AS BAND MEMBER/SESSION MUSICIAN​
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BIOGRAPHY:
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Nick Taylor has been active in the Toronto independent music scene since 1998, mostly as a guitarist and bassist. Early bands included Taxi Dancer, Randwiches, The Gun Purse and the 'dark country' band Blackeyes, which he led with his sister Katia Taylor.
From 2000-2003 he was the guitarist for Alex Lukashevsky's acclaimed avant-garde band Deep Dark United, and featured on the band's Fools! EP. In 2002 he formed the garage rock band The Dirty Hearts with Darin McConnell, Tara White and Andrew Innanen. The Dirty Hearts gigged regularly with acts such as The Sadies, Andre Williams and The Black Lips. In 2003 Nick co-founded Lenin i Shumov with Eugene Slonimerov. The Russian-language punk/noise/dance band was a fixture of the mid-00s underground scene and released an EP on Steven Kado and Owen Pallett's Blocks Recording Club, as well as featuring on the seminal Toronto is the Best!! Toronto is Great!! compilation.
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In 2004 Nick joined the orchestral pop band The Old Soul as guitarist, which shortly after signed to Universal Music. He featured on the major-label self-titled debut and on two subsequent records. With The Old Soul, Nick toured Canada and the US. He performed with the band until 2009. In 2007 Nick and his Old Soul bandmates Matt McLaren, Jay Anderson and Andrew Scott formed Steamboat, a roots/R&B band which held down popular weekly residencies at the Dakota Tavern and released three records. The band also included Christoper Sandes, Mike Smith and Maylee Todd and often formed the backing band for Toronto songwriters Sandro Perri, Marker Starling, Emilie Mover and Andre Ethier. Nick also did stints as guitarist in Sandes' large-scale soul/R&B cover band The Big Sound.
Nick was a long-time contributor to the improvisation-based ensemble Ronley Teper's Lipliners and featured on two of her LPs. He has also been a member of Dave Clark's improv orchestra The Woodchopper's Association. As a guitarist he has worked with singer-songwriters Jason Collett, Kate Boothman (Katie Cruel) and Sarah Blackwood (Walk Off the Earth).
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From 2007-2011 Nick led the band Church & State, which featured Katia Taylor, Innanen, McLaren and Sandes. The band released two records, Make Yourself a Stranger (2008) and Villager (2010). In 2015 Nick released a solo record titled Navigator featuring many of his prior collaborators and in 2020 he released another LP, Nostalgist, under the name Phantom Watcher. A new Phantom Watcher recording is expected in late 2025.
DISCOGRAPHY (WITH LINKS):
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Ronley Teper's Lipliners - The Game (2018) independent
Marker Starling - Rosy Maze (2015) Tin Angel
Ronley Teper's Lipliners - Alive (2013) independent
Marker Starling w/ Sandro Perri & Steamboat - I Guarantee You a Good Time (2013) Tin Angel
Steamboat - Rules (2012) independent
Sunbear (Kate Boothman) - Moonbath (2010) independent
Emilie Mover - Seems So Long (2010) Balonka
Steamboat - Live in Nassau (2009) independent
Steamboat - S/T (2008) independent
The Old Soul - Gold (2007) Grifter
The Old Soul - She's Got Party Davies Eyes (2006) Hand of God
The Old Soul - S/T (2005) Universal Music Canada/Friendly Fire
Lenin i Shumov - S/T (2005) Blocks Recording Club
Deep Dark United - Fools! (2002) Kosher Rock Records
Blackeyes - From a Blue Room (2001) Kosher Rock Records
Randwiches - What Year (2001) Kosher Rock Records