The Twisted Cork

Where do I begin with the Twisted Cork? The owners and workers at the Cork are some of the best people you will ever meet, the atmosphere is so cozy, and the music is phenomenal. When you pull up outside of the Twisted Cork it looks like your typical liquor store, but it is far from that on the inside. There is a full blown bar, walk-in beer cooler, and a corner stage! Go give them a "like" on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/The-Twisted-Cork-280987672015347/?pnref=story And even better, go and see them in person! You won't be disappointed. 

My first gig at Twisted Cork was October 29th and I played from 8-11pm. When I first walked in, I met the owners Prentice and Momma Sue. They are truly some awesome people! I felt so welcome when I came for the first time and you can really tell they treat their customers with the same sentiment. Here's a picture of us! 

My second gig at Twisted Cork was Saturday, December 5th. I ended up playing 8-almost 12am. Being a Saturday night, there were a lot more people there and as Momma Sue put it, they were "rowdy." I don't mind the rowdiness, though. I like to use it to my advantage :) There was a guy yelling "PLAY SOME JOHN PRINE" so I invited him up to sing "In Spite of Ourselves" with me. He declined, but another girl jumped up on stage with me and we started singing. I always love getting the crowd involved. Here is a picture of me and Devin (aka my John). 

The next time I played at Twisted Cork was in a different setting. It was a songwriter round! I had never been in a songwriter round before and I have always been hesitant playing my originals in front of a crowd.  

I had the best time with this! I met so many talented singer/songwriters and made so many great connections! The round lasted for about 3 hours and we each performed 3-4 original songs. Hearing all the songs made me want to start doing more songwriting and songwriter rounds! (Hit me up if you have anything in mind). 

I asked my good friend from college, Wes Smith, to be a part of the round and I'm so glad he came! He was such a hit at the Twisted Cork! Listen to his amazing stuff here: https://www.reverbnation.com/wessmith7

In a redundant conclusion: I LOVE THE TWISTED CORK. GO THERE.  

 Did you like this post? Share it on Facebook and like my page if you haven't already at www.facebook.com/tayloraustindye! Comment below and let's talk about music (or food, or clothes, or       life, or anything ok I just like to talk). If you want to see more videos of me singing, head on over           to www.youtube.com/taylordyemusic.

Christmas Gift Guide for the Music Lover in Your Life

Each year, December rolls around and we all lie to ourselves...

I'm going to get my Christmas shopping done early...

I'll do it all online...

I can make everyone handmade gifts from the heart...

And each year, we find ourselves a week before Christmas in a blind sprint around the mall for something...ANYTHING for little Suzy and uncle Bob. Suzy ends up with a pair of socks with fruit on them and Bob ends up with a random tool that you have no clue what it does (and neither does he). It doesn't have to happen like this... I have some great gift ideas for the music lover/musician in your life! 

1. Bose noise canceling headphones - I received a pair of Bose noise canceling headphones last Christmas. They are, without a doubt, the best headphones I have ever used. For example, I can put them on and I can't hear my dog barking next to me. They're that good. With a simple flip of the switch you go from regular headphones to a completely silent paradise. Perfect for travel, too!

I have the white pair pictured below:

https://www.bose.com/products/headphones/over_ear_headphones/quietcomfort-25-acoustic-noise-cancelling-headphones-apple-devices.html#v=qc25_white

2. iTunes card - Honestly, you can't go wrong with an iTunes card. If you know that the person you are shopping for has an iPhone, iPad, or Macbook, they can use an iTunes card! From games to ringtones, to audiobooks, to music videos, the card has got you covered.

                                                     http://www.apple.com/itunes/gifts/

3. Personalized guitar picks - I actually received personalized guitar picks one year and I loved them! There are a few ways you can go about getting them. I would suggest eBay or Etsy for these. You can do a search for the color, thickness, and personalization specialties and lots of options will pop up!

4. Personalized instrument cleaning cloth - This is something a lot of people would not think of and a gift that the recipient would want to keep for a long time. When I was very young, a family friend stitched my name into a cleaning cloth and I still have it! It is great to keep in your instrument case to wipe it off and keep it super clean and shiny! You can even buy a cleaning cloth and take it to a kiosk (like the ones in the middle of the mall) and have it embroidered with anything you want!

