Kim Taylor
Loveland, Ohio, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2015 | SELF
Music
Press
Somehow, I managed to find myself one step behind all week (if this blog post is any indication). Sundance is over. I’m back in NY, preparing to take a train back to Baltimore tonight to begin teaching the semester at Johns Hopkins tomorrow. What can I remember about the past 10 days in Park City? I’ll stick to the highlights.
1) The premiere of I USED TO BE DARKER and the party that followed. Big-ups to Tony Foreman for throwing a party that will go down in Sundance history and sending us away with a case of vintage Bordeaux that we savored all week.
2) Kim Taylor and Ned Oldham performing live. Check out their heartbreaking rendition of “Love Hurts”! - Baltimore Magazine
Somehow, I managed to find myself one step behind all week (if this blog post is any indication). Sundance is over. I’m back in NY, preparing to take a train back to Baltimore tonight to begin teaching the semester at Johns Hopkins tomorrow. What can I remember about the past 10 days in Park City? I’ll stick to the highlights.
1) The premiere of I USED TO BE DARKER and the party that followed. Big-ups to Tony Foreman for throwing a party that will go down in Sundance history and sending us away with a case of vintage Bordeaux that we savored all week.
2) Kim Taylor and Ned Oldham performing live. Check out their heartbreaking rendition of “Love Hurts”! - Baltimore Magazine
Kim Taylor's music combines emotional songwriting (a la Fiona Apple) with soulful jazz influences (a la Billie Holiday), and the result sounds mellow and evocative, with simple arrangements that don't distract from her smoky, exuberant vocals.
Taylor has been playing piano and singing at church since she was a girl, so writing and performing her own songs represented a natural step. She lived in Florida until she moved to Cincinnati to complete her (still-unfinished) English degree, and resumed performing once she arrived. But when the songs didn't seem as honest as she wanted, she stopped writing until inspiration struck again. Her new album is the warm, lovely I Feel Like a Fading Light. - NPR
Kim Taylor's music combines emotional songwriting (a la Fiona Apple) with soulful jazz influences (a la Billie Holiday), and the result sounds mellow and evocative, with simple arrangements that don't distract from her smoky, exuberant vocals.
Taylor has been playing piano and singing at church since she was a girl, so writing and performing her own songs represented a natural step. She lived in Florida until she moved to Cincinnati to complete her (still-unfinished) English degree, and resumed performing once she arrived. But when the songs didn't seem as honest as she wanted, she stopped writing until inspiration struck again. Her new album is the warm, lovely I Feel Like a Fading Light. - NPR
Strand Releasing has acquired U.S. rights to Matt Porterfield’s family drama “I Used to Be Darker,” three months after its world premiere at Sundance.
“Darker” also had an international premiere at Berlin and won the best narrative feature award at the Atlanta Film Festival.
The film will be released theatrically in the U.S. in the fall.
Story centers on a Northern Irish runaway finding herself in trouble in Maryland and seeking refuge with her aunt and uncle in Baltimore. Deragh Campbell, Kim Taylor and Ned Oldham star. - Variety Magazine
Strand Releasing has acquired U.S. rights to Matt Porterfield’s family drama “I Used to Be Darker,” three months after its world premiere at Sundance.
“Darker” also had an international premiere at Berlin and won the best narrative feature award at the Atlanta Film Festival.
The film will be released theatrically in the U.S. in the fall.
Story centers on a Northern Irish runaway finding herself in trouble in Maryland and seeking refuge with her aunt and uncle in Baltimore. Deragh Campbell, Kim Taylor and Ned Oldham star. - Variety Magazine
Kim Taylor and Ned Oldham at Sundance (EW photo shoot) - Entertainment Weekly
Kim Taylor and Ned Oldham at Sundance (EW photo shoot) - Entertainment Weekly
Matt Porterfield’s I Used to be Darker will have its world premiere at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival as part of the NEXT <=> section. Porterfield's latest effort follows his acclaimed docu-drama Putty Hill, which Roger Ebert proclaimed, “looks with as much perception and sympathy as it is possible for a film to look. ****.” David Jenkins of Time Out London raved, “This mesmerizing, formally daring film heralds a distinctive new voice in American indie cinema.”
