Tag: Stephen Paul Taylor

Time to check in with SPT a.k.a. Stephen Paul Taylor. When we last saw him, he was featured in episode 3 of Busker Diaries, a cool Berlin-based group that makes documentaries of street performers. Since then, he’s been readying his EP, Single and Seventeen. It begins with “Everyone Knows Shit’s F*cked,” an in-your-face diatribe aimed squarely at the U.S. government and undoubtedly his claim to fame, but my favorite from the 5-track collection is “Graveyard Eyes,” which is at once hilarious and endearing, a cleverly written ode to a lost love, bursting with morose metaphors.

SPT’s style is camp but catchy with unexpectedly sophisticated lyrics that saves this from being a mere synth-pop novelty act. Visually as well as aurally, Taylor is compelling, drawing audiences to him and putting them firmly in his camp. He may well be a “love him or hate him” kind of artist, but aren’t those the ones who stir things up and get people thinking? His tagline is “Synthpop for the Masses,” and indeed, his flamboyant stage show and histrionics may be what reels them in, but his message, especially on a song like “Shit’s F*cked,” is politically relevant and confrontational, meant to elicit a reaction. And that’s what makes SPT truly interesting.

Single and Seventeen was released on August 1st and was commemorated by an EP Release Party in Berlin. He has shows in Berlin, Finland, Norway and the Netherlands throughout the summer. See his full schedule for more information.

<a href="http://stephenpaultaylor.bandcamp.com/album/single-and-seventeen-2">Single And Seventeen by Stephen Paul Taylor</a>

Single and Seventeen – track listing
Everybody Knows Shit’s F*cked
Graveyard Eyes
Life is Life
Single and Seventeen
Yes

Busker Diaries #3: Introducing Stephen Paul Taylor

By julie

On April 7, 2015

In Indie Music

So long as Busker Diaries keeps churning out documentaries about absolutely fascinating street musicians, I’ll keep featuring them here on ‘musings.’ They’re now three for three. The Daily Dot first wrote about Berlin street musician Stephen Paul Taylor last December, talking about his anti-establishment “Everybody Knows Sh*t’s F*cked” performance. A short while after, Busker Diaries decided to do one of their web documenties about him. They follow him from his street corner to his first German television show. Through the documentary, he “tells about his alter egos, self-fulfillment and how the internet hype changed his life.” It shows him performing on a Berliner U-Bahn train.

Tyler is a synth-pop artist with decidedly ’80s sensibilities (think Depeche Mode, B-52s, Talking Heads) with a touch of ’70s glam thrown in for good measure. He’s been making music since 2012, with performances around Berlin and in Finland, Austria, Belgium, Holland and Switzerland. He has a new album coming out, Single and Seventeen, set for release on SPT Records on June 1.

Busker Diaries films mini-documentaries about street performers, telling their personal stories and highlighting their music, introducing them to the world through the Internet. You can donate to the cause and recommend musicians to be profiled.

Busker Diaries: web | facebook

screams, whispers and songs from planet earth

Tag: Stephen Paul Taylor

SPT’s New EP – A few more words about Stephen Paul Taylor

Busker Diaries #3: Introducing Stephen Paul Taylor