When MC Taylor left San Francisco for North Carolina almost three years ago, it wasn’t just the city he was leaving behind. Over four full lengths (’99’s Venture Whites, ’01’s Bless You, ’04’s Witch Season, and ’06’s Hearts) and one EP (’04’s Dead Diamond River), his band, The Court and Spark, had explored that eerie space between early country and psychedelic rock to cult reception and critical acclaim. Thus, the big move east meant an extended hiatus for that group and a step away from a vibrant local music scene that had been incredibly supportive. However, It also meant the beginning of a new chapter — a spot in grad school at UNC– and the head space to flush out his newest musical venture–Hiss Golden Messenger, a self-described part-time band and joint venture with fellow former-Sparker Scott Hirsch that stretches country rock infusion beyond the psychedelic and into some ghostly plain inhabited by musical outsiders past.
Conjuring slithering imagery and mystical transmission, the name Hiss Golden Messenger reflects the sound well.  On the debut, 2009’s Country Hai East Cotton, Taylor, Hirsch and a curated crew of collaborators set bluesy lamentations to spaced-out grooves, abstract alt-rock fair to dub beats. It’s a sprawling sound blending ambient texture with country stomp and resulting in a mid-tempo folk-nit jam-roots vibe that mystifies. The live translation of all that lackadaisical experimentation ranges depending on the number of sidemen available (for Hirsch is currently homesteaded in Brooklyn) and Taylor’s mood. Most nights round these parts, you’ll find Taylor alone with an electric guitar, a pedal, and an acoustic set to the side ready for him to pluck a pick-and-grin inspired original or lay claim to some old favorite, like Gary Stewart’s “Drinking Thing.”
And you can catch this version of the Hiss Golden Messenger live show this Friday, April 9 at The Nightlight where Taylor will play as a part of In the Year of the Pig‘s CD release party.
Now just five questions to wet your curiosity:
1. If your band were a car, what sort would it be?
Or maybe a 1975 Lincoln Mark IV, chopped and dropped.
2. When did the idea for Hiss Golden Messenger come up?
Probably about 2005 when things were disintegrating in San Francisco.
3. Describe how becoming a father has changed the way you think about (or relate to) music.
That would take a long time. I’m not as keen on traveling anymore, and I spend a lot of times really fussing with songs to get them right. Babies—like songs—are unpredictable, but if you go at them with a little patience, you might could come out the other side with something really nice and totally unpredictable. Music is more important than ever at home. Elijah—who is one-year-old—can do a killer dance to Tony Joe White’s “Even Trolls Love Rock and Roll.â€
4. Who/what might be a few inspirations or influences that might really surprise people?
Me and some pals do like to dig in the bins for records that would fit into one of these micro-genres (thanks Brendan): honky-conch, zero hour, boot-cut, illegal vibrationz, shrimp plate, grabass, turbofocus, beach weirdo, troll-stroll, stone loner/brokedown van, Canadian smugglin’/gettin’ to the gig, damp and wobbly, wink-stink, high stakes, sneaky jams, boogie-hole.
This basically means late-era (always late-era) Merle Haggard, Joe Stampley, David Allen Coe, Eddie Rabbit, Ian Tyson, Tanya Tucker, Juice Newton, John Conlee, Jimmy Buffett, and Florabama’s own J. Hawkins, who has a song on his first record simply called “Shit.†And tons more.
I mention this stuff because I want to see it in print.
5. What did you dream of being when you were a kid? (How ’d that turn out?)
I dreamed of being a musician. It’s turned out fair to middling.
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You can check out the not so fair or middling music of Hiss Golden Messenger this Friday, April 9, at The Nightlight. And by all means, be sure to give MC a high five when you see him!