I Used to Be Darker, Porterfield's third feature, is another step forward for this uniquely personal filmmaker, focusing on the domestic life of two working musicians. Fiction writer Amy Belk collaborated with Porterfield on the script, a heartfelt and emotional story of a family breaking apart. When Taryn (Deragh Campbell), a Northern Irish runaway, finds herself in trouble in Ocean City, MD, she seeks refuge with her aunt and uncle in Baltimore. But Kim (Kim Taylor) and Bill (Ned Oldham) have problems of their own: they’re trying to handle the end of their marriage gracefully for the sake of their daughter Abby (Hannah Gross), just home from her first year of college. - Sacks and Company
Matt Porterfield’s I Used to be Darker will have its world premiere at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival as part of the NEXT <=> section. Porterfield's latest effort follows his acclaimed docu-drama Putty Hill, which Roger Ebert proclaimed, “looks with as much perception and sympathy as it is possible for a film to look. ****.” David Jenkins of Time Out London raved, “This mesmerizing, formally daring film heralds a distinctive new voice in American indie cinema.”
I Used to Be Darker, Porterfield's third feature, is another step forward for this uniquely personal filmmaker, focusing on the domestic life of two working musicians. Fiction writer Amy Belk collaborated with Porterfield on the script, a heartfelt and emotional story of a family breaking apart. When Taryn (Deragh Campbell), a Northern Irish runaway, finds herself in trouble in Ocean City, MD, she seeks refuge with her aunt and uncle in Baltimore. But Kim (Kim Taylor) and Bill (Ned Oldham) have problems of their own: they’re trying to handle the end of their marriage gracefully for the sake of their daughter Abby (Hannah Gross), just home from her first year of college. - Sacks and Company
Later this month, successful Cincinnati singer/songwriter Kim Taylor will be headed to Park City, Utah, but not as part of any kind of concert tour. Taylor will be attending the annual Sundance Film Festival, one of the world's most prestigious film events, along with the other actors and participants from the new movie, I Used to Be Darker. The film was co-written and directed by Matt Porterfield, whose previous work, Putty Hill, drew scores of rave reviews. - Citybeat Magazine (Cincinnati)
Later this month, successful Cincinnati singer/songwriter Kim Taylor will be headed to Park City, Utah, but not as part of any kind of concert tour. Taylor will be attending the annual Sundance Film Festival, one of the world's most prestigious film events, along with the other actors and participants from the new movie, I Used to Be Darker. The film was co-written and directed by Matt Porterfield, whose previous work, Putty Hill, drew scores of rave reviews. - Citybeat Magazine (Cincinnati)
In a country as starkly divided as ever, with political chatter on numbers like the 1% and the 47%, it's the ideal time for Cincinnati songwriter Kim Taylor's brutal, brilliant "American Child" to be reborn in a new "Darker Remix." Originally conceived on her excellent 2010 album Little Miracle, Taylor's ode to unsettling social despair and a family's struggle with the current economic malaise gets a punched up production remake here thanks Taylor's recent studio time with Miracle producer and multi-instrumentalist Jimi Zhivago. The sound is richer and cleaner with a solid backbeat shot thanks to the addition of drums. Taylor's vocals, described here as "a concoction of two parts whiskey, one part smoke and one part sweet strap molasses", pulled front and center in the mix. "American Child" (Darker Remix) will be included on Taylor's forthcoming January album Love's A Dog and is available now via Kim's web store. - Direct Current
In a country as starkly divided as ever, with political chatter on numbers like the 1% and the 47%, it's the ideal time for Cincinnati songwriter Kim Taylor's brutal, brilliant "American Child" to be reborn in a new "Darker Remix." Originally conceived on her excellent 2010 album Little Miracle, Taylor's ode to unsettling social despair and a family's struggle with the current economic malaise gets a punched up production remake here thanks Taylor's recent studio time with Miracle producer and multi-instrumentalist Jimi Zhivago. The sound is richer and cleaner with a solid backbeat shot thanks to the addition of drums. Taylor's vocals, described here as "a concoction of two parts whiskey, one part smoke and one part sweet strap molasses", pulled front and center in the mix. "American Child" (Darker Remix) will be included on Taylor's forthcoming January album Love's A Dog and is available now via Kim's web store. - Direct Current
The next great troubador
