Check out this song that Bleu has made for Taylor

Bleu – Taylor Locke (Rex Of Rocke) by Bleutopia

You can even download the song for free.

Bleu has a kickstarter project going on where you can pre-order his new album “Four”. Pledge within the next 5 days and get some sweet deals out of it.

Taylor has kindly agreed to answer some questions for us. Each Saturday we’ll post a new question and answer. If you have any questions for Taylor or anyone else in the band, please e-mail it to us @ TLATRfan@gmail.com.

You have a number of guitars. Which is your “go to” guitar and why?

Taylor :

hard to pick one. i am very lucky to have built up a fine collection over the years. different guitars are like different colors in a painters palette. most contemporary rock music involves some degree of guitar “layering”. the choice of layers and sounds is what helps make a production vibrant (like a painting). when “casting” guitars for a recording, we’ll want to have some contrast between the guitars, so that each can be heard. on most roughs songs, chris and i each play a main rhythm guitar. his is positioned in the left hand speaker (or left ear on headphones) and mine on the right. then, additional ear candy parts, like leads, solos, textural things, are overdubbed and placed elsewhere in the mix (perhaps the center). over time, u learn what guitars are good for what kinds of parts. some guitars are more versatile, some are more specialized. like a toolbox. u can’t turn a flathead screw with a phillips head screwdriver, just as u can’t play heavy metal on a hollowbody. often if chris puts down his guitar part first, ill pick something different to contrast. for example, if he played a solid body, i may choose a hollowbody. or if he played single-coil pickups, i may choose a humbucker. sorry for the technical talk, but this kind of shit gets me fired up. i dig guitars and amps and effects. if i HAD to pick, i could narrow it down to 3 guitars. my yellow les paul special, my sunburst les paul, and my vintage gibson es-330. BUT…i would sure miss my other guitars. having said all this, the 1st tom petty and the heartbreakers record was made with just 3 guitars…tom had 1 stratocaster, and mike campbell switched between a telecaster and a goldtop les paul. (it is rumored that the heartbreakers now have close to 500 guitars in their collection).

Check back next week for the 2nd part of this answer

Check back next Saturday for the next “Question of the Week”.

Taylor and Chris will join Bleu and Mike Viola on stage at 11pm at the Hotel Cafe Show on September 22. Also joining them on stage is Ned Brower from Rooney and Matt Winter who was previously in Rooney.

Don’t miss the fun

Event on facebook

Related show

• Artist: Bleu & Mike Viola
• Date: Wednesday, September 22nd 2010
• Time: 9:00pm
• City: Bleu & Mike Viola in Los Angeles, CA
• Venue: Hotel Cafe
• Address: 1623 1/2 N. Cahuenga Blvd
• Country: United States
• Notes: Chris and Taylor joins Bleu and Mike Viola on stage at 11pm along with Ned and Matt from Rooney. Bleu’s website : http://bleutopia.com/ Check out the event on facebook here : http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=154179684599385&ref=ts
• Add to Google Calendar | Download iCal

Taylor has kindly agreed to answer some questions for us. Each Saturday we’ll post a new question and answer. If you have any questions for Taylor or anyone else in the band, please e-mail it to us @ TLATRfan@gmail.com.

Is the sound and feel of the 2nd album “Marathon” any different from the first?

Taylor :

there are songs that mirror the style of grain & grape songs, but also songs that have styles we didn’t do on the first record. everything was carefully considered and culled from a large batch of songs, just like the first record. expect some things that are familiar, and some things that are not. exciting, eh?

Check back next Saturday for the next “Question of the Week”.

Here’s the update all of you lovely folk have been waiting for!

Two new shows have been announced first one is Friday, September 17th in Las Vegas at the Beauty Bar, it’s apart of the Neon Reverb Festival
More info on the festival here on their website http://www.neonreverb.com/

Second show is Saturday, September 18th in Los Angeles at The Mint.

And last but not least, The Roughs second album is mixed and is due out before the end of the year. It’s called “Marathon” and has 10 tracks.

So, there it is! I hope some of you can make it to the shows and who’s excited for “Marathon”?

