2. What projects that you worked on with Gene stand out as the most memorable and why?
I think of all the projects, the ones that stand out are The Lost Dogs projects because The Lost Dogs concept – four guys from alternative bands, and we do this one off, originally just one record – it was Gene’s idea. It was in some ways surprising, unexpected for me, to have built the relationships that we did. Mike Roe is one of my dearest, best friends and that came about through Gene.

3. How do you think Gene impacted the music scene?
I don’t really know how to measure that. I know how he impacted me and I know how he impacted others around me. I think he was a champion. He was a motivator who brought the best out in people. He probably had the same effect on those he worked with that he had on me, which was making me better than I am and raising the bar. I know all of us have been involved with a few dud projects where you’re in there, and you’re getting paid just hacking away at it trying to make something out of it. There was never a project that Gene did, no matter how sort of amateurish, that he didn’t just put all he had into it. So if you drew up a list of projects that Gene did that he could be proud of, it would be most of them. He wasn’t in there making records just for the sake of making records. He really wanted to do something, and say something, about the faith and say something that really had some integrity. I think integrity was Gene’s middle name, and he brought that to every project he ever worked on, so in that regard, I imagine in countless ways he had an impact on the overall scene. In other words, Christian music that was relevant and not just a Jesus mantra of some sort, or something that was trite… but music that was relevant. That was Gene’s forte, being able to stay current, at least sonically, and he also sat on people about things like lyrics. If a lyric bothered him that someone had written, he would have input into that… but never with bullying, it was always respectful and humble.

4. Three words you would use to describe Gene and why?
Hilarious (laughter) would be one. Hilarious in the sense that… Gene didn’t tell jokes, Gene would make little, sort of under the radar remarks that would leave me reeling. For instance, whenever I was in the studio and we would be working on a project, invariably at some point Gene would get this impish grin on his face and he would say, “Oops”. That could mean that he had either failed to punch in something he should have punched in, which was a little problem, or it could have meant that he erased the entire drum track (more laughing). You never knew what “oops” meant.

A barterer… he was on the barter system. This was an old school guy ya know. Financial stuff he just wasn’t great at, and he was juggling a lot of balls in that regard, but Gene would always manage to land on his feet. He would use the barter system… for instance, if you loaned him some money and he couldn’t pay you back, he would bring you in for some studio time or whatever. He had a hundred different ways of handling his business situations, because with the business we’re in you’re always robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Champion would be a third word… champion of others, and that goes back to what I was originally talking about earlier. He brought the best out of you in terms of your own musicianship. He loved good music and loved being with good musicians, and he loved the potential of that relationship. He was always able, in any given situation, to bring out the very best in whoever he was working with. Some people that didn’t even have a lot of talent, he was still able to get things out of them, and do things beyond what they even thought they were probably capable of doing. Part of the sadness of that though… is Gene never slowed down. I know as a friend, and I know other friends, would say “Man, you gotta get away, you gotta eat better, you gotta get more sleep, you gotta take a vacation, you gotta get out of this thing for awhile.” He would say he was going to, but he just wasn’t capable of doing less than a hundred percent. So I think that the studio sort of became his life. It not only brought him joy, but I think it brought him a lot of pain to because he was sort of married to it and just couldn’t keep from going all the way.

5. As a friend how did Gene influence you?
I’ve already touched on it a little bit, but Gene taught me to listen. He taught me to listen to other people, and Gene didn’t have to fake an interest in other people, it was natural to him. He would seek them out, and was outgoing in that regard, where I’m more reclusive and less open to people. I think being in Gene’s company would bring… because of the joy he received from hearing other peoples tales and stories, and his affinity for them, and his genuine interest… that would make you want to experience the same sort of joy, and to open yourself up which is of course what happens… and it takes you outside of yourself, it takes you from the inward to the outward so that you’re not consumed with your own story, your own life, your own problems and your own fears. You’ve expanded yourself to listen to someone else and their tale, whether it’s a tale of woe, a tale of joy or whatever it may be. Just having the ability to listen and bring those stories out of people is something Gene did for me. It expanded my life, and consequently when that happens it affects you as a musician because you are the teller of tales. Gene directly affected me in my songwriting because rather than repeating my story endlessly, I was able to tell other peoples story through song and put myself in their place. His ability to listen to people and observe became sort of a habit for me, and one that I exercise in order to not only become a better person, and a better person to those around me, but also to become a better songwriter.

