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Singer-Songwriter Taylor Hollingsworth Brings Folk N' Roll Sound To The Woodshop

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Music News

Birmingham, Alabama, native, folk artist, guitarist, and eclectic Southern singer-songwriter Taylor Hollingsworth is bringing his folk n' roll soundscape to The Woodshop this Friday, August 14th.

Hollingsworth is a versatile musician whose self-dubbed folk n’ roll, psychedelic country sound blends elements of blues and folk that shift between tender fingerpicking and booming rock n’ roll.

In the early 2000s Birmingham music scene, Hollingsworth made waves as part of the band Verbena, before becoming frontman for his group, Taylor and the Puffs, which ultimately led to more solo work, where, in 2005, he released his debut solo album, Tragic City, a raw, loud, fast-paced southern rock and blues record. This put Hollingsworth on the map locally.

Following that period of his career, Hollingsworth became a member of Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, not only playing guitar but writing songs for the group starting in 2007.

He then formed a band with his wife, Katie Taylor, around 2011, called Dead Fingers, which released the hit song “Ring Around Saturn” on their self-titled debut album in early 2012. The song has well over three million streams on Spotify, and captures Taylor’s vocals, lyrics, and psychedelic bluesy soundscapes aptly.

While being able to shift between group projects and solo work effortlessly, in the last several years, Hollingsworth has been dedicated to his solo career and mastering his one-man show. For many years, he spent time steeped in the local scene, crafting his solo material while being somewhat of a house musician, playing residencies at local bars and mastering his one-man band sound in Birmingham, which is evident on his latest album.

His latest album, Folk N' Roll, is scheduled to release on August 21st of this year, with songs ranging from more bluesy, gritty tracks like “Shady People” to the sunny, upbeat folk tune, “Sunday Driver,” each capturing one of two sides of his folk n’ roll sound.

In speaking with Hollingsworth about his career, how his songwriting has evolved over the years, and how his musical identity has changed, he mentioned always wanting to do a solo act, but that the one-man-show approach developed over time.

“I knew I wanted to come up with a solo set that I wanted to make a living with, and I wanted it to be very versatile, but I didn’t want it to rely on anybody else, and I still wanted it to be exciting.

At first I had a guy playing a big drum and a snare with brushes, but over time he just naturally worked his way out and got busy doing other things, and I had already kind of admired someone playing solo, where they are getting the biggest sound they can out of one person. It took trial and error, but I know I wanted to find a way to do that.”

“In some ways the songwriting itself is the same. You want to come out the other end with something you like, something you can share. Early on, I didn’t factor in the performing aspect of it live really at all. I had a hard time performing live because I played it all myself. When I started, it was more garage and psychedelic rock. Real lo-fi. Everything was done on four tracks, and I had no money, so it developed over some time.”

When asked about returning to Chattanooga and performing at The Woodshop again, this time as a headliner, he detailed how excited he was, and that he prefers playing smaller venues and cities to the bigger ones.

“I’ve played the Woodshop once before, just for a short set for their Tuesday Bluesday. This will be my first time playing there with it being my show. I’m excited. I like playing in the smaller towns more than the big cities. I like a laid-back feel. I like to be able to pull my van up to the club, load in and leave it there, not worrying if I am going to get towed.”

Taylor Hollingsworth is a storied and lauded Southern artist with a career that spans two decades, being both a celebrated band member for incredible groups while forging an impressive solo career, reflecting a mix of tender, more acoustic-driven folk tracks with gritty and gravely rock n’ roll soundscapes, marking him as one of the more unique acts in the Southern roots music scene. This is an evening not to be missed at one of the most intimate venues in the Scenic City.

Taylor Hollingsworth