A Dirty Dozen with CAMERON TAYLOR from SECRET OF BORIS – October 2020

According to a recent press release: “Dallas, TX based, Electronic Infused Metal band SECRET OF BORIS has released the official music video for “Don’t Mention Love.” Directed by Joe Manco (Little Spark Films), in association with Samhain Productions, and recorded and mixed by Alex Gerst at Empire Sound Studio in Carrollton, TX, “Don’t Mention Love” sees SECRET OF BORIS continuing to develop their combination of heavy guitars, electronics, anger, sadness, and now with a bit of disco. “What is the secret?” is a question the members of Secret Of Boris are constantly asked. The standard answer is, “That’s a secret.” The truth is much deeper and darker. In 2010, the Dallas, TX heavy music scene inspired Secret Of Boris to form from the ashes of LaME., which featured vocalist Cameron Taylor, guitarist Paragraph Taylor, and drummer Ryan A.” We get singer Cameron to discuss new music, influences, and much more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets the band put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Our latest release is the music video for the song, “Don’t Mention Love.” The groove of the song is very dancy, but the lyrics and chords are very dark which is one of my favorite combinations. There are synth tracks throughout, so listen again and again to hear them all. I would love for the listener to tell me something they heard that they liked.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

My parents are musicians. My step-parents are musicians. My uncle used to send me tapes and posters of bands he was working with. Music was everywhere. I was at gigs watching my parents at a young age. My mom is a singer, and we’d constantly be listening to the radio and she would be learning all the top 40 songs for gigs. I would invite all of the kids over in the neighborhood and force them to watch me sing into this toy microphone cassette tape combo. I feel bad for making my fellow 7 year olds sit through what I can only imagine was an extremely painful experience. (laughs)

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

All of the above. My first concert was Billy Joel. I was eight. The first time I heard Jeremy by Pearl Jam was next level for me, as was the rest of that album. From there I was really into the rest of the Seattle sound. Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots etc. I think I was drawn to those guys, and still am, because it was dark but also memorable. Plus, I could sing along with it with the exception of some Chris Cornell. I mean, what a voice. No else can sing like that. I was also getting heavily into Pantera. From there, a friend of mine played me a song over the phone that had heavy guitars and bagpipes. Of course, that band was Korn. That really changed the way I thought about the way things are “supposed” to sound. To that same point, I was at a birthday party for a friend of mine and he pulled out this record called The Downward Spiral by, of course, Nine Inch Nails. Again, mind blown. I don’t think I’ve been the same since. I could go on and on.

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

That’s a loaded question because I have different influences based on different things. As far as singers go it would be Jonathan Davis, Morrissey, Phil Anselmo, Burton C. Bell, and Greg Lasell. Bandwise it would be Nine Inch Nails, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Sevendust, and Type O Negative. I also play guitar and write a lot of our songs so I have to throw those out: Jerry Cantrell, Wes Borland, Dimebag Darrel, John Connolly and Clint Lowery. I know I cheated on that question but I kept it to five each. Ha!

5. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Probably Atticus Ross, the other half of Nine Inch Nails. I’d love to hear what he would come up with based on something I’d written and vice versa. I’d probably just sit there and watch his every move until my head exploded, and then we wouldn’t get anything accomplished. Not at first at least, but I’d come around I’d hope.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

If someone is really interested or in tune with music, I’ll get into mixing genres and the electronic elements, and how it’s heavy and dark but with lots of melody. If they are a casual music fan I just say “rock.” Ha. Oh there have been a couple for sure. One called us “butt rock.” I didn’t even know what that was. One called us “kneck beards.” Again, I didn’t know what that was, but all I can guess is that it was because I was wearing a fedora in the press photo. I don’t remember any specific “they sound like this band,” but now I want to go back and look.

7. What’s the best thing about being a musician?

Being able to create. There’s nothing quite like it. It’s also risky because it can cause self doubt. Sometimes I’ll write something and demo it and put all of this work into it, only to turn around and want to delete it immediately. I don’t, though, because sometimes you just have to get away from it for awhile. It’s extremely fulfilling to create something out of nothing. Then the second payoff is getting to perform it live and having the audience receive what you’ve created. It’s also risky, but worth the risk. If you don’t go through all of those steps, then why are you doing it? I’ve also met some amazing people doing this that I would not have otherwise.

8. When the band are all hanging out together, who cooks; who gets the drinks in; and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Our guitar player Paragraph is always trying to feed us, and they make some things I would never think to try and it’s always awesome. He’s also the one who’s always playing something. It’s not necessarily a sing along as he’s always creating. I do a pretty good job of getting the drinks in with a little help from a few of the guys.

9. When was the last time you were star struck and who was it?

This first time I met Wes Borland we were opening for his band, Black Light Burns, which I thought was incredible. We showed up for load in, and they were sound checking. They finished and I just walked up to him and was much more nervous than I thought I would be. I said, “Hey I just wanted to introduce myself, we’re playing with you guys tonight.” He asked if we were a different band than we were. (laughs) It was fine, he didn’t know. It was a short conversation and then he was off. We finished our set, watched the next band, and then watched them perform and they were fantastic. After the show Wes came back out and hung out with us for the next couple of hours after the crowd left. He was great, as was the rest of the band and their crew. It was a great night.

10. If you weren’t a musician, what would be your dream job?

I think I would still be doing something with music. I’d love to produce someone else. One of my favorite things to do is to help others when they ask for advice on a song. Sometimes when they don’t ask, which I’m sure is annoying. I just love music so much. Other than that, I don’t know. I also have a passion for film, so maybe something in that. Obviously I’ve chosen passions that are difficult to be successful in.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over”, even if it didn’t change your current situation?

Oh… which time? Ha! I have all of these old live show recordings where I either ramble on too long, or don’t say what I should have said. Kind of like when you get in an argument with someone and you think, “I should have said that!”

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Wow… what a great question. I’m going to cheat again and say a few records. I would like to witness any record where they didn’t know they were about to change music culture and history. I’d love to sit in on Sgt. Pepper by The Beatles to see how all of the production was done, Korn’s debut because I can’t imagine what the energy was like in the studio, and The Downward Spiral. To see how Reznor created all of those sounds back then before synth software was so widely available would be amazing.  I’d love to sit in on the first couple of Pantera records (Cowboys and Vulgar and FBD), although I don’t think my young liver would have been able to take it.

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Category: Interviews