Rider Essentials: Jarred Taylor

Jarred Taylor has offered the first taste of his upcoming debut album, tipping his hat to classic rock and country music on Loved You Right.

Since performing I Won’t Sleep Tonight as a Grand Finalist in the 2020 Toyota Star Maker contest, the Australian country singer shot to the top of the iTunes Country Singles Chart and subsequently won the International Songwriting Contest as an unsigned artist.

Taylor was also the first-ever recipient of the John Minson Scholarship to attend the Country Music Academy of Australia. He has supported the likes of Dragon, Mental As Anything and The Wolfe Brothers across the country.

“I decided I wanted to try to write something outside of the normal when it comes to break-up songs - I know I’ve written my fair share for someone who’s happily married,” Taylor explained in a press release. “I wanted to create a world around the song that people could follow along like a movie or a book listening to the lyrics and hear the story unfold right before their ears.”

He continued, “For the first time in my life as a musician, I think I can finally say that I've created something that I'm finally mature enough to appreciate.”

You can listen to Loved You Right below.

To celebrate the release of Loved You Right and learn more about Jarred Taylor, we caught up with him to find out what’s necessary for life on the road on this week’s Rider Essentials.

1.      Headphones

Well firstly!! Without a doubt, headphones. I always like to zone out before hitting the stage for a gig – it’s just this calming ten minutes before I get on stage and rock out where I can turn off the world and just get centred. There’s nothing like some Motley Crüe or Queen to get you ready to put on a killer show. Always amps me up to do my best!

2.      A can of Red Bull

Second, a Red Bull. It’s almost always known that I’ll turn up with a Red Bull in hand to a show or practice with the excuse like, “I love the taste”, not that I’ve been working my ass off before turning up or chasing my twin toddlers all over the house. It's not just a want; it’s a need to make sure I can function to the best of my ability as a dad to six children and look after my band on the road!!

3.      The ‘Oh, Shit’ bag

Third, but one of the most important things I must take on the road is my Oh Shit! Bag. A while ago, a good friend of mine, Beau Hatch from the Viper Creek Band, said to check his bag for something I forgot at a duo gig, and now I have the Oh Shit Bag, which has all my spare strings, capos, tuners, pedals, leads - all the essentials you either forget or lose on the road!!! Now I’m always stocked up, so I don’t forget anything!

4.      Photo tin

The next item I have to take on the road is a special one to me - it’s a small tin that holds polaroids and photos of my family, my amazing wife and beautiful children to remind me of home. Why I’m doing what I'm doing out on the road and that I have an amazing family who supports me while I'm touring all over the place when I can't take them with me, but I’ll always have them with me this way.

5.      Snacks

Lastly, something I always take on the road is snacks; I always have a stash of goodies in my car with me to make sure the boys in the band and I never go hungry on the road because stopping at every other service station between towns can be so costly but also, I always pick the best snacks because of my dad skills. It’s a force of habit, but on the road, I always take the dad role, and dads always have snacks!