Episode Overview:

In this episode, JimmyJames and Just Jim sit down with Joseph “Ojo” Taylor for a deeply personal, wide-ranging conversation tracing his musical and spiritual journey. From childhood memories of Captain Kangaroo and discovering the Beatles to the life-changing shock of hearing Jimi Hendrix, Ojo shares how music captured his imagination and never let go.

We explore his classical training, songwriting, early bands, and the journey from Undercover and Brainstorm Artists International to academia and his latest album, B̶E̶H̶O̶L̶D̶. Along the way, Ojo reflects on creativity, faith, doubt, fundamentalism, and the complicated search for meaning. With honesty, humor, and hard-won perspective, he considers how our beliefs evolve, how the past changes when viewed through a new lens, and how music can hold both transcendence and humanity.

In this conversation:

• Discovering the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, and the music of the ’60s

• Classical piano, Bach, counterpoint, and the foundations of his songwriting

• Starting bands, the evolution of Undercover, and the founding of Brainstorm Artists International

• The hidden musical references and classical influences woven into his work

• Teaching composition and theory at James Madison University

• Faith, religious fundamentalism, doubt, and the danger of certainty

• The long musical and philosophical journey from Relative to B̶E̶H̶O̶L̶D̶

• The meaning behind the album’s strike-through title and its use of religious imagery

• The emotional heart of “Behold Nothing,” “In a Dark Room,” and “Interlude II”

• The musicians who helped bring the album to life

• Creativity, humanity, legacy, and the threads that connect a lifetime of music

Follow Ojo Taylor
Website: https://ojotaylor.com/
B̶E̶H̶O̶L̶D̶ on Bandcamp: https://ojotaylor.bandcamp.com/album/b-e-h-o-l-d
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3f7dEdFFjVqvexVg9b15jI
YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCOB6fe3h_2cTstQKqefSF-A
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ojo_taylor/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ojotaylor/
Blog: https://ojotaylor.com/blog/

Follow Undercover
Bandcamp: https://undercover.bandcamp.com/music
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6ic5o2PpXcrWpWtnHTj8wZ
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Undercover-100042114675707/

About Post-punk Heartstrings
Exploring emotion in post-punk and beyond, Post-punk Heartstrings celebrates artists who lead with emotion, commitment, and originality—following the deeper threads that connect sound, memory, and meaning.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PostpunkHeartstrings/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Post-punkHeartstringsPod-wf5kp
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kngtZ8HsbDL0YFt4m6otZ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/postpunkheartstrings/