Taz Taylor was exposed at a very early age to the golden era of Rock Guitar playing. Michael Schenker in UFO and then in his own band MSG, Gary Moore in his late-70s/early-80s heyday, Randy Rhoads and Jake E. Lee and of course the early Van Halen albums, all left an indelible mark on the musical psyche of Taz.

Taz played in a handful of bands in the West Midlands area of England as a teenager in the 1980s but was eventually discouraged in the early 90s as it seemed that all musicality and everything that appealed to him about Rock Music had been shunned by the new bands that came to the fore at that time.

Suddenly in January of '95 Taz became re-obsessed with the guitar and set out on a mission to become the best player that he could. This is something that has been misquoted often before... He did not set out to be the best in the world, or to compete with others, just to fully realize his own potential and be the best that HE could be. A noble cause if there ever was one!

Fast forward to 2004... after almost a decade of practicing guitar and writing material, Taz recorded the album "Caffeine Racer", an all instrumental offering that showcased his deft guitar skills as well as composing talents. This album received widespread attention and positive reviews from all corners of the online media and lead to the collaboration with... legendary vocalist Graham Bonnet, most notable for working with the best Guitar Players in Rock... Ritchie Blackmore, Michael Schenker, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai... etc.

The Taz Taylor Band's 2006 album "Welcome To America" featured Graham Bonnet on vocals and was released on the Escape Music label. Considered by many to be one of the best Melodic Rock releases of the year and one of the best releases in the label's history. Taz Taylor Band featuring Graham Bonnet toured the UK in 2007 and Europe in 2008, playing to enthusiastic audiences everywhere form London to Vienna, Budapest and Prague.

In 2009 the band released "Straight Up" (Escape Music) with another ex-MSG vocalist... Keith Slack, and also a guest appearance from keyboardist Don Airey (Rainbow, Ozzy, Deep Purple etc etc). Working with Don was a career high for Taz, as Don has always been one of his idols!

2010 sees a return to Taz Taylor's instrumental muse with the album "Big Dumb Rock". This album captures and showcases Taz' expressive, incendiary guitar playing at its best.

The mission statement behind the album is to show people that you don't have to be a musician to appreciate instrumentals. If you love hard rock, big guitar riffs, big drums and guitar solos, then you'll love "Big Dumb Rock"!

Taz Taylor Band are based in San Diego in California USA and are available for national and international tours. Taz is also available for session work.



TAZ TAYLOR   -  GUITAR

Birthplace - Walsall, England

Influences - Michael Schenker, Matthias Jabs, Gary Moore, Steve Morse,
Nuno Bettencourt, early Van Halen

Gear - Taz plays Gibson Explorer Guitars and and proudly endorses
Peavey Guitar Amps,
TKL Cases and Pickworld Guitar Picks

Favorite drink - Tequila

TAZ TAYLOR


BARNEY FIRKS   -   BASS

Influences - THE OX, Geezer, Bootsy, Claypool

Equipment - Still working

Favorite drink - Ginger tea

VAL TRAINOR


VAL TRAINOR   -   DRUMS

Influences - John Bonham, Mike Portnoy, Phil Rudd, Rich "The Animal" Schneider

Equipment - Pearl Masters Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Axis Pedals.

First Concert - July 1974 West Palm Beach Arena, AC/DC 3rd Row
when I was 11 years old

Currently listening to - Dream Theater - Train of Thought

Favorite Drink - Negra Modelo

VAL TRAINOR


BRUCE  CONNERS   -   KEYBOARDS

Birthplace - Cleveland, Ohio

Influences - Rod Argent, Steve Winwood, Jon Lord, Paul Raymond

Equipment - Korg Triton Extreme, Hammond XK-1 organ, Roland Fantom

Favorite Drink - Tropical Mango Gatorade (slightly frozen)

VAL TRAINOR