Roy W. Taylor
Songwriter · Guitar · Lead Vocals
The pen and the voice — front and centre, wired to every song he writes.
alt-country · americana · rock
Songs wired to the heart — twang, drive & harmony.
About
United Wire is a band built on songs — literate, lived-in songs about love, loss, roads and the in-between. Songwriter and frontman Roy W. Taylor delivers his own songs with a voice that can hush a room one minute and howl the next.
The sound sits at the crossroads where Gram Parsons dreamed of flying and where Wilco's amps hum with electricity: pedal steel weeping over Telecasters, a rhythm section that locks in like a freight train, and choruses built to be sung back at full volume.
Twang for the country purists. Fuzz for the rockers. Harmony for everyone.
“We're a country band that likes it loud, and a rock band that likes it lonesome.” — United Wire
The Band
Songwriter · Guitar · Lead Vocals
The pen and the voice — front and centre, wired to every song he writes.
Drums
The engine room. Keeps the freight train rolling and the room moving.
Bass
Bottom end and backbeat — the glue between the twang and the thump.
Pedal Steel
Sheds a tear on every chord change. The sound of heartbreak, Nashville style.
Discography
Songs written and recorded by Roy W. Taylor & Andrew Taylor in Edinburgh. Stream both albums free right here — or download on Bandcamp.
November 2018
Alt-country songwriting featuring pedal steel accompaniment with a melancholic, dark and wistful core. Influenced by everyone from Wilco to Ennio Morricone, Thin Lizzy to The Byrds, Neil Young to Loretta Lynn.
Lyrics
High above the river there was a viewpoint
It looked right down onto the banks where they drank (in) their last day in the sun
That day some of them skipped class to say 'goodbye' to small town boredom
For some of them it would be the last time they saw each other
There was blue rope around the suitcase
blue rope tied on the roof rack
blue rope all frayed and easy
blue rope all down the valley
this song's about blood rivers
and blue rope you used to give us
Some years later he threw stones with his brothers girlfriend from off the viewpoint
She was amazed how he reached the other side,
and even the tall pines trees on the far bank where they'd drank (in) their last day in the sun all those years ago
There was blue rope around the suitcase
blue rope tied on the roof rack
blue rope all frayed and easy
blue rope all down the valley
this song's about blood rivers
and blue rope you used to give us
Yesterday I woke up and the sun was on,
the rooftops and the grass beyond
I tore you up in my mind just for having fun
When we break-up it's like a mountain song
The snow melts and then we're back on
So don't you cry for me
Cos I've got a ticket somewhere
Return to me and see
We'll make-up and go somewhere, somewhere with sea
That's where I want to be
Yesterday I broke down and it moved me some,
that I could cry for the next one to come
Yesterday I was down but I made it back,
when I heard the sound of the greyhound track
I knew that you were not coming back
So don't you cry for me
I've got a ticket somewhere
Return to me and see
We'll make-up and go somewhere, somewhere with sea
That's where I want to be
You and me
That's where I want to be
I've been waiting and you've been taking
me out for a while
It's been a while since I sold you a smile
while we're on the end of the line
We might as well go down in history he he!
Cos soon you're going to find out that I'm no mystery to you
Darling what else can I do
Darling what else can I do to you
I've been looking at you so good looking
as you cross down the street
It's been a while since I called you to find
if you're on the end of the line
We might as well go down in history he he!
Cos soon you're going to find out that I'm no mystery to you
Darling what else can I do
Darling what else can I do to you
Can I do to you
Though you say you love me I know you don't care
and I know it's true that it's all there in your stare
We might as well go down in history he he!
Soon you're going to find out that I'm no mystery to you
Cos darling what else can I do
Darling what else can I do to you
May 2014
The self-titled debut. Songs written and recorded by Roy & Andrew Taylor, with Scott Tobin on bass and Tim Davidson on pedal steel. All roads lead here.
Have a go
Drag your mouse (or finger) across the strings to strum — or click a single string to pluck it. Pick a chord below, then have at it.
Tip: pick a chord, then drag up or down across the strings.
Photos
Band photos and track images from the Blue Rope sessions.
Influences
The sounds wired into every United Wire song.
Electricity & heartbreak
Harmony & jangle
Smoke & swagger
The cosmic American dream
The blueprint
Melody overdrive
Dual-guitar fire
Live
Dates are being wired up — check back soon.
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