5. Gift card to Guitar Center - As a musician myself, there is nothing I love more than a good "quick" trip to guitar center (aka sitting in the acoustic room playing every guitar on the wall). I shop at guitar center for a variety of things from guitar strings, picks, stands, straps, basically anything music related. Gift cards are a great way to let your musician pick out their own items and get something they will actually use!

                                                 http://www.guitarcenter.com/eGift-Card

6. Music lessons - If you have a young kid, or just someone who is a beginner, this is a great option.  You can buy them music lessons! I give guitar lessons myself and I think this would be a great idea. Generally, the teacher would let you pay for a months worth of lessons and it is also a good way to make sure the person is interested! You can google "guitar lessons in my area" or whatever instrument you want and there will be some options to choose from! If you are in or around Owsley, contact me for details about lessons!

7. Concert tickets - Help inspire the music lover in your life by giving them tickets to see their favorite artist! Tickets are so easy and accessible thanks to lots of new apps and websites. If you use StubHub, you can print the tickets off on your home printer! Perfect for a very last minute gift! I would stick to sites you know and can trust. I have linked some of them below. I do not recommend places like Craigslist, as I have had bad experiences with fake tickets in the past.

http://www.stubhub.com/

http://www.vividseats.com/

http://www.ticketmaster.com/

I hope this gift guide gave you some ideas and hopefully it will make your Christmas shopping a little less hectic! Comment below what you would get or what you have already got for the music lover in your life!

                 Did you like this post? Share it on Facebook and like my page if you haven't already at www.facebook.com/tayloraustindye! Comment below and let's talk about music (or food, or clothes, or       life, or anything ok I just like to talk). If you want to see more videos of me singing, head on over                                                                     to www.youtube.com/taylordyemusic.

Festival Frenzy: Wooly Worm

The Wooly Worm Festival - 10/23

Welcome to my eighth and final installment of Festival Frenzy! Thank you to everyone who has taken time out of their day to follow my festival performances around the Bluegrass! I am already yearning for next year's festival season to kick off... For those of you who don't know and have been wondering, Where's Taylor and why hasn't she been posting anything lately?, well first of all thank you for caring. Secondly, I got married! Now that all the showers, parties, and cross country honeymoons are over, I am back in full swing and ready to get down to business! So without further adieu (blabbering)... 


The Wooly Worm is an annual festival held in Beattyville, KY. It is complete with a pageant, parade, vendor booths, and live entertainment. I have sang at the Wooly Worm for a number of years and I was glad they asked me to return this year. First, I sang on a smaller stage from 4:00-5:00. My good friends from 104.9 WSKV ran the sound and did the DJ work; it is always a pleasure to work with them. There was a pretty good crowd there despite it was early in the evening. There was even a nice lady that brought me a Billy Joel record when she heard me say he was one of my favorites before singing "Piano Man." 

At 6:00, I hopped over to the main stage to entertain for another hour. The main stage is located in the heart of downtown Beattyville. It is located right next to the Wooly Worm races. Yes, you can watch little black fuzzy creatures race up a string...thus the Wooly Worm Festival. The stage itself is wooden, decorated in flowers and fall arrangements, and the audience sits in front under a giant white tent. I was happy to look out under the tent and see some people I knew in the crowd. The guys from Mister DJ sound worked this stage and they are also some friends of mine. Like I said, lots of familiar faces that day :)

I loved performing at the Wooly Worm, especially since it is so close to home for me. I can't wait for next year's festival and I hope they have me back! 

                     Did you like this post? Share it on Facebook and like my page if you haven't already            at www.facebook.com/tayloraustindye! Comment below and let's talk about music (or food, or clothes, or         life, or anything ok I just like to talk). If you want to see more videos of me singing, head on over                                                                  to www.youtube.com/taylordyemusic.

Musician's Makeup: 10 Products to Use on Stage

It's hot on stage. And bright. Between the lights at an inside event, and the sun beaming down at an outside gig, you are guaranteed to sweat. 

