One of the interesting sidebars to the rock ’n’ roll explosion of the last five decades is the number of artists who have had to take their act on the road to get established in other countries before being appreciated in their homeland. The list of these performers is as diverse as Jimi Hendrix and The Go-Gos, as well as newcomers like British-born guitarist Taz Taylor, who performs at Brick by Brick on Jan. 18. A hard rock aficionado who cites guitarist Michael Schenker as his biggest influence, Taylor has a strong following in Europe, with four albums and several tours under his belt there. Ironically, it all came together after relocating to San Diego. Taylor was born in Birmingham, England — the home town of bands and performers like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Robert Plant — arriving in the U.S. in 1997 with a guitar, a backpack and $2,000, but no place to stay and no definitive plans. The dream was simply to make music. San Diego wasn’t his first choice. “I was initially drawn to L.A. to be honest,” he said. “Just from what you see in the movies, etc, and knowing that so many musicians make their home there. Also, [the draw was] the whole Sunset Strip thing, The Whisky, Key Club … legendary venues. “It was a long time ago,” he said. “I’m more jaded now and don’t care about any of that. I actually settled here in San Diego rather than L.A. just because I immediately felt at home here.” Though he loves his adopted city, he hasn’t been a part of the local music scene per se. Instead, he concentrated his efforts on Europe. He didn’t begin to perform live until 2004, but Taylor hit the floor running, releasing the album “Caffeine Racer” within months. The album did well in Europe, resulting in the 2006 followup “Welcome to America,” which was released on a British label, Escape Music. The title celebrates Taylor’s becoming a U.S. citizen in 2006. He toured Europe in 2007 and 2008, releasing the album “Straight Up” in 2009. The band is a local proposition, but the Taz Taylor Band’s lineup has included a pair of impressive names with a serious rock pedigree — Graham Bonnett and Keith Slack, both ex-members of the Michael Schenker Group. Meanwhile, Deep Purple’s Don Airey contributes keyboards to “Straight Up.” It’s a mark of the times that the recording collaborations were done over the Internet. “Graham Bonnet was our vocalist for a couple of years — one album and two tours,” Taylor said. “(He) recorded at his home in L.A. Keith Slack recorded at his home in Austin. In fact, we didn’t meet face-to-face until we got together to rehearse for a couple of shows after the record was out.” Despite having had such high-profile vocalists, the band is currently performing only instrumental music. “We just wanted to get back to what the band was about when I first started it,” Taylor said, “just a group of friends getting together and playing music for the sake of playing music.” The band includes drummer Val Trainor, keyboardist Bruce Conners and Ocean Beach resident Barney Firks on bass. Taylor is currently in negotiations with a German label for a new album, which will feature vocals, to be followed by another round of touring. Though it’s tougher than ever to make a career of music, Taylor said he is determined to get his songs to the masses. “Music is what keeps me motivated in everything,” Taylor said. “Music offers people what it always has. They just need to put down the video game controllers and get off Facebook long enough to go out and find it.” The Taz Taylor Band performs at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 18 at Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave. 21 and up. Tickets are $15. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/taztaylorband