"Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks: Jammin on Jam Cruise"

American Idol jammin’ at sea?

It’s not your Simon’s Idol.

Five years, and life after Idol for Taylor Hicks is sailing along just fine.

Taylor Hicks performs with Galactic on Jam Cruise 9; photo by Tom Zinn.

The Season Five winner recently joined in with a rock-star list of jam band musicians on Jam Cruise 9 for a week-long 24/7 floating jamfest. Taylor sat in with legends Robert Randolph, Ivan Neville, Maceo Parker, Galactic, Anders Osborne, Big Sam, JoJo’s Mardi Gras Band, and more. He officially hosted The Gong Show with all due hilarity.

Hosting The Gong Show on Jam Cruise; photo by Paul McLaren.

In “Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks: Jammin on Jam Cruise” –Taylor rocks out with other Jam Cruise artists:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSP_rGENY9Q

The weekly video series on Taylor HicksTV on YouTube captured by Taylor’s unknown “sidekick,” “Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks” takes viewers along on appearances in 2010 including Children’s Cancer Research Benefit, singing “Gran Torino” for Clint Eastwood, Jam Cruise--The Gong Show, DisneyWorld for Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, and more.

Performing "Gran Torino" honoring Clint Eastwood at Museum of Tolerance International Film Festival; photo from MJSBigblog.

For all the latest on Season Five American Idol, platinum-recording artist, Broadway star, recent restaurateur, and touring musician, check out more “Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks,” news, and upcoming concerts at:

http://taylorhicks.ning.com/

Taylor Hicks ~~ Jamming in Denver!

The real Taylor Hicks showed up in Denver Friday night!

And showed up in a big way, with funk-infused jam band music that grabbed you and dragged you to new musical places.

The Rocky Mountain Power Jam in the Mile High City with Ivan Neville, Taylor Hicks, Erik Krasno, Adam Deitch, Daniel Hutchens, and the DyrtyBryds delivered as promised—funk in epic proportions!

Watching video of “Love the One You’re With,” with Taylor Hicks and Ivan Neville, I literally leaned into the music as Taylor poured more and more into a screaming harp and almost took to his knees.

I wondered how he could hold two or three harmonicas in his hand! That’s how it sounded—an explosion of multiple harps from the mouth and hands of this Bama boy, a long way from home and breathless in the high mountain air.

Play That Funky Music, White Boy!

Taylor’s fun and funky set list included Them Changes, Ain’t Gonna Hurt Nobody, Medicated Goo, Love the One You’re With and jamming with other performers.

If the beautifully acoustic “Border Song” from Madison last year was Taylor’s East, “Love the One You’re With” in Denver was his West. In between is the immense talent and appeal of Taylor Hicks on stage in concert.

Simply, he does it all.

MJ’s Big Blog summed it up pretty well today:

“…as I watched him totally jam out with Ivan Neville, Erik Krasno, Adam Deitch on Stephen Stills’ “Love the One Your With” at the Rocky Mountain Power Jam at Cervantes in Denver Friday night (6/25) I’m once again reminded of why I was a fan in the first place.”

No matter how far roads take him from it, this is his soul, his core, his grounding. It is what he always comes back to.

Though he was far away from Alabama last night, Taylor Hicks came home to his roots and the reunion was huge!


"Love the One You're With" ~~ Taylor Hicks and Ivan Neville
courtesy of Lh1100




Thanks to Lh1100 for fabulous video and to Cath for screencap.

MJs Big Blog:
http://mjsbigblog.com/taylor-hicks-performs-at-the-rocky-mountain-power-jam-denver-co.htm#more-29978