Dix Hills' Brandon 'Taz' Niederauer returns to Long Island to headline The Suffolk in Riverhead

Singer-guitarist Brandon "Taz" Niederauer is coming home. After spending months touring with singer-songwriter Jon Batiste, the 22-year-old prodigy from Dix Hills is ready to go from lead guitarist to headliner when he plays The Suffolk in Riverhead on Dec. 4.

"This won’t be just me playing songs. It’ll be a communal experience," Niederauer said in a recent phone interview. "This will be an evening where I’ll try to have a reciprocal emotional relationship with the audience where I’ll show love and they give it back. There will also be a bunch of theatrics involved. I’ve never really put on a show like this before, but I’m so confident in it. I can’t wait to debut my artistry for the world."

Niederauer is beginning to launch his solo career. He dropped his third single, "Anywhere," earlier this month. This comes on the heels of "Running After You Again" and "Say Something," which are currently racking up spins on streaming services.

"This is an R&B-focused pop song," Niederauer said. "It’s more chill than the other two, which are in your face."

These tracks are building up toward the 2026 release of Niederauer’s debut album under his artist name, Taz, a moniker he got at Rock-N-Roll U in Hauppauge because his hands on the guitar are seemingly as fast as a Tasmanian devil.

"I think the name really puts my artistry into focus with one word," he said. "It summarizes my direction."

Since 2019, Niederauer has been working steadily with producer Neff-U (Justin Bieber, Eminem) on the album while attending Yale University.

"Neff-U wouldn’t let me get comfortable. He spent months in the studio with me, searching for nuggets of greatness that we could use," Niederauer said. "There was something going on in that studio with him by the end of it. We made a bunch of great art together."

Niederauer began playing guitar at age 8 after listening to guitar-based music around the house.

"My father played the movie ‘School of Rock’ for me and through that I discovered kids could play guitar," he said. "I asked him if he would buy a guitar for me and he did."

Niederauer’s professional career began when he was tipped off about an audition for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s "School of Rock" Broadway musical. After four rounds of auditions, he landed the role of Zack, which he played for two years.

"I’d go to West Hollow Middle School in the morning then take the train in the afternoon for the evening show and come back home to be in bed by midnight," Niederauer recalls. "On Wednesdays, when we had a matinee, I was tutored in the morning. It was intense, but fun."

With a Yale diploma in one hand and his own signature guitar — the Deluxe Brandon Niederauer Atlantic — from D’Angelico in the other, Niederauer said he's ready to take on the world.

"People are starting to see the vision," he said. "I’m very optimistic for the future."

By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.