This week’s Brewery Arts Center show brings the sounds of southern Louisiana to Carson City when Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble come to town.
Coming from the heart of Creole country, Taylor has fused the flavors of his home with other genres to create a unique style of zydeco music.
“This old flavor music, I wanted to put another spin with some soul, R&B and rock to it,” the musician said. “I just kept adding elements that’s going to catch everybody and just turned it into a rocking show.”
Since zydeco music isn’t as common as other music, Taylor said sometimes he is playing to audiences who don’t know what they’re in for.
“To me, it’s watching the people that have never heard of the band; they don’t know what to expect,” he said. “Then all of a sudden the show gets started and if they were sitting down then it’s like, BLAOW, everybody’s dancing.”
Taylor plays the accordion and there’s also drums, guitar, bass, keyboard and a washboard. The music is up-tempo and meant to keep the party going and keep the audience dancing. Taylor is also known for his soulful, bluesy vocals.
“We travel with a five-to-six-piece band and mostly we just blow it out of the water,” Taylor said.
The band has been on a two-week tour on the West Coast, with shows in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, California and now Nevada.
Carson City will be the last stop of the band’s tour then they’ll take the van back to Louisiana.
“This will be my first time passing through here,” he said. “We’re looking forward to it.”
CELEBRATING 20 YEARS
Taylor is celebrating 20 years with his band in 2023. He began his career at age 16 touring with other bands playing drums, and he gained an interest in playing accordion and learned how to do so while on tour. Then in 2003, he was ready to start his own band.
Reflecting on those 20 years, he said he can’t believe the growth they’ve had from starting from the bottom playing in small clubs and just trying to get their feet in the door.
“Now we’re playing in cities all over and people are calling for the band now,” he said. “Now we went from that to this, in 20 years. It took a while, but I mean it’s working.”
He said things have gotten easier because he has more connections and appeal so he can string a bunch of dates together for a tour.
The band has toured internationally with shows in France and London, but Taylor said he hasn’t traveled to Europe in a few years because of the pandemic slowing everything down.
NEW ALBUM COMING SOON
In his 20 years as a band, Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble released five albums, and there is a sixth in the works. The newest album will be a bit different than the zydeco.
“It’s time for me to go to the next level,” he said. “We’re trying to catch the whole world with this record.”
He said the album is hard to explain, but it’s a little bit of everything and includes his views from traveling and watching the people who he performs in front of and a little bit of what they all like.
He said it’ll sound like ’70’s soul music, like some James Taylor songs. Some songs may even have more of a country vibe to them. He said he just wrote whatever popped into his head.
“I don’t just write a certain type of music,” he said. “I just started writing all these songs and want to record them.”
The Carson City crowd might get a preview of some new music, but he said he’ll wait to get here and see the vibe to plan the show.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble with opening act Rachael McElhiney & Her Friends at Brewery Art Center’s Levitt AMP Concert Series
WHERE: 449 W. King St. at the Brewery Arts Center
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5
MORE INFO: breweryarts.org; www.curleytaylor.com