Taylor Alexander’s early life was filled with—and deeply inspired by—music. His father, a classically trained opera singer and church music minister, encouraged his early interest in music by giving him a guitar at age 7. By age 14, Alexander formed his first band, largely influenced by punk music. Though he’s still a punk fan to this day, everything changed when he heard Bob Dylan for the first time; then diving in to the discographies of classic country songwriters like Hank Williams and Merle Haggard. At 17, he started alt-country band Young America, and spent the next few years playing through the southeast.
After moving to Nashville in 2014 and discovering the caliber of songwriting in town, Alexander scrapped all of his songs, locked himself in his room and started over, reemerging with a new appreciation for the process and a new batch of songs. In 2016, he released his EP, Real Good at Saying Goodbye, which broke onto the Americana charts. His upcoming album Good Old Fashioned Pain will be released on April 12, capturing a songwriter who has refined his skills and is at the top of his game.
Good Old Fashioned Pain was recorded in Nashville, Alexander’s adopted hometown. Along with producer and recording engineer Brendan St. Gelais and mixing engineer Mark Petaccia (Jason Isbell, Lindi Ortega), he worked with an acclaimed group of musicians including Whit Wright (Elizabeth Cook, Joshua Hedley, American Aquarium) and Randy Harper (Pure Prairie League, Collin Raye) as they recorded the 10 tracks.
Today Glide is excited to premiere “Real Good At Saying Goodbye”, one of the standout tracks on Good Old Fashioned Pain. Beginning with the sweeping twang of a pedal steel that immediately conjures the right kind of country sadness, the song is a slow honky tonk ballad that feels made for a slow dance in a roadside bar. Alexander has a wisened voice that feels like it comes out of the era of country music when crooners like George Jones and Ray Price knew how to pull heartstrings with their powerful songs about lost love and broken hearts.
Alexander shares the story behind the song:
“This is the first song I wrote when I moved to Nashville. It’s fitting that, in a sense, it’s a song about moving to Nashville. My decision to move was pretty abrupt. I realized I didn’t say goodbye to a lot of people and just kinda left as fast as I could, so that mixed with some introspection into my personality and I came away with this song. My fixation on the negative in ‘I can’t see the garden for the roses thorns,’ my tendency to run from conflict in ‘there’s something about leaving that keeps me alive. I was really trying understand myself, and hopefully identify the negative patterns and not repeat them. Kiely Connell sings with me on the majority of the song. She’s one of my favorite singers around and can blend with anyone, and her inclusion on this track really lifts it to another level.”
LISTEN:
Good Old Fashioned Pain is out April 12. For more music and info visit iamtayloralexander.com.
Photo credit: Joshua Black Wilkins
