Found in the Inbox: Taylor McCluskey Preserves a Band’s Chemistry at Piccolo Studios

A live recording preserves decisions that a band makes together in real time. Taylor McCluskey’s Live from Piccolo Studios, Montreal, 2026 places that interaction at the center of a four-track EP recorded at the Montreal studio. The California-born, Montreal-based songwriter released the project on October 9.

The record also preserves the context surrounding those performances. It is dedicated to Susan Moss, the band’s longtime photographer and friend, following her death. The release materials identify the associated shoot as the band’s final photo session with her, giving the project another kind of memory to carry.

Four musicians, one room

McCluskey handles vocals and rhythm guitar, joined by Ange E. Curcio on drums, Gary McKenzie on bass and Justin Read on lead guitar. The four songs were co-written with Glen Robinson, a collaborator whose relationship with McCluskey extends across a decade.

The recording’s stated aim was to capture the musicians playing together, including the bleed and imperfections that come with that process. In a campaign built around performance, those details explain the method. They tell a listener what the band intended to preserve when it chose a live session.

A visual counterpart to the EP

Dancing Mist, Breaking the Mirror, Cold Surveillance and Bullet in the Head form the track list. Each has an accompanying performance video filmed during the Piccolo sessions, allowing the audience to see the interactions behind the recording.

That pairing is useful for a songwriter whose work also extends into filmmaking. The videos give the release a documented setting and place faces, instruments and gestures alongside the audio. They offer a direct route into the band for listeners encountering McCluskey for the first time.

A dedication with a purpose

The tribute to Moss connects the recording to the people who helped build the band’s creative life. McCluskey describes her as a trusted part of that circle, and the supplied portrait carries her photography credit.

What makes this release worth highlighting is the specificity of its purpose. It records a particular group at a particular moment and acknowledges a person whose work helped preserve that group visually. The EP and videos remain available through McCluskey’s official links.