By Matthew Tracy
Updated: November 14, 2019
Arlington’s Taylor Carson has seen tremendous success in the past few years. His latest album, “With Innocence,” has led to a number of music videos and live gigs. Before it was released, Carson performed at an event hosted by former President Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton to benefit the Clinton Foundation Millennium Network. To top it off, he recently performed with American Idol winner David Cook.
Yet despite his success, Carson prefers to stay home in Arlington, where he does the majority of his songwriting. “It’s always nice to be able to go and sleep in your own bed,” Carson says. “And it’s always a lot less lonely.”
Carson prefers writing at home partly because it allows him to spend time with his wife and 10-month-old daughter. According to Carson, this time with his family inspires him to write more than ever before.
“I’ve really gotten into just playing guitar around the house for (my daughter) just because she’s really gotten into it,” he says. “And because the guitar’s always in my hands now, I’ve been coming up with more ideas.”
“Go Amaze,” his sixth studio album, is set for release later this year. And he and his band are currently working on yet another record.
“And then if the songs do get super popular then it’s like, cool, then I’m touring again,” he says. “But everything’s got to be right, everything’s got to fall into place organically. I’m not willing to go and slug it out with all the millions of bands that are in a van.”
While spending time at home with his family definitely influences his work, Carson tries to write lyrics with the listener in mind as well.
“I try to keep my lyrics pretty universal. I don’t want to make them strictly about my life,” he says. “For some reason there’s a handful of five fans that I always go back to, and I’ll never tell them who they are. But I wonder how my lyrics are very important to them.”
Carson and his band’s performance at the Iota Club this Saturday will be the band’s first outing in seven months.
“I’m really excited to be playing at Iota,” Carson says. “That’s the first place I ever played when I was 20 years old.”
Carson’s Iota Club show, alongside the Lauren Calve Band, is this Saturday, March 7, at 8:30 p.m.