Here are the products I use to help beat heat and unflattering lights:

(all links are listed below description)

1. Becca Ever Matte Poreless Primer - I always start off with a primer if I am going to perform. First of all, it minimizes the appearance of pores. Secondly, it keeps your makeup from sliding down your face like it's at Wet & Wild Water Park. If you're as oily as me, you do all you can to keep it in place. 

2. MAC Studio Fix Fluid - This is always my foundation of choice, especially when I'm doing an outside gig. It has SPF 15 in it to protect the skin and it has a great finish that never agitates my acne prone skin. It also happens to be a medium to full coverage foundation which is great for if you have an unwanted visitor pop up on the day of your show. 

3. Estee Lauder's Bronze Goddess Bronzer - Fact: Stage lights wash you out. It is good to give your face some color so you don't look like a ghost from those dreaded lights. I load up on this stuff because...can you ever use too much bronzer? 

4. Anastasia Brow Wiz - It is also important to enhance your brows because sometimes they can get lost in the lights as well. I just follow my natural shape and fill in any sparse areas! 

5. Loreal Shocking Telescopic Mascara (Waterproof) - This mascara takes the cake for waterproof mascara. I will use this over any high-end mascara any day! When it says waterproof, it means waterproof. After performing at a dead of summer outside show, the sweat was pouring down my face and so was my mascara! It was all in my eyes, stinging and burning, so I kept them closed. People probably thought I was really getting into it, haha. After that episode I knew I had to find a good waterproof mascara and this has been the best--hands down! 

Also a little tip: Waterproof mascara helps hold your eyelash curl throughout the day. 

6. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector - I was lucky enough to get my hands on the limited edition Becca highlighter in Champagne Pop (Jaclyn Hill collaboration) and I have been wearing it out! The lights may wash you out, but with a little bronzer and a highlight, you can make them work to your advantage. Pop this on your cheek bones, inner corner of your eyes, and high points of your face to look like you're glowing (instead of sweating). If you couldn't snag this one, Becca has a selection of other great highlighters. 

7 & 8. Lip Liner and Lipstick - I used MAC lipstick and Smashbox liner in the picture just because that's what I've been using lately, but any brand will do the trick. The main thing is that you have color on your lips to define them because (once again) you don't want to be washed out. I love wearing a dark brown or berry lip on stage and...my harmonica is starting to look a little rough. 

9. Urban Decay Primer Potion - This stuff will make your eyeshadow cling on for dear life. No creasing, and no running. I like to use this when I use eyeshadow which is only on occasion. I sometimes use it when I'm not wearing any because it keeps my eyelids from getting oily. 

10. Clinique Black Honey eyeshadow - When I do wear eyeshadow, it is most likely this color. I love using it it to define the crease with a simple and natural color without too much shimmer. 

Below are some pictures of my makeup at various performances, using all the products mentioned above! 

If you can't tell, my main goal when doing stage makeup is to define and accentuate my natural features with simple products that are long lasting. 

I know some people like to go all out--and that's okay! This is what works best for me, and I hope it can help you! 

Did you like this post? Share it on Facebook! Comment below and let's talk about music (or food, or clothes, or life, or anything ok I just like to talk). If you want to see more videos of me singing, head on over to www.youtube.com/taylordyemusic.

Urban decay eye makeup
urbandecay.com

Shimmer face powder
sephora.com

Estée Lauder bronzing powder
$51 - boots.com

Benefit makeup primer
macys.com

MAC Cosmetics spf foundation
$45 - selfridges.com

Smashbox lip pencil
macys.com

Anastasia beverly hills cosmetic
$25 - net-a-porter.com

Mac cosmetics lipstick
maccosmetics.com

Clinique eye makeup
macys.com

Farmer's Market & The Red Mile

Laurel County Farmer's Market and The Red Mile Racetrack - 10/8 & 10/9

Hello everyone! It's been a while since my last post and I am a little behind with the gig updates--sorry! For those of you who don't know, I am getting married in November and as you can imagine, the month of October has been completely crazy! Although myself and my family have dedicated a lot of time to planning and having showers, I have also been doing shows between it all! Keep reading for the scoop on the Farmer's Market and The Red Mile. 

