Dusty-Altcountry-Americana = Taylor Shae

Jonson Kuhn | New SCENE

If you make it a point of catching NOCO music, then Taylor Shae will already be familiar to you because this local talent has been steadily making a name for herself over the last few years.

Taylor has been rocking stages at festivals and venues across Colorado since 2016. Though only in her early 20’s, Taylor’s singing styles have already been compared with legends Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow, and Susan Tedeschi.  Many of her songs are like campfire stories of outlaws and dreamers, where Taylor comfortably resides somewhere between both.

So far, Taylor has independently released four albums and a handful of singles and has earned awards for her craft, such as Sustain’s Backyard Songscape Competition in 2020, eTown’s Handmade Songs in 2017, and she’s just getting started. Currently calling Fort Collins home, you’ll catch Taylor performing as a duo or, recently, with a full band, amplifying the alt-country/rock energy many of her songs lean into.

On Saturday, January 28, you can see what all the talk is about for yourself as she’ll be taking the stage at the Magic Rat for a free show at 8 pm. Taylor recently sat down with New Scene to talk a little about where she’s from and where she’s going. Here’s what she had to say.

New Scene: Are you originally from Northern Colorado?

 Taylor Shae: Yes! I grew up in Longmont, and I’ve been living in Fort Collins for the last 4 years. I graduated from CSU in 2021 and now work at the Music District.

New Scene:  I’ve seen you play at the Magic Rat often over the years, is there anything about that venue you prefer over other spots around town? Other venues people can see you at?

Taylor Shae: The Magic Rat is part listening room and part hanging out vibes, which is the best of both worlds a venue can have in my opinion. Everyone is super friendly & the sound is amazing, which are the top reasons I love to play there. I often find myself debuting new original tunes at the Magic Rat, since the audience is so in tune & attentive. An upcoming show after the rat that I’m excited about is the Winter Walkabout Music Showcase in Longmont on February 4. I play a lot around Fort Collins + NOCO; it’s a great music community to be a part of!

New Scene:  When writing your original songs, where do you feel you pull inspiration from the most? Anything specific or is it different sources every time?

Taylor Shae: A lot of what goes into my songs comes from my imagination, creating stories stretched from the truth of what’s going on in my own life, situations of people around me, and sometimes after finishing a particularly compelling book or TV show. One recent inspiration over the holidays was starting the show Yellowstone. The soundtrack and western plot line gave me eight new original songs, all of which are rooted in alt-country, rock, and dark tales of criminals, outlaws, and lost love.

New Scene:  With 2023 just getting started, do you have new music or exciting news fans can look forward to throughout the new year?

Taylor Shae: I’ve got lots of new music in the works for 2023, including the release of several new singles! Look for the release of my song, “Small Town America,” coming this Winter. I’m also looking to rock lots of full band shows coming this Summer & Fall.

New Scene: Do you typically play solo, or are there other musicians that join you?

Taylor Shae: I play as a duo most of the time, joined by my musical collaborator, guitarist, bassist (and Dad!) RD. We’ve been gigging together as a duo around Colorado for the past 5-6 years. Last summer I got the chance to play a few full band shows with drums, so looking forward to bringing the full alt-country rock sound as much as I can in the new year.

New Scene:  For anyone who hasn’t been lucky enough to catch your set yet, how would you describe “you” in three words or less?

Taylor Shae: My music is described in 3 words: dusty, alt-country, americana

As always, our many thanks to Taylor for making some time for New Scene. Be sure to follow Taylor at taylorshaemusic.com, or on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as @taylorshaemusic.