Adam Again promo shot provided by Todd Zeller

Story by Steve Ruff    |    Photos courtesy of Todd Zeller

Talking to Terry Taylor… that was cool. I don’t have to tell you who he is or what bands he is a part of.  He has 30+ years in the industry, and his main project, Daniel Amos, has covered every style from country to new wave to alternative rock to completely hard to classify. The end of 2008 saw the re-release of the classic Darn Floor Big Bite. The record was re-mastered and had additional unreleased material as well as new artwork and 20 pages of liner notes and photos.  It was great to talk to him and ask him questions about Gene Eugene for our upcoming special issue on Gene. When I asked him what projects that he was involved in with Gene that were the most memorable, the story was so cool that we thought it deserved its own write up. I had never heard the story of how The Lost Dogs came together. I always assumed that it was Terry’s idea simply because he seems to always have his hand in so many different projects.  He writes music at a rapid pace, he has several different bands, and he has produced countless records that are memorable but are completely diverse in the genres that they represent. Two of my favorite Taylor produced records would be Scaterd Few’s Sin Disease and Saviour Machine’s Mask 1. Seems that whatever he works on is always contrary to his own style, but he has put out many records from the forerunners in the industry. Here was a chance to catch up about some history of one of his current projects, the formation of The Lost Dogs. In his own words…

“I remember him (Gene) calling me up and saying he had this idea for a project. He came by the house and said “I’m thinking we put four guys together and we do some Americana stuff. I’m into that stuff, I know you are… the stuff that we don’t do on our own records. It might be a neat thing to put these guys together and see what happens.” I asked him who else he had in mind? He said one guy was Derri Daughtery, and I thought that was great! Derri and I went back years as I knew Derri & Steve from when they were roadies for Daniel Amos. I asked him who the fourth guy was and he said, “Mike Roe”, and I said Mike Roe?! He said, “Yeah you know Mike” and I said well, I know Mike but I don’t know Mike. I know of Mike… he’s the guy I pass in the airport on the way to our separate gigs. I had never really sat down with Mike and had any kind of conversation with him. So that was the one element that was a little mysterious to me… how that was all going to work out. So a one off recording (Scenic Routes) developed into this ongoing relationship that continues to this day, even after Gene’s passing. I remember for each record the four of us would get together each morning at a local eatery for breakfast. I just remember Gene showing up and how bright and happy he was about doing that music and being involved in the Lost Dogs.”

“I think out of all the projects we worked on, the most memorable were The Lost Dogs. Even though they were just as challenging as any other project, they were probably the best because they made Gene so happy. Gene always had a lot of projects where he was laboring under them and he always gave 100% in any situation. He was there for everything. He couldn’t delegate, he couldn’t detach himself from it and he worked too hard I thought. But I think with Lost Dogs it was different for Gene. You had four guys sharing the load. It was joyous and he delighted in it. He delighted in the higher degree of craftsmanship involved and I think it brought out the best in him and the best in the rest of us. We all challenged each other, we respected each other so deeply and Gene was one of these people that I respected greatly as a musician. I felt if I could impress him than I had really done some good work. I had my reservations about how 4 guys who were pretty strong in their opinions, and who had each guided the ship of their own bands, how we would come together and work together. But to see the pleasure of those four people working together, and the melding of the personalities, and for Gene to have been the center of it was memorable.”

I asked Terry if there was ever the thought of laying the band to rest after Gene passed. His response was, “Well, that’s another story. When I went to Gene’s funeral… first of all, I was floored by the number of people that were there, and the diversity that was represented. All these people saying, either by their presence or verbally, how Gene had affected them and their lives. Gene was a people person, I mean he was just a guy who loved people, loved people’s stories, loved characters, he would seek them out. He’s a guy I wish was on this Route 66 thing we just did because he was the kind of guy that wasn’t intimidated in talking to anybody. He would bring out great things in people. We all had to pool our resources to reach that level that Gene possessed alone. So at the funeral, somehow in this great sea of people we found each other. We tearfully embraced and a couple of us, I think almost simultaneously said “Gene would want us to keep going.” We knew it was going to be a struggle and we have a song called “Three Legged Dog” which is what it became. It limps a little but it gets around and we had to find our legs, our musical legs, without Gene which is not an easy thing to do. I think just in recent years we have found that place. At any point in time we would put a CD on and hear that distinct voice of Gene’s, and tears would come to our eyes. It was a tremendous burden to find ourselves, but I think in that way, we got through it. Now we can recall Gene with smiles, laughs and maybe a tear here or there, but at the time it was an incredible shock and a tremendous loss.”

The Lost Dogs have a pretty amazing catalog, especially considering that they were originally only going to put out one record. They have released nine full length records over their 17 year career, and they are still going strong. Scenic Routes is still my favorite, maybe because the whole idea sounded a bit crazy and in the end worked remarkably well. The variety of styles that they cover is diverse as well, but still somehow falls into that Americana/Alt Country vibe. Back in 2006 Steve Hindalong from The Choir joined the band as a regular member. In addition, 2006 also brought the release of The Lost Cabin and The Mystery Trees, which I believe is one of their strongest works. According to their website, Hindalong was quoted as saying this was possibly the best record he had ever worked on. Not many bands can pull off such a strong release so far into their career, but I have never heard any “filler” on a Lost Dogs release. Check out their website to stay up to date on what they are doing. These guys still tour every year, as well as the usual holiday tour on the West Coast. You can still contribute to the Route 66 project through their website as well. Also, keep your eyes peeled for a more in depth interview with Terry that is coming in a future issue.

www.thelostdogs.com
www.myspace.com/thelostdogsmusic
www.danielamos.com
www.myspae.com/danielamosmusic
www.myspace.com/terryscotttaylor
www.myspace.com/theswirlingeddies