Taylor-Maid Tunes

By Jenna Croyle

The wonderful thing about Erie is that the city has cultivated countless bands of all genres, each with their own style and sound. Still today, perhaps more than ever we see new bands popping up every day, keeping the scene alive, vital and fresh.

This week’s featured band came together in the fall of 2010 and has since become a favorite of local clubs and venues, while entertaining their audiences with both classic hits and the popular music of today. With a commanding stage presence, Taylor-Maid pounds out the music just like their fans like it, with a gritty, soulful sound and an unexplainable crazy energy that the band exudes from the stage.

Performing a wide variety of classic Rock and Country, this five piece band covers the music of Joan Jett, Trick Pony, Pat Benatar and many more with all the energy and vitality that any band could possibly muster, making Taylor-Maid as captivating to watch, as they are to hear.

Taylor-Maid features Taylor Herbstritt on Lead Vocals, Jim Buman on Lead Guitar and Vocals, Pati Williams on

Bass Guitar and Vocals, Chuck Alloway on Drums and Bob Ohmer on Keyboard and Vocals.

As a 2011 RockErie Music Award nominee for Best Female Vocalist, and with a hint of rasp in her voice, a playful yet unassailable stage presence and excellent lyrical delivery, Taylor Herbstritt uses her wide vocal range to belt out the songs with all the ease and great talent of a true crooner.

Herbstritt’s pure passion for music becomes clearer with every song she sings, and is without doubt the secret to Taylor-Maid’s success.

Jim Buman’s Guitar licks are always spot on and a perfect musical construction of excellent rhythm, smoke’n riffs and fantastically melodic moments, making his six string an irreplaceable component to the band and always a true crowd pleaser.

Pati Williams is outstanding on the bass, always offering smooth and flawless baselines, pummeling the audience with dynamic and minimalistic, and an almost serial melodic sense resulting in beautifully foreboding soundscapes.

The beats in any music are arguably the most important elements of the song; they keep the rhythm, set the tempo and most importantly, lend that pulse pounding punch to every song. The expressive and riveting chops of Chuck Alloway always seem to hit that invisible bull’s-eye of drumming and Alloway is clearly the spine that holds this musical body together.

These days, there’s not much to distinguish one keyboardist from the next. In the 60s, 70s, 80s, and even the early 90s, keyboardists were well known for their signature sounds.

Muck like the great keyboardists of yesteryear, the fast finger work of Bob Ohmer is simply outstanding. Straight out of the box, Ohmer’s funky grooves over strong, catchy beats and feverish levels of keyboard grandeur, starts the party off strong.

Taylor-Maid is a talent packed, hard driving musical force that excites and energizes any room they play, entertaining everyone with heartfelt music that sizzles and rocks the house down.

For more information on Taylor-Maid and their show dates, please visit their Facebook page.