I was contacted by Laurel Tourism to entertain for the Laurel Farmer's Market on it's last operating weekend. Laurel County, or London, is around 45 minutes away from my home in Owsley. Fun Fact: London's Walmart is actually the closest Walmart to my house (even though it's still 45 minutes away). I did a two hour show while people shopped and ate some homemade food in front of the stage. 

The next day, I was scheduled to sing at the Red Mile in Lexington, KY. The Red Mile is a race track, recently turned "casino" complete with drinks and live entertainment. I sang in the Grand Atrium and it was amazing! They had a great stage setup and tables where the customers could grab a drink and sit and socialize while listening to live music! There was no steady crowd and people came in and out so I was always seeing new faces, which I loved! I did a four hour solo set from 8:00-midnight. By the end of the night people were throwing out requests and we were all having so much fun! I can't wait to come back to entertain for Red Mile soon!

 http://redmileky.com/

Stay tuned for my next post covering all the details of the Wolly Worm Festival in Beattyville, KY. 

Did you like this post? Share it on Facebook and like my page if you haven't already at www.facebook.com/tayloraustindye! Comment below and let's talk about music (or food, or clothes, or life, or anything ok I just like to talk). If you want to see more videos of me singing, head on over to www.youtube.com/taylordyemusic.

Festival Frenzy: Sorghum Festival & Chicken Festival

Sorghum Festival & Chicken Festival 9/25 and 9/26

The Sorghum Festival is held annually in West Liberty, KY and this was my second time performing there. In 2012, West Liberty was hit with a devastating tornado and it really took a toll on the area. The town is still in recovery but there have been wonderful facilities built thanks to donations and state and federal funding. I was able to sing in their new amphitheater facility and it was lovely!
Although the weather was chilly and it was sprinkling the rain, I had a great time!

There were a few ladies in the crowd that requested an old time gospel hymn and I asked them if "The Old Rugged Cross" would be okay. They said, "Of course! Can she sing with you?" referring to their friend. I told her to come on up and she made her way on the stage. I started singing and she sang harmony with me; I was blown away! She had a beautiful voice. She hugged me after the song and thanked me for letting her sing with me and for doing a gospel song. I love and appreciate opportunities like this one so much! I love getting the chance to get the audience involved and have them be as much a part of the show as I am. Here is a picture my mom(ager) snapped as we sang together. 

Immediately after the Sorghum Festival at West Liberty, we loaded back into the car and headed to London, KY for the Chicken Festival. 

I have been singing at the Chicken Festival since I was very young. We figured it up and we think I have performed there for over ten years! Obviously I love it, since I come back every year. This year I was able to perform three different times on two different stages. On Friday evening after the Sorghum Festival, I sang at 4:00pm on the Sander's Court Stage...right next to the world's largest frying pan. There was a guy with a rake, a RAKE, maneuvering the chicken around the pan (just to give you an idea of the size). 

After the 4:00 performance, I headed over to the 4th street stage near the Courthouse in London. There, my friend Dustin joined me again. We entertained from 8:00-9:00pm. This stage was under a huge tent and it was raining outside so as you can imagine, people were flocking to the tent seeking a dry place. Lucky for us, even after it stopped raining, the majority of the audience stayed to listen!

The next morning, I was scheduled for the Sander's Court stage at 1:00pm. There, I was joined by Dustin Wilson on guitar and vocals, and John Davis on the cajon. We had such a great time playing together, we actually played for an hour and a half instead of an hour. We tried some new things and I was very happy with the outcome (stay tuned to see what they are in coming videos). For now, click below to see a video from Saturday the 26th. 

Immediately following our performance was the chicken wing eating contest. Now that was something to see. There were bones flying everywhere! I couldn't take my eyes off the contestants. The chicken wings were donated by Old Town Grill. One cool bean will be awarded if you read my OTG blog post back in August http://www.taylordyemusic.com/2015/08/patio-pickin-at-old-town-grill.html .

