Kaleigh Baker – DREAM TOUR

In this Dream Tour segment, the singer songwriter, Kaleigh Baker, shares the acts that she would include on her ultimate tour lineup. You can check out her picks, after the break.

Aaron Lee Tasjan: I first heard Aaron Lee Tasjan play in NYC in 2012. We were both on a killer bill called “Shayni Rea’s Truck Stop” with Kevn Kinney. ALT signed the poster I had ripped down from a bathroom stall and even though I’ve moved quite a bit, this particular show poster still gets priority when I’m hanging art in my “Inspiration Station”.

His honesty is infectious and the first time I heard him hit the fuzz pedal in the middle of “American Tan” I fell out of my chair. It’s dangerous to sit when he plays. I once drove myself and a fellow singer/songwriter 2 1/2 hours to see him play at The Saint in Asbury Park. ALT started playing “Living Proof” and when the chorus came in I softly sang a harmony and low and behold I look to my right just as Caleb Caudle was singing the lower third. That was cool.

He makes me want to be a better me. To play a string of shows with Aaron Lee Tasjan would be the coolest.

Tadeschi Trucks Band: They are the greatest band out there right now. I had the opportunity to catch their set at Wannee Fest (2013) in Florida. I had run back to camp to re-fuel and was walking down a wooded path shortly after the golden hour. I then heard a very familiar intro. Sure enough Susan just kicked into “Break In The Road” (Betty Harris) and I couldn’t get to the stage fast enough.

I started covering that song about a year before with Shak Nasti (Orlando, FL). I don’t know, when she kicked into the first verse I felt like we were soul sisters. Kinda like we knew something that many others didn’t. I’m trying to get better everyday and surround myself with artists that inspire me. Susan sings like an angel and plays guitar like a MAD WOMAN. If I ever was afforded an opportunity to open for Tedeschi Trucks Band, I’d just melt. Just thinking about it pushes me to shred.

Tom Waits: I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I didn’t express my undying desire to just be in a room with him. He’s the end all be all for me. I gratefully blame Jeff Nolan (Guitar God, Music Historian, Friend and Mentor) for my addiction to all things TW. He prompted me to listen to “Rain Dogs” and I was never the same.

In 2008, Waits came to Florida to play at The Moran Theatre in Jacksonville and I just didn’t have the money to get there and afford a ticket. It was the first time that I had drummed up the courage to hit downtown Orlando to busk on the streets. I played for 6 hours and made $11. I was crushed, defeated and embarrassed. I never made it to the show and I chalked it up to not being good enough.

Even though I still haven’t caught a live show, whenever I get too comfortable I hear the clanging of a break drum and it leads me right back to that place on the corner of Orange and Magnolia where I sang my heart out just to have it ripped out.

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