This Month's Featured Artist

Photo By: Kevin Matsanka

Taylor O’Connor

Guitar/Vox for progressive funk rock band Mosey Beat

March 13th 1991, Taylor was born a natural wordsmith and is a self taught guitarist. As a multi-instrumentalist, he has been developing his voice and lyrical content all the while writing and performing for over two decades. Taylor's sound has developed into a rock and roll lead while retaining the warm and mellow styles of his acoustic background, lending to a truly unique approach on the guitar that is capable of blending genres and pushing boundaries.

RG: Which guitarists have had the greatest influence on your playing style, and how have they shaped your approach to music?

O’Connor: I would say there are a few guitarists who influenced me as I was learning electric guitar. Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen and Carlos Santana were three of the first that I really enjoyed for their approach to guitar. I always dug the way Jimi would throw in blue notes and utilize the trem bar on his strat, I also dug Carlos’ ear, the notes he chose and scales he would use just always felt great to me and I wanted to shape similar lines. Ed is just a heavy guitar player’s dream, he uses these seemingly poppy melodies but in a way that feels so real and raw, Ed’s not like a fusion guy but when he rips, he rips! After those three, I think the guys I spent the most time listening to and wanting to figure out their style are Jake Cinninger, Guthrie Govan, and Rob Compa. I can’t say enough about Jake’s approach to the instrument, his creativity is unmatched and it’s like there is no ceiling. He’s such a great performer too, I am always a “Jake Side” kind of guy. Guthrie, although I can’t play nearly as quick as him, is a guy I love listening to. He is another jack of all trades player and I think his approach to rock music, specifically his solo work and work with The Aristocrats is incredible. I can listen to him all day. He’s another one who uses the trem bar in such a unique way that I love trying to emulate certain sounds. Rob is an amazing guitarist, his approach to melody is what I really dig. He seems to play the guitar in a way that makes it feel like it’s speaking, but it’s so clean and calculated. Definitely a treat when he’s ripping with Dopapod. It’s difficult to put into words the reason I dig all of these guys, really I just think to me it’s how I want to hear music.

RG: When did you start playing guitar, and do you currently play any other instruments?

O’Connor: I started playing guitar in 2005, I was a freshman in high school and I had been playing the drums since 1998. My older brother was renting a guitar and wasn’t really practicing for his lessons so I would pick it up and mess around with it and I got hooked. My dad let me borrow his acoustic guitar then until I got my own guitar the next year, it was a red Ovation that was acoustic/electric. Super easy guitar to play but I unfortunately sold it when I was in college to pay a speeding ticket. My Taylor 214 was my first “really good” guitar. I still play the drums and I also play keyboards which I learned when I was thinking about going to school for music education.

RG: How did you first discover the Jake Blade, and what was your experience like the first time you used one on your guitar?

O’Connor: I first discovered it when I saw Umphrey’s McGee for the first time at the Mann Music Center in August 2013. I remember looking at Jake’s guitar and thinking, what is that on his tremolo? Which is a question I get every time I play out now. I always liked using a tremolo, but I wouldn’t use the bar cause I thought it was in my way, so I dove in and figured out what it was. I think it was a year or so afterwards that I bought one for my 1991 Charvel STX. I had to grind the post so it would fit into my trem system but I still have that one on that guitar! I now have a Jake Blade for every guitar I have bought since, I feel naked without one!

Photo By: Derick Fiedler

RG: In what ways has using the Jake Blade enhanced your playing or changed your sound?

O’Connor: It was an immediate game changer and it instantly made everything I was doing with the trem so much better. I could dive notes, add subtle vibrato on chords and use it for raising harmonics, kinda like an Eddie thing. The possibilities are endless, whatever you are hearing you can create!

RG: What’s your go-to guitar for most of your playing, and what makes it special to you?

O’Connor: This is a hard question to choose one, so I am gonna say I have two guitars that I have been rotating in and out the past year or so. My number one is a Honeyburst G&L Comanche with a red tortoise shell pickguard. That thing is an absolute blast to play, it covers every style I need. My second is a Blue burst maple top Charvel Pro Mod DK24. It’s so clean looking and it has such a good sound for rock and fusion, the stock pickups are honestly amazing and the Gotoh trem is great for the Jake Blade. Between those two it’s always tough to decide which one to play because they both are amazing instruments.

RG: Are there any exciting new projects or collaborations on the horizon that fans should look forward to?

O’Connor: My band Mosey Beat just released an album called “Breakfast for Champions” and it’s available everywhere you stream music. The Jake Blade is sprinkled all over that record, with both of my previous guitars mentioned. Other than that our website always has our shows listed and we are lining up some more shows for the summer and beyond in the Northeast.

Video By: Karl McWherter