As always, I enjoyed my time at the Chicken Festival and hope to be back next year! A huge thanks to Bridgett Gambrel with SAM 103.9 (http://sam1039.com/) and Rodney Hendrickson for having me out every year! 

Did you like this post? Share it on Facebook and like my page if you haven't already at www.facebook.com/tayloraustindye! Comment below and let's talk about music (or food, or clothes, or life, or anything ok I just like to talk). If you want to see more videos of me singing, head on over to www.youtube.com/taylordyemusic.

Festival Frenzy: Railroad Festival & More!

The Railroad Festival & UK v. Florida Tailgate 9/19

The Railroad Festival is held in Ravenna, KY annually. I was asked to sing on short notice for this festival, but everything worked out great! I made my way to Estill County around noon and I was scheduled to sing at 2:00. My friends from 104.9 WSKV (website) were running the sound in the park. There were several booths set up around the sidewalk trail where people could walk through, get a bite to eat, and sit down under the awning on picnic tables to listen to the entertainment. I sang for about an hour with a wide variety of music including Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, to Buddy Holly, to Tom Petty.

After I sang for an hour at the Railroad Festival, I made my way to Commonwealth Stadium to play at a tailgate party. Although it drizzled for a few minutes and was a little chilly, it turned out to be a great night! Except the Wildcats didn’t get that “W.” I was joined by my friend John Davis on the cajon/ I also met some new people who I later ended up singing with. See some of the spontaneous music we came up with below. 

PS. I couldn't stop laughing because of these crazy lyrics! 

                                                        (Reed Fields, myself, John Davis, and Kenny Purpose)

   

We took turns entertaining on and off from 5:00-7:30 until the game started. That day was a great day full of music and friends and that is always my favorite thing to have on the weekend. Thanks to Ethan Moore from WSKV for having me out to the RRF and John Davis for inviting me to entertain for the tailgate party!

Did you like this post? Share it on Facebook and like my page if you haven't already at www.facebook.com/tayloraustindye! Comment below and let's talk about music (or food, or clothes, or life, or anything ok I just like to talk). If you want to see more videos of me singing, head on over to www.youtube.com/taylordyemusic.

Festival Frenzy: Black Gold Festival

Black Gold Festival 9/18

I always look forward to entertaining for the Black Gold festival every year. They always have a great sound crew and an amazing stage set up. Keep reading for details of the show!

(photo credit to audience member Jeff Strong) 

The Black Gold festival is held in Hazard, KY every year. Black Gold is a reference to coal, which is very important and historic to our region of eastern Kentucky. This year, I was lucky enough to get a Friday night slot at 6:00; just before country stars “Restless Heart” took the stage at 8:00. There was a huge crowd at the outside amphitheater. I arrived early to ensure that I had plenty of time to sound check, etc. I got the pleasure of hearing Timothy Baker (check him out here) before I took the stage, and he has a beautiful voice along with some crazy guitar skill. I performed for an hour and towards the end of my set, there was standing room only! I was so thankful for a beautiful day and a great crowd. Check out some songs from my performance here: 

See more videos on my Facebook page, www.facebook.com/tayloraustindye 

The Hazard Herald also featured me in their newspaper and I just love this article! You can read it here: 

http://hazard-herald.com/features/lifestyle/853/taylor-dye-performs#.VgG1FGBVS90.facebook

Outfit brought to you by: www.buckle.com

Festival Finds:

Every year, it is inevitable. I have to get a bloomin’ onion. My best friend and I have a tradition to get one every year. Although she couldn’t make it this year, my parents and I ate one in her honor. I did it for you, Laken. Not only did we partake in the traditional bloomin’ onion, my fiancé got a funnel cake too! Of course, I had to sample it a few times. I can definitely say, the greasiness and calories are definitely worth it for a Black Gold bloomin’ onion. 

Did you like this post? Share it on Facebook and like my page if you haven't already at www.facebook.com/tayloraustindye! Comment below and let's talk about music (or food, or clothes, or life, or anything ok I just like to talk). If you want to see more videos of me singing, head on over to www.youtube.com/taylordyemusic.