking forward to what's to come. This story is only going to get better and better. So, you know, in a nutshell, I just wanted to put out a song that was encapsulating how I was feeling, like all these incredible stories that I've had so far. It feels like the first act, and now I'm on this other part of my journey, it feels like the second act. So it just felt like the appropriate song to have at this time.
Speaker 1:And how old is your little daughter?
Speaker 2:She's six months old. This is where it all begins. Yeah, she's amazing and I just feel so grateful. And it it all begins yeah, she's amazing and I just feel so grateful. And it's already impacted my writing so so much, and even with the album I put out last year. I'm so glad I put it out before she was born because it captures who I was before that in that part of my life, and I'm looking forward to what's to come now. I'm really interested to see how that comes out in my music.
Speaker 1:I guess she's just a tiny bit young. She hasn't shown any musical attitude following Dad's footsteps.
Speaker 2:I mean, look, I think she's a genius, but that's just me.
Speaker 1:I'm sure she is genius. My five children are all geniuses.
Speaker 2:Five Whoa.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you've got a bit of catching up to do, you two.
Speaker 2:Yeah, look, I think I might just stick to one for now.
Speaker 1:Good on you. Parenthood, that's the most important job.
Speaker 2:I agree.
Speaker 1:Still rocking that podcast with that radio chick, cheryl Lee. Here it is now let's have a listen. Stories by Taylor Sheridan and we're about to speak to Taylor again shortly. There's been some, you know, pretty snazzy people who've had the pleasure of playing with you Pete Murray and Vanessa Amorosi, and now Daryl I didn't realise this until today, actually, that you played with Taxi Ride and toured with Taxi Ride.
Speaker 2:I did, I did. I was their support act in 2015 and I was doing a little bit of touring with them around the country and then, all of a sudden, one of the guys couldn't tour anymore and they asked me if I'd basically auditioned. But it wasn't really an audition, it was a gig. I had 10 days to learn the show and I ended up touring with them for five years.
Speaker 1:Oh, well done. I still feel you're all right then.
Speaker 2:Look, I think they were desperate, but that's just between you and you and me. But no, it was. Being in that band was like going to university. I learned how to perform to people that have attachment to your music. That was a really amazing thing because people would come up to me after the show and say, oh, you know, I had that song at my wedding or at my 21st, or that reminds me of this. To see people attach themselves to those songs, you respect the music even more. It's not so much about you, it's just how you can present the music best for those people to go on a bit of a time capsule or whatever, and I think my writing there's a distinct difference between before Taxi Ride and after Taxi Ride. Right, all I can say is that I went to uni and hopefully I graduated with flying colour, but we'll see.
Speaker 1:Would have been a pretty big learning curve, I guess.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I was very green going into it and I played instruments that I'd never played before and also, being in a vocal band, you know my voice can be quite can stand out a lot when I was with them. I had to harmonise. So, even learning how to do that and manipulate my voice in a way that you know would fit those voices, it was just a oh. I can't speak highly enough of that experience and the only reason I stopped doing it was to, you know, pursue my own career. But you know, god, playing in a band was like a feeling that I can't really explain. You are listening to Still Rocking it the podcast with Cheryl Lee.
Speaker 1:Let's hear Taxi Ride's biggest hit Creeping Up Slowly the most played song on Australian radio in 2002, peaking at number six on the Australian Aria Singles Chart. And then we're back to say goodbye to Taylor. Feel the needles, the pins, get them out of my head. Take a chance on a room. I've heard from a friend there's something that's gonna change. What age did you pick up the guitar and what age did you realise that you know music was your thing? Did you have an epiphany? Did something you fell into, grew into?
Speaker 2:I remember I was 11 and I was sitting at home and I didn't really know much about music. Grew up in a small community, you know you play footy, basketball, cricket. That was kind of my life. And I remember at night the 30th anniversary of Michael Jackson's solo career came on TV. Yeah, I watched him with his brothers at Madison Square Garden. I had no idea who he was. It blew me away.
Speaker 2:Then, when I got into music, and then you just people would burn me cds with like Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, and then James Taylor and and all this incredible old school Elvis even, and then I just really set me alight and then I felt like you know, I wasn't very academic, but if I heard a song I could pretty much sing it back to you straight away. Wow, so it would like that would stick to my brain and I think I was trying to find something at that age that I could find that was my own and I felt like music was that. That. I was like, okay, this is something that I can actually sort of comprehend, because nothing else is really making that much sense in my life, but this is they sort of did have a little bit of an epiphany like that mich, that Michael Jackson show set you on a path, totally yeah.
Speaker 2:And I still hear that music now and it's like so deeply in my it feels like almost spiritual, because it's changed the trajectory of my life. Yeah, I'm still such a fan of it Like I still love listening to new music. I love new artists, I love old artists. I'm such a nerd when it comes to music history. Yeah, I just love it.
Speaker 1:It's in your DNA, by the sound of it. I think so I just also wanted to touch on Life Changer Foundation. You're an ambassador for that for youth mental health.
Speaker 2:Thank, you for doing that. That is a great cause also to get behind.
Speaker 2:Thank you. They are an organisation that prioritise mental health in schools, so it's like when you've got subjects like maths and English and science. Well, these guys are trying to basically make a subject of you know of how to maintain your mental health and some tools on how to be the best self, and one of the pillars is they try and get people that have followed their dreams or have done the work on their own mental health to advocate and be calling heroes for the kids and for me as a kid. I was a really shy kid and pretty low self-esteem. So to be as a performer now and to work through all that, to kind of come back to that place. When I see these kids, they remind me so much of myself, so I just get to give back. But in saying that, I think I get more out of it than I actually give. I love being a part of it. I love the concept of it. It just feels like I'm doing something that's worthwhile.
Speaker 1:I agree totally, you are for sure. I'm sure our time's nearly up. You are absolutely flat chat from here right through until December. You're going everywhere, man, all over the place, some with Jimmy and some on your own. So to see when Taylor is coming to a town near you, go to wwwtaylorsheridancomau.
Speaker 2:Jump out on my Facebook, on my Instagram, and you can see all my tour dates and there is going to be a tour announced very soon oh, watch this space. That is scoop that is a scoop. You've heard it first year.
Speaker 1:I will let you get on with your day. Was there anything else at all, taylor, that you would like to mention? Anything important we've missed?
Speaker 2:I don't think so. I think we've had a great chat. You think you've got, you've covered it all pretty well.
Speaker 1:Great, I'll see you on the 7th.
Speaker 2:I'll look forward to seeing you in the front row, not tomorrow, but the day after.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I'll be looking out for you.
Speaker 1:Excellent, all right.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for sitting down and having a chat and sharing your time with us today. Yeah, right back at See. Ya Still rocking it. Podcast with that radio chick, Cheryl Lee.
Speaker 1:Let's play the title track from Taylor's last album, troopador. You're with Cheryl Lee, that radio chick. Thank you so much for joining me on the Still Rocking it podcast. Hope to catch you again next time. Get out when you can support Aussie music and I'll see you down the front.