It's probably not big news there's another member of Minneapolis' prominent musical family the Petersons launching a music career. Also, it's going to snow this winter.
Minnesota music heir Jeanne Taylor becomes L.A. hopeful in pursuit of Top 40 career
Jeanne Taylor hopes to carry the Peterson family name into Top 40 territory.
November 10, 2016 at 6:58PM
What's interesting about Jeanne Taylor is that she's launching her music career in a way that none of the other Petersons have really done before, working strictly and unabashedly in the slick pop music world with a Top 40-credentialed Los Angeles producer and ambitions to land her own radio hit. Not only is that unique within the Peterson clan, it's a rarity in the Twin Cities on the whole.
"There really isn't a pop music scene here, which I hope to change," said Taylor, who celebrates the release of her debut EP, "Jeanne," with a performance Saturday at Bunker's in Minneapolis (9 p.m., $7).
The youngest daughter of "St." Paul Peterson — ex-keyboardist for the Time, co-leader of the Family and lately Peter Frampton's bassist — Taylor swapped her first and middle names for her stage name, because, she said, "Taylor Jeanne sounded too country." Also, it honors her late grandmother, beloved jazz pianist Jeanne Arland Peterson.
Now 21, Taylor and her older sister, Kelly, flirted with a Disney recording career at ages 10 and 13, but their parents balked at moving to Los Angeles. "They didn't want to discourage us from singing, but they wanted us to have a more normal childhood," she explained.
Come adulthood, Taylor has embraced L.A. She has spent the past two summers there writing and recording and plans to move there after she graduates from the University of Minnesota next semester. Her primary accomplice has been Khris Riddick-Tynes, who helped write and record Ariana Grande's debut album. She also worked with her dad's pal, Family/fDeluxe guitarist Oliver Leiber. St. Paul himself helped, too.
There's a Peterson-brand funkiness in the velvet-rope-themed single "L.A. Night," the most up-tempo of the EP's seven tracks, which also range from the Rhianna-flavored "Fight for Me" to the breakup ballad "End of an Era." Taylor called the EP her calling card.
"I truly love singing, so whether I can make a career of it or not I'm not going to regret trying," she said, with a levelheadedness that suggests her normal Minnesota childhood paid off.
Random mix
Well-known as an altruistic folk singer who even had Pete Seeger's respect, Larry Long might've gotten the ax from ol' Pete over his rocky new album "Dove With Claws," which he's promoting with an all-star band Friday at the Cedar Cultural Center to coincide with his 65th birthday (8 p.m., $20-$25). Both Twin Cities mayors are also declaring it Larry Long Day. Long's cousin, Melvin James — an '80s rocker who recorded for MCA — helped amp up the sessions, but the album is still loaded with passionate protest songs rooted in Midwest controversies, from the Iron Range saga "Seven Strong Women" to the Leonard Peltier tribute "Lay Down Hatred."
Pioneering '60s garage-rockers the Litter of "Action Woman" fame will mark their 50th anniversary at Myth in Maplewood the day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 25, part of a "legends" concert also featuring Joey Molland's Badfinger. Litter guitarist Zippy Caplan says they're also calling it their final show. … A better Neil Young experience than some of the Neil Young tours I've seen, the tribute band Tired Eyes with Alan Sparhawk and Rich Mattson returns to the Turf Club on Saturday, Young's 71st birthday (9 p.m., $10).
Known from his recent collaborations with Dosh and Kill the Vultures, experimental electronic music wiz Ghostband (Jon Davis) will headline 7th Street Entry on Tuesday touting a new instrumental album he's issuing on cassette, "Colder" (9 p.m., $5.) … Jeanne Taylor's dad Paul Peterson and country singer Bryan White perform Sunday at Icehouse to raise money for the Southdale YMCA's programs (7 p.m.). …
Mill City Museum will host a live Q&A and opening reception Wednesday with photographer and First Ave lifer Daniel Corrigan for an exhibit of shots featured in his new book, "Heyday: 35 Years of Music in Minneapolis" (7 p.m., free). … Know Name Records in south Minneapolis is once again hosting a celebration of Kiss' long-ridiculed concept album "Music From the Elder" on Saturday with giveaways, a Kiss open-mic and more. Some bad ideas are too good to die.
chrisr@startribune.com
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Critics’ picks for entertainment in the week ahead.