Kim Taylor’s third full-length record features nine easygoing tracks, showcasing her songwriting as much as her smooth, rich vocals. Recorded in The Maid’s Room in New York City and originally released digitally last year, Little Miracle takes a cue from balladeers like Elton John and Carole King with wistful, heartfelt lyrics and piano-driven melodies. A country-tinged organ lifts “American Child” past plaintive nostalgia, and a percussive backbeat makes “Do You Ever Feel Lonely” a hold-me-close dance tune; meanwhile, Taylor’s soothing vocals glide from earnestly hopeful to somber and restrained on the poignant “Lost and Found” and the haunted “Anchor Down.” It’s a perfect Sunday-morning soundtrack, but most of all, it’s the sound of a great talent slowly coming into her own. - Paste Magazine
The next great troubador
Kim Taylor’s third full-length record features nine easygoing tracks, showcasing her songwriting as much as her smooth, rich vocals. Recorded in The Maid’s Room in New York City and originally released digitally last year, Little Miracle takes a cue from balladeers like Elton John and Carole King with wistful, heartfelt lyrics and piano-driven melodies. A country-tinged organ lifts “American Child” past plaintive nostalgia, and a percussive backbeat makes “Do You Ever Feel Lonely” a hold-me-close dance tune; meanwhile, Taylor’s soothing vocals glide from earnestly hopeful to somber and restrained on the poignant “Lost and Found” and the haunted “Anchor Down.” It’s a perfect Sunday-morning soundtrack, but most of all, it’s the sound of a great talent slowly coming into her own. - Paste Magazine
Taylor's sultry, pleading vocals turn her intimate tunes into wonderful, contemporary torch songs. - The Cincinnati Post
"[So Black, So Bright] powered by her silvery vocals and insinuating sense of melody . . . " - Larry Nager
"[So Black, So Bright] powered by her silvery vocals and insinuating sense of melody . . . " - Larry Nager
" . . . sensual, heavenly voice, perfectly suited to her writing style of intimate probing lyrics." - Rick Bird
" . . . sensual, heavenly voice, perfectly suited to her writing style of intimate probing lyrics." - Rick Bird
2002 Cincinnati Entertainment Award Winner "New Artist of the Year"
2003 CEA Nominee: Folk Artist of the Year, Singer-Songwriter of the Year - Awards
2002 Cincinnati Entertainment Award Winner "New Artist of the Year"
2003 CEA Nominee: Folk Artist of the Year, Singer-Songwriter of the Year - Awards
" . . . smart, gorgeous songs . . . a staggeringly accomplished debut." - Mike Breen
" . . . smart, gorgeous songs . . . a staggeringly accomplished debut." - Mike Breen
Discography
"Love's A Dog" (2013)
"Little Miracle" (2010)
"The Greatest Story" (2008) EP
"I Feel Like A Fading Light" (2006)
"Extended Play" (2004) EP
"So Black, So Bright" (2002)
Photos
Bio
While originally from South Florida, the smokey and emotionally dynamic music of Kim Taylor was birthed from the rolling hills within the socially complex milieu of Cincinnati, Ohio. Only the multifaceted cultural smattering within America's first great boomtown could have cultivated the wide range of pensive, soaring and intimate songs that make up Taylor's work. Over the years, Taylor has been handpicked by artists like Ron Sexsmith, Grace Potter, and Over the Rhine as tour support. A favorite of NPR's World Cafe and Paste Magazine, she has released four full-length records to date and has had her songs placed on a multitude of television shows including, among others: Smallville, Flashpoint, Cyberbully, Justified, Army Wives and, most recently, on the BBC's flagship television comedy, Stella. In 2013, Taylor made her acting debut starring in the Sundance and Berlinale selected film, I Used To Be Darker, along with Ned Oldham (Will Oldham, Old Calf). IUTBD was named one of the best independent films of 2013 by The New Yorker. Taylor is currently working on her first duet project, Water and Sand, with Blue Rose Records recording artist, Todd Thibaud. The project is due in the Spring of 2015.
“Organic… exciting. You can’t help but be captured by her writing.” – David Dye, The World Cafe
Kim's music has appeared on: Smallville, The Unit, One Tree Hill, Ghost Whisperer, Flashpoint, Eli Stone, Hawthorne, Army Wives, Cyberbully and most recently Taylor is the music behind Revlon's Run/Walk Charity commercial.
Kim has supported and/or toured with: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Ron Sexsmith, Greg Laswell, Over the Rhine, Ben Sollee, Maria Muldaur, Ollabelle, Ellis Paul, Aqualung, Grant Lee Phillips, and many others.
Most recently, Taylor starred in the independent film, I Used To Be Darker, which premiered in 2013 at the Sundance Film Festival and, internationally, at the Berlinale in Berlin, Germany. IUTBD will release theatrically in the US in the Fall of 2013.
Band Members
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