Montreal-based, California-born actor and alternative rock artist, Taylor McCluskey recently released his new single, “Stay With Me“. The single is produced by Glen Robinson and is from Taylor’s forthcoming album.
Commenting on the new single, Taylor states:
“Stay With Me is about getting clear and realizing that my life has more gifts and beautiful moments to enjoy, and moments that transmit waves of positivity and balance. It’s in that balance where I let go of toxic people, places and things.”
The single is accompanied by a live audio/video version.
Taylor adds,
“After a nearly year hiatus from performing, I directed, edited and produced a live version of my new track “Stay With Me” in Montreal with my longtime band.”
Check out the live video below, and find out more about Taylor via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hello! My name is Taylor McCluskey and I’m a musician and filmmaker from Sacramento, California. I’m now living in Montreal with my wife and two kids.
Tell us a bit about your music and writing style.
My lyrics come from my personal life, what I see and experience through and with the relationships I have formed to this point. They come from dreams; the good, the bad, and the ugly. My producer Glen Robinson (Keith Richards & George Martin) and I have similar tastes and together we’ve formed a strong work ethic and collaboration, we have a good knowledge base of what hits and falls short when it comes to songwriting.
My process starts with me sending a rough video of me playing with a new idea. Then I talk to Glen which is like my therapy in a way where we then further workshop the material, and then we go off and write more before heading to the studio.
Once we have tracked all our parts and when we have a strong mix we then send the stems to bandmates Zak St. John (Drums) and Andrew James (Bass) in Los Angeles. When it comes back, we mix and master here at my home studio in Montreal.
How have you been keeping creative during the Pandemic?
I made 16 tracks in quarantine, and I’m releasing one each month moving forward. I’m aiming to have both studio and live versions of all 16 tracks for a total of 32. “Stay With Me” (my latest single) was a song meant for all the people I love and who love me — it was the best way to take everything I was feeling in regard to the isolation and disconnection of quarantine and put it into song.
If you were asked to suggest only one of your songs for someone to hear, which would it be?
“Stay With Me,” especially the live version, as it really shows the raw energy behind the song.
Canadian Beats is all about Canadian music, so who are your current favourite Canadian bands/ artists?
I really enjoy The Weeknd and Deadmau5. I really admire The Weeknd’s song structure and Deadmau5’s sonic soundscapes from a production standpoint. Plus, they both produce great live performances and videos.