Maria Taylor has a permanent case of wanderlust. The singer-songwriter now lives in Los Angeles, by way of Omaha, NE, by way of Athens, GA. She's originally from Birmingham, AL. "I'm living in another place and letting go of other aspects of my life," Taylor tells Spinner. "And I wanted to get away from the cold."

Taylor is escaping from more than just the cold. When discussing her new album, which she is currently recording in various locations around the country -- namely, her old cities -- she said the songs had a more "positive outlook." "They have less of a somber tone," she says.

Taylor has been enjoying California and her new Silverlake neighborhood, making new friends and preparing for a tour with Johnathan Rice, boyfriend of Jenny Lewis. Undoubtedly, Lewis and other Rilo Kiley members are part of Taylor's new scene; Rilo Kiley is a former Saddle Creek band, which has released two Taylor solo albums. But old connections always bring about new ones. Also on the tour is Nik Freitas, who has just released an album on Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes' other label, Team-Love.

The Oberst connection's don't stop there. Taylor played drums with Bright Eyes on a 2002 tour, and since then, sightings of her at Bright Eyes shows all over the country are common. Oberst was also rumored to be dating Taylor for years, and he was in the room with her, visiting L.A. she said, during her interview with Spinner. "We were playing music together last night," Taylor says of Oberst. "A bunch of friends passing the guitar."

Taylor goes on tour with Rice for five weeks starting June 5 at the Glass House in Pomona, CA. She'll play with a full band and will accompany Rice on drums. Yes, she's a multi-instrumentalist. "I don't play bass," she asserts. "I have the smallest fingers."