Taylor made for success
Fatherhood and a new home have changed Ackerman’s musical perspective
He’s now a dad and living thousands of kilometres from home and Taylor Ackerman is reflecting his personal changes in new music. Lethbridge native Ackerman and his partner moved last year to Halifax where she is in the master’s program at an arts college.
The well-known city musician, who played with his father Pat and in bands including Treeline, is releasing on June 30 his first single since he became a dad in 2015.
The single will be released during a show by Ackerman at Owl Acoustic Lounge where he’ll also be performing July 1.
The single is under his band name, Taylor Ackerman’s Global Acid Reset, and he’s bringing together a couple of city musicians to perform with him while he’s back home for a month. Those musicians, he says, have a punk and garage rock background, which will add a different dynamic to his music.
“We’re mixing genres, it’s kind of fun,” said Ackerman, who is also acting as a mentor to his bandmates by introducing them to older blues material.
“It’s a good experience, I’m the old guy now.”
Ackerman, now 31, started performing with his dad at the age of 16. Since moving to Halifax last year, he’s been working on his original material.
Ackerman was first introduced to music by his mother, dance teacher Joy Ackerman and trained as a dancer when he was younger.
“With parenthood, I stepped back and took a new approach to music,” he said in a phone interview this week.
Bangladeshi T-Shirt “is my first official release under my own name.”
In a press release, Ackerman says “This new project channels big city blues through psychedelic rock and is a response to the contemporary design of our shared consumerist nightmare.”
His own musical background includes playing country, roots and blues rock with his dad.
“I’m returning to those roots,” said Ackerman, who studied classical music at the University of Lethbridge, earning his bachelor’s in 2012.
During his time back in southern Alberta, he’ll be performing here, in Calgary and at Twin Butte.
He’s looking forward to hitting the stage again at the Owl.
“It’s nice to come back to a venue I know.”
Parenthood has changed his life not only in a personal way, but professional, as well.
“It’s changed me in a pretty profound way,” he said. His new music delves into deeper things that come with a perspective that comes from being a dad.
“It’s been a pretty drastic adjustment. Music was always a side thing.
“Now that I have someone to provide for, I have to try a lot harder. It’s been a pretty big wakeup call. I have to try pretty hard to have a guaranteed income.”
Crossing the country has given him a new perspective on music, as well.
“It’s been pretty cool to see a totally new music scene,” said Ackerman, who is working on networking and trying to get on the festival circuit.
With his partner, a sculptor, having one more year in Halifax, Ackerman isn’t sure what the future holds. Whether they stay or move elsewhere, including back to Lethbridge, remains to be seen but he’s looking forward to the future.
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