Julian Taylor & Logan Staats

Songs and Stories

Critically acclaimed songwriters Julian Taylor and Logan Staats have joined forces to tour across Canada and bring you an incredible night of songs and stories. Presented in an acoustic format, each night promises musical surprises and heartfelt storytelling. Join the award-winning recording artists as they share the stage for a powerful night of music.

Julian Taylor

There are so many stars in the music world that shine only for a moment. And there are stars that rise and fall, but the heat of some stars can’t be contained and must rise again. Toronto based singer-songwriter Julian Taylor is one of those phoenix-like stars. 

His first moment in the sky started and ended with the hit-making band Staggered Crossing. After their breakup, Julian could have walked away, satisfied with that bright, brief moment. Instead, he went back to work, starting at the bottom, playing in cover bands, working bars, running an open stage as a solo artist. There were moments of impact when he formed the Julian Taylor Band and released two albums. But those were mere steps in the process. When he decided to strip his songs to the basics and go solo with his soul-folk 2020 album, The Ridge, his career rose over the horizon again and sparkled brighter than the first time. Mostly acoustic and sung in Julian’s distinctive warm baritone, The Ridge earned him two JUNO Award nominations, one Canadian Folk Music Award for Solo Artist, five Native American Music Award nominations, plus a nomination for the Polaris Music Prize. 

In 2022, Taylor released his follow up album Beyond the Reservoir.  It received a nomination from the Country Music Association of Ontario Awards in the Roots Artist of the Year category, a nomination for a JUNO Award in the Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year category, and two Ontario Folk Music Award nominations for Song of the Year and Performing Artist of the Year. “Julian Taylor’s music is a beacon of hope in troubled times. His lyrics are thoughtful and inspiring, and his voice is both powerful and tender. This is music that will lift your spirits.” (Canadian Beats) - Wayne Arthurson

Logan Staats 

 

Mohawk rocker turned folk and soul musician Logan Staats began as a diamond in the rough on the streets of Brantford, Ontario. He had no formal musical training, no connections, just a good ear and raw lyrical talent- and always a guitar in hand. He played the local circuit for years before his 2015 debut release ‘Goodbye Goldia’, an unvarnished yet hard hitting solo acoustic album. He went on to win CTV’s ‘The Launch’ in 2018, gaining commercial success and touring across North America and Europe.

But traveling the world can really open your eyes to what's going on right at home, and the fight for indigenous sovereignty has become a focal point for Staats in recent years. It all intermingles with the music; the passion, the rage, the love, and most of all the healing. He's making roadtrippin' music for those traveling 'the red road'; a path towards reconnecting and relearning indigenous ways. “I wanted to bring my songwriting back to the medicine inside of music, to the medicine inside of reclamation,” he says. 

This is the driving philosophy behind his sophomore album ‘A Light In The Attic’, released 2023. These songs are a healing salve, contemplatively composed and offered to listeners in need of comfort. His sound draws heavily from the rich blues and rock legacy of Six Nations. His music has garnered a Juno nomination, multiple Native American Music Awards, and the SOCAN Indigenous Songwriter of the year. Nowadays, he’s cooking up a southern country-flavored third album, and touring the back of Turtle Island and beyond.

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