THE MOTIVES OFFICIAL WEBSITE - www.the-motives.com

BIOGRAPHY

The Motives brings together some of the finest talent from the European blues scene, drawing their musical inspiration from 40′s New York, 50′s Chicago and 60′s London. Their eponymous debut album was released in June 2012 to widespread critical acclaim and they have played all over the UK and in October 2012 supported The Robert Cray Band on tour in Holland.

The name Matt Taylor is becoming more and more familiar as a highly regarded guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer. He has made four albums with his own band and several others in collaboration with the likes of Long John Baldry with whom he toured Europe twice, releasing one live album and The Snowy White Blues Project who he has been working with since 2008, touring all over Europe and releasing one studio and one live album.

As a session musician he has worked with a huge variety of artists in many genres including European and US tours with French superstar Patricia Kaas, TV & radio work with Take That’s Gary Barlow, live work with Tony Hadley and TV appearances with Belinda Carlisle, Shelby Lynne and Lulu. He has backed artists as diverse as Jamie Cullum, Shane McGowan, Tony Christie and Joe Bonamassa, his career taking him to as far-flung places as the Middle East and Siberia. Recently Matt has also turned his hand to production, being at the helm for Mark Butcher’s debut album Songs from the Sun House.

Voted ‘Best Bass Player’ in the 2010, 2011 & 2012 British Blues Awards (and now in the Hall of Fame) Andy Graham grew up in South Wales and did a degree in classical music but has always been happiest playing bass in a band. Playing with Ian Siegal since the mid ’90s, he has been the constant in various band line-ups alongside Ian, playing all over Europe. He has also worked with Imogen Heap and Martine McCutcheon (playing with both at their Hyde Park performances for The Princes Trust in front of a crowd of 150,000), Grace Solero, Dana Gillespie, Lee Sankey’s Cool Grey 5ives and international blues artists including Phil Guy and Sugar Blue, amongst others.

This project sees Matt collaborating once again with Snowy White Blues Project drummer Roy Martin. Matt and Roy met in 2003 whilst touring with Patricia Kaas with whom Roy has worked since 1997, traversing the globe many times. Prior to that Roy spent 5 years living in New York where he had the opportunity to work for a wide variety of artists including Aretha Franklin and David Sandborn. More recently he has been seen on the road and in the studio with Barclay James Harvest and Thea Gilmore and in the past has shared stages or studios with artists as diverse as Jack Bruce, Joan Baez and Robert Palmer.

Joining them is undoubtably one of the UK’s best keyboard players, Jonny Dyke who first made his reputation with Brit-blues heroes Out of the Blue, going on to work with US bluesmen Larry Garner and Bob Kirkpatrick and the legendary Memphis Horns. Pop session work followed including appearances with Victoria Beckham and Dolly Parton, UK tours with Elkie Brooks and two world tours with Patricia Kaas, during which time he played in China, the USA and Russia including a performance for President Putin’s birthday at The Kremlin. In 2010 Jonny has been working with folk-pop singer Amy Macdonald, toured the UK with Judie Tzuke and toured Europe with guitarist Coco Montoya and the Ruf Records Blues Caravan. February and March 2011 saw him touring the UK with Ben E King and Gary US Bonds and he has recently been working in Europe with Ruf Records recording artist Meena Cryle.


PRESS QUOTES

“Tough urban blues with lyrics to match delivered in a style that’s as sharp as James Brown’s footwork and as solid as Alcatraz… reminiscent of those Stax-era Albert King and Little Milton songs with Booker T on keyboards.”
John Clarke, The Independent (UK)

“We’re not trying to copy any particular style. I just try to come up with blues songs which don’t sound like all the other blues songs in the world.”
Matt Taylor, Classic Rock presents The Blues Magazine (UK)

“It’s time for the blues boys and girls to sit up and take notice. The men are back”
4 stars (out of 5)
R2 – Rock’n'Reel Magazine (UK)

“…a rock-steady band nail the grooves and Taylor’s timely flourishes provide a serious injection of blues gold. This confident, decade-spanning rhythm’n'blues is swimming in vibe”
Guitar & Bass Magazine (UK)

“crafted songs, which time and again choose a different path than even the most demanding listener expects. Guitarist Matt Taylor excels and has a fierce approach to his playing… If you like listening to sharp, extremely high standard and damn soulful bluesrock, you’ve come to the right place”
Jazzism Magazine (NL)

“A Boost For British Blues… we hear blues in the best Chicago tradition, but also British beat: it provides a nice varied mix of both worlds. The Motives prove that they belong at the top of British blues”
Heaven Magazine (NL)

“…a fine Blues Rock album with great hammond organ sounds and straight drum and bass…expressive clean licks to fat lead lines a la Gary Moore…high class workmanship with style”
Gitarre & Bass Magazine (Germany)

“Very few albums in British blues have been as hotly anticipated over the last few years as the debut release of the Motives with Matt Taylor. It’s for good reason that people have been on the edge of their seats waiting for this as four of the UK’s top blues musicians have joined forces in a supergroup, and, should the numbers stack up the way they could, this shall be spectacular…”
Ian McHugh, Blues is the Truth, UK Jazz Radio

“[the track] Gone Before is a masterpiece… the new Motives album is superb… if I’d heard Nature’s Cruel Design before Leap of Faith I’d have nominated that – what a song! What an album!”
Gary Grainger, The Blues Show, Bishop FM

“I’ve got a lot of time for Matt Taylor… a man to watch”
Paul Jones, BBC Radio 2

“Look out British Blues Awards 2013, here they come… WHAT A CRACKING ALBUM!”
Kevin Beale, Blues on the Marsh

“On first listen to this album the most striking feature is the very high quality of the songwriting both lyrically and musically…. This album is one of the best I have heard this year and was well worth the wait”.
Fanzeyeview

“…[the album] will be getting a lot more airplay, great CD, just love it”
Tony Fitton, Blues in the Nite, Phoenix FM

“The Motives featuring Matt Taylor is a very cool album indeed. The clever thing about this band is they include influences from the 50s and, especially, the 60s, yet at the same time, sound modern and original. They sound like no-one else out there right now… it’s a CD I would recommend to anyone.”
Dave Watkins, Blues Train, Frome FM