The summer solstice will be on June 20, so I’d like to look back on the highlights of my spring season this year. In April, I performed with my band at Boonton Coffee Co. and Herbal Root Organics. My friend, Katrina Rose, was able to attend one of our performances and captured some awesome photos. We’ll be performing at Herbal Root Organics again on June 7 if you’d like to hear my live music.
On May 2, I turned 27 and decided to celebrate my birthday with a Pride & Prejudice themed movie night. My friends and I watched the 2005 adaptation where the British character Charlotte says the following quote to her friend, Lizzie:
I didn’t realize how much I related to that quote until I turned 27 myself, so I wanted to have fun with it and celebrate the daunting age with my loved ones. Thank you to the bakery, All Roads Vegan, for designing such a pretty vintage cake with the quote’s checklist on top. Many other ladies have hopped on this Pride and Prejudice bandwagon, so I hope that the picture of my cake offers inspiration for those who plan to celebrate in the same decadent way!
On May 16, my guitarist Serj released his song called “The Grey” onto all music streaming platforms. I had the joy of singing vocals for the hard rock duet, recorded at Backroom Studios last year. Serj’s friend Natalia wrote the song to address the complexity of a romantic relationship, with the grey (which is the British way of spelling the color, interesting that Serj preferred that spelling) symbolizing the vague doubts and fears of the two partners. The call-and-response vocals mirror an intimate dialogue — one that’s fraught with longing and a plea for reassurance. It was very cathartic to sing the lyrics because I personally resonate with its themes, and I enjoyed officially stepping into the genre of hard rock.
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| Recording at Backroom Studios |
The day after the release, my band performed in Montclair Porchfest with over 60 other bands from New Jersey participating. It’s the kind of outdoor music festival where local residents host bands on their porches. My band was hosted at 252 N Mountain Ave and I loved how the couple had their kids set up a lemonade stand to attract more traffic. It was an idyllic setting to sing in and I love how festivals bring communities together in beautiful ways.
Murr from Impractical Jokers made an appearance at one of the porches to bring awareness to the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation because his father passed away from Alzheimer’s last year. He then tried to serenade us with “I’m a Believer” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.” Even though his voice was a little pitchy, he sang with a lot of spirit and it was amusing to watch!
On May 22, I surprisingly discovered that the Charlotte-based singer-songwriter, or “Poet Priest,” Andy Squyres was in New Jersey and would be performing at a church only half an hour away from me. I’ve been following Andy’s music and admiring his philosophical musings since 2020, and I noticed how he would only tour in the west or the south so I stopped keeping track of where he’d be performing next. Then, my sister found out from a friend that he was performing at her church in Randolph so I joined them in attending his concert and cried through most of his songs. If you check out his original music and study the lyrics, you'll understand why I was so emotional!
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| Andy Squyres at Hope Church in Randolph, NJ |
As a songwriter, I admire Andy’s dedication to finding new ways to express God's faithfulness in a world where absurdity and irony challenge faith. He doesn't sugarcoat how difficult it is to follow Christ and navigate through the complexities of life. He does a wonderful job of using vivid metaphors and imagery while still assuming a humble, down-to-earth style in his writing. He knows how to use irony to create extreme rhymes which make his songs very striking to listen to when you first hear them, and his sense of humor helps to lighten the burden of his sorrowful lyrics. Here are some of my favorites:
“The heat of Your fire's just a memory now, but nothing is wasted with You.
Oh my love is only a whisper now, but nothing is wasted with You.”
“Pressure of the surgeon's knife, You have always been precise.
As a bull in the china shop of my life, always breaking through.”
“In winter, I believe You. In springtime, I see You.
It's so good to be with You, my hope has come.
Lord, You make all things new. Your love is my breakthrough.”
On May 27, I flew to Amsterdam to serve with Greater Europe Mission for a week. They are a Christian missions organization that honors God’s calling to be discipled and make disciples of Jesus, particularly throughout Europe. I served at their first “Renew” conference in Egmond aan Zee, a special conference designed to encourage and train missionaries on how to improve their ministry and foster connections with other missionaries who understand their unique lifestyle and callings.
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| The "Renew" conference at Hotel Zuiderduin |
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| I spent a few days in Egmond aan Zee, a charming Dutch seaside town |
I led the worship songs for the missionary kids in the 5 to 6 year-old group. I already dearly miss them, they were so enthusiastic about singing and doing the hand motions for songs like “Deep and Wide,” “Jesus Loves Me,” “Isaiah 53:6” and “Love the Lord Your God.” I hope the song-lyrics will stick with them and comfort their hearts as they return home to their different countries.
Our team leaders said the children rarely get to interact with other kids who understand the special struggles of being in a missionary family, so the friendships they foster during this conference might be the most consistent friendships they make during their childhood, granted that their parents bring them back every year. I hope it was a memorable and encouraging week for them all. My favorite memories were taking them to the beach to dig up shells and having a glow party on the last night with glow stick bracelets and lots of dancing!
It was fun to spend an evening in Amsterdam before flying back home. The canals looked serene as we walked along them and the flowers around the city were beautiful, especially the roses. I find it ironic that the last time I was in Amsterdam was 10 years ago in 2015, and I only spent one evening there with my family before heading to another city on our Europe bus tour. Now, in 2025, I spent another brief evening in the city before having to fly back home... Maybe someday, I'll stay for longer!
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| Picturesque Amsterdam |
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| I flew over Greenland on the flight home! |
Before summer officially begins, I have a music gig this Saturday so I hope to see many of you at my next show! My band and I will be back at Herbal Root Organics on June 7 from 6-8 pm. We've called the event “Boards and Ballads” because Lauryn, the cafe owner, will be providing the veggie and charcuterie boards while I sing the ballads! You can check out my music website at madisontaylorsings.com to stay updated on my music journey.
Looking forward to the summer,
Madison Taylor
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