Singer-songwriter Sally Taylor, daughter of James Taylor and Carly Simon, showed up at Vienna’s Jammin’ Java Tuesday night for one of the last appearances on her summer tour. On Friday afternoon she was traveling with her band to a show in Trenton, N.J., playing a game of electronic Yatzee, when she took the time to answer a few questions.
<bt>How would you describe your latest album, "Shotgun"?
<bt>"It’s definitely got folk influences. It’s a demo-ish album. We recorded it fast."
<bt>How is the latest album different from your first two?
"There is a freshness to it. I can still bear to listen to it. Usually when you record an album you hear it so much that you get tired of it. But because we only recorded this one in a week, that’s not a problem."
<bt>What does the title of the album, "Shotgun," signify?
<bt>"It’s about riding sidesaddle, going on a whim, road trips."
<bt>What do you like, and what do you dislike, about touring?
<bt>"The good parts are being with the guys. I love fast food. I love seeing the country. It’s like a long adventure. But I miss my cats, I miss my fiance."
<bt>How does it feel to perform live?
<bt>"It’s letting yourself completely go, being human in front of people who don’t completely trust you. It’s very freeing, like the feeling of falling. It’s something you get used to, like the thrill of jumping out of an airplane over and over again."
<bt>How much did your parents influence your decision to begin a career in music?
<bt>"I didn’t think I would do music. I thought I would do anthropology. I didn’t think I would go into the same territory. I didn’t want to be judged by those standards. But people come out because they are curious about me, about how I’ll sound. And that gives us a chance to win some new fans, so that’s a good thing. When we first started making music, it was really daunting. There were so many people trying to sign me to a record deal without even hearing me, just based on my name. It felt really false. But now we’re really comfortable with ourselves, with our music."
<bt>Did those early experiences push you to record independently, selling your albums exclusively from your Web site, www.sallytaylor.com?
<bt>"Partly, yes. I also wanted to do it all myself so I knew I could deal without those other people."
<bt>Do you think your music sounds like that of either of your parents?
<bt>"The larynx is basically the same in everybody. But it’s the shape of the head that the sound resonates in. If you look at all like someone else, you will come to sound like them. So yeah, I sound like them."
To learn more about the band, hear sound clips, or order CDs, visit www.sallytaylor.com.