YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Taylor Borton will perform her newest songs, and maybe some unreleased material, at her upcoming show at Penguin City Brewing.
The Nashville-based country singer-songwriter who hails from Hubbard will play in the brewery’s ballroom Saturday, Sept. 26. She is sharing the bill with Bayou Blue, a Columbiana County-based band that specializes in the music of Creedence Clearwater Revival and Linda Ronstadt. Tickets can be purchased online.
Borton is firmly rooted in old-school country music, though her northern voice occasionally edges her toward Americana.
An outstanding songwriter, she will mix a sampling of her originals onto a set list that will be heavy on country covers.
A main criterion for picking songs is the city and the crowd, and Borton is leaning toward the old-school for this hometown show. “I’m thinking older country covers, like some Loretta Lynn or Tammy Wynette,” she said.
Borton released two songs this summer – “Between You and Me” and “Dim a Neon” – and will definitely perform them. She has a few other new songs that will be released sequentially as the year winds down, and at least one of them could get its first public performance at Penguin City.
“I recorded a total of six songs, so I have four more to come out,” she said. “I’m probably going to do that at the end of September. … Maybe it will come out right around the time of the show.”
Borton, a Hubbard High School graduate, moved to Nashville several years ago to pursue her career.
Despite the distance, she returns home on a regular basis to perform at bars and small venues in the Mahoning Valley. She was part of a country music songwriter’s circle at Birdfish Brewing earlier this summer.
She was in the Mahoning Valley for three shows Sept. 12-14 and then returned to Nashville for other gigs. She was eager to accept the Penguin City offer, even though it meant a whirlwind return.
“I really want to do it,” she said. “I’m just going to fly back up there.”
The large capacity of the Penguin City ballroom – it holds well over 500 – adds spark to the gig.
“That’s what it feels like for me,” she said. “I’ve never been to Penguin City, and I’ve heard that it holds a lot of people. So depending on how many tickets we sell, I think it’ll be good.”
She’ll be performing solo at the gig. “It will just be me and my guitar,” she said.
The show’s promoter, Jake Ellis, sought out Borton to give the show a local touch – and a departure from the rock shows he typically books.
He started booking concerts at Penguin City’s ballroom earlier this year, after the venue received a new sound system and acoustic treatment.
“I had been wanting to find a way to get a local presence, and she fit the bill pretty well,” he said. “She has some new music out, so it’s a good time to get her on our stage.”
Pictured at top: Taylor Borton will play Penguin City on Saturday.