Will Taggart

Will Taggart is a guitarist and a former School of Rock All Star. In 2014, the episode "May Be the Last Time" of True Blood on HBO featured the song "Open the Gates" co-written by Taggart and Derrick Schneider.[1] They created "Open the Gates" at the age of 14 while playing in the hard rock band Rapid Fire. Taggart was the lead guitarist of Rapid Fire,[2] which performed at the 2010 Bamboozle Festival at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey.[3]

Early life and education

After growing up in Summit, New Jersey, Taggart graduated from Morristown-Beard School in Morristown, New Jersey in 2013.[4] During his studies, he performed in the school's Contemporary Music Workshop. Taggart served as co-president of the workshop during his senior year. After high school, Taggart began the Bandier program for Music and the Entertainment Industries in the Setnor School of Music at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. He has hosted "The Fah-Show Show" on WERW, a student-run, free-form radio station at the university, since 2013.

Musical career

Taggart started playing guitar at the age of eight.[5] Since then, he has performed at several venues in the New York City metropolitan area. These venues have included Webster Hall in Manhattan, Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and Gramercy Theatre in Manhattan.[6] Taggart has also performed at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado and the Gathering of the Vibes festival in Bridgeport, Connecticut. In high school he played guitar and bass for his band Sauce. In 2014 he recorded a musical project with his cousins Ben and Jonah Wolfson under the band name Cuz. They recorded their first release "The Mustard EP" in May 2014. It was released in July 2014 on Bandcamp. Since his time at Syracuse University he formed the band Pizza Party with friends and fellow students. They released two singles in 2015 and a self-titled EP in 2016. Starting in summer of 2017, Taggart began working on a solo project called Sun Dog where he wrote and recorded all the music himself. Releases can be found on Soundcloud. In addition to Sun Dog, Will was also the bassist in R&B/Funk group Malik & The Loved Ones fronted by Malik Lovesyall. After Malik & The Loved Ones was dissolved, Taggart began to refocus on his project Sun Dog by creating a live band to play the songs he had written. After performing around Los Angeles for one and a half years, the band renamed themselves Camp Riley and prepared to release their debut EP. The EP is scheduled to be released in early 2021. The band is currently composed of Taggart on guitar and vocals, Nick Coggiola on bass, Jon Kane on drums, and Joe Fournier on keyboards.

New Eyes for the Needy

Taggart volunteered for New Eyes for the Needy's fund raising concert in New Jersey from 2009 to 2013. New Eyes for the Needy, a national nonprofit organization founded in 1933, supports the purchase of glasses for people who cannot afford them. Taggart chaired the concert from 2011 to 2013.[7] In 2010, the New Jersey State Legislature honored his service with a joint legislative resolution. Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz presented the resolution to Taggart during the New Eyes for the Needy concert.[8]

References
  1. Rybolt, Barbara (October 4, 2014). "HBO's 'True Blood' features song created by Summit teen". The Independent Press.
  2. Caroom, Eliot (April 10, 2010). "High school metal band wins chance to play on the big stage". The Star Ledger.
  3. McCall, Tris (November 10, 2010). "Summit 11-year-old rock star attributes national success to N.J. School of Rock". The Star Ledger.
  4. "MBS Graduate's Song Featured on HBO's "True Blood"".
  5. "Teens' concert in Short Hills to benefit New Eyes for the Needy". The Independent Press. April 27, 2012.
  6. "Local teens perform at Kids Rock for Vision concert in Summit". The Independent Press. February 18, 2011.
  7. "Kids Rock for Vision playing in concert". The Item of Millburn and Short Hills. February 28, 2013.
  8. "Kids Rock for Vision concert raises over $8K for New Eyes". The Item of Millburn and Short Hills. April 7, 2011.
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