Holy moly, it’s Tuesday. Looks like I have to throw my procrastination over my shoulder and slap on my typing hands to dig right into an early Gr8 Unknowns (due to unforeseen circumstances probably stemming from the upcoming full moon).
Anyway, full moon aside, this week’s winner is Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown. If this recent February weather has got you down, I’ve got the perfect blues pairing. This time though, these blue tunes are bound to bring you up rather than bring you down.
Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown is a gritty and groovy blues/heavy rock band from Nashville with, you guessed it, Tyler Bryant as their frontman. Becoming a guru at a young age, Bryant got the opportunity to tour with people like Jeff Beck, Aerosmith and AC/DC.
Let’s get right into the music, shall we? The band’s type of blues is one that is very energetic. It relies heavily on pumping drum lines and skillful electric guitar riffs. This can be seen in one of many favorites, “Where I Want You.”
(Be sure to look up Part II of this video).
We can see from this footage, the band is very comfortable on stage, in fact, more than comfortable. Audience members (and we) can see their passion rolling right off of them — figuratively in their energy and literally with the sweat dripping off of Bryant’s face. The version they play in this video is also slightly different from the studio recording, which signifies the band is able to diverge from what we hear in the studio and are able to be more creative for live shows.
Another song, “Lipstick Wonder Woman,” off of the same album as “Where I Want You” (Wild Child) is a perfect example of Bryant’s insane guitar skills. Unlike me, this kid must not have stopped practicing his guitar, ever. In the video below, we not only see evidence of this but of his smooth, yet bluesy voice as well.
The first song I ever heard, though, is “Say a Prayer,” also on Wild Child. The crashing symbols and beautiful guitar solos are bound to leave any listener satisfied at the very least. It’s pretty much impossible not to pull out your air guitar and start jamming right then and there.
Overall, Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown have got some serious skills. Enticing rhythms abound and sexy guitar riffs feed listeners’ souls. If their blues/rock doesn’t pull you out of this “blue” weather, I don’t know what will.
Please enjoy some of their other wondrous songs below.