Related show

• Artist: Taylor Locke & the Roughs
• Date: Friday, September 17th 2010
• Time: 7:00pm
• City: Taylor Locke & the Roughs in Las Vegas
• Venue: The Beauty Bar
• Address: 517 Fremont Street
• Venue phone: 702-598-1965
• Country: United States
• Admission: $15
• Buy tickets
• Notes: As part of Neon Reverb Music Festival. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=143046235728125&ref=ts
• Add to Google Calendar | Download iCal

• Artist: Taylor Locke & the Roughs
• Date: Saturday, September 18th 2010
• Time: 7:30pm
• City: Taylor Locke & the Roughs in Los Angeles
• Venue: The Mint
• Address: 6010 West Pico Blvd
• Venue phone: 323-954-9400
• Country: United States
• Admission: $7
• Age restrictions: All Ages
• Buy tickets
• Notes: Taylor Locke & the Roughs go on at 10pm. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=131535956891090
• Add to Google Calendar | Download iCal

Taylor has kindly agreed to answer some questions for us. Each Saturday we’ll post a new question and answer. If you have any questions for Taylor or anyone else in the band, please e-mail it to us @ TLATRfan@gmail.com.

How was the recording / making of the second album different from the first?

Taylor :

it many ways it was similar. chris and i worked around the clock. 14 straight days. often 12 hours a day. having charlotte involved on bass and vocals was different. it was a nice addition. her background vocals are prominent on a couple songs.

Check back next Saturday for the next “Question of the Week”.

Taylor has kindly agreed to answer some questions for us. Each Saturday we’ll post a new question and answer. If you have any questions for Taylor or anyone else in the band, please e-mail it to us @ TLATRfan@gmail.com.

Robert from Rooney has mentioned that he makes demos while Rooney is on tour. Do you ever make demos for the Roughs while on tour, or is it easier to get the right sound/feel when you sit down with Chris?

Taylor :

no demoing. if an idea hits me, ill throw it down in my cell phone or write it down. chris and i write collaboratively, and save the ideas on our cell phones. chris made demos for the 2nd record, but they were extremely raw and lo-tech. it was helpful for mikey and charlotte to get a feel for the songs. because we have our own studio and we self-produce, we aren’t keen to spend a whole lot of time on demos. we’d prefer to cut out that middle step, and go from writing straight to recording.

Check back next Saturday for the next “Question of the Week”.

Taylor has kindly agreed to answer some questions for us. Each Saturday we’ll post a new question and answer. If you have any questions for Taylor or anyone else in the band, please e-mail it to us @ TLATRfan@gmail.com.

Any good new music you can recommend? My iTunes is lacking.

Taylor :

emitt rhodes. sloan. jesse winchester. mike viola.

It’s been mentioned a couple of times that you’re a Shania Twain fan. Are you a fan of Shania, her music or is it an inside joke?

Taylor :

not a joke. big fan.

Check back next Saturday for the next “Question of the Week”.

Taylor has kindly agreed to answer some questions for us. Each Saturday we’ll post a new question and answer. If you have any questions for Taylor or anyone else in the group, please e-mail it to us @ TLATRfan@gmail.com.

Knowing what you know about major labels, would you ever consider signing the Roughs to a major label if you were approached by one?

Taylor :

it would really heavily depend on the exact terms being offered. i would never say never, but its unlikely, unless we found a label that truly “got it”. 

It was recently mentioned that the Roughs will play shows again in September, will these mainly be centered around LA?

Taylor :

yes, but perhaps we’ll get out of town a little too. its too soon to say. 

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Whether it’s a major label or not, it seems like they’ve signed with a label. Grain and Grape will be re-released and the 2nd album will also be released via a label. Hopefully we’ll have more info on that soon.

taylor hit the half-way mark on the rooney tour.this fall: grain & grape + album 2 will be released on a proper label.playin shows in sept!
Source : The Roughs’ Twitter

grain & grape re-release + album 2 + fall shows. details soon.
Source : The Roughs’ Facebook

UPDATE 07/30/10

The Roughs have not signed with any labels yet. Chris just gave us this information (check comments). Thanks Chris

Nothing has been signed yet. We’re merely out talking to people and it is our plan to release the two records in a big way through a sympathetic company. But we haven’t committed to anyone yet.

Check back next Saturday for the next “Question of the Week”.