Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown "Wild Child"

 
To begin, I implore you to click this link to my previous post on young Mr. Bryant and his band's performance in Orlando some eighteen months ago.  Thank you.  That greatly shortens what I will write now. 

The "Band" is now "The Shakedown" and the bassist has changed.  The style of music has not.  It's old-school, dirty/sleazy/gritty arena rock...from kids in their twenties.  Question:  Are others in the same age group going
to get it........or want to? 



BKP called a Bon Jovi comparison and the Aerosmith connection is obvious (especially if you read the linked post)...



With all the formal music education among the other three band members, you know there has been plenty of discussions about business as well as playing music.  The professionalism of this band in all facets of what they do far exceeds their chronological years.  And by God, if you are going to pattern your career after the ones of the previously mentioned American icons, you couldn't do much better.  They can certainly pull off the live aspect...



They are doing all the right things, making all the proper moves, even suffered through some adversity (about a month ago they had five guitars and a snare drum stolen while out on the road in Washington).  So why am I so damn frustrated with this album?  I've given you three of the eleven tracks off "Wild Child," you tell me... 

The entire record is completely serviceable, albeit cliched, guitar rock I would have found MadRockerShow-worthy at WPRK back in the late-70's.  Hell, it even slips into the next decade with a track that had me yelling "Stroke me, Stroke me" over whatever lyrics were really being used.  I looked for some other reviews and found the majority to rate it very good to excellent.  Bryant received some high praise from a pretty decent Fender picker himself, Vince Gill, when he said, “To play like this kid is the rarest of the rare.  Hands down, a future guitar god.”  But it hasn't translated to sales as the record has barely cracked the Heatseekers chart.  Granted, it's on a tiny indie label out of Texas with only one other artist, so maybe it's a coup that the album hit any chart, period. 

Bryant co-wrote all these songs with about ten different contributors.  All are good, none great.  I read an interview with him where he was discussing the virtues of having a band versus being solo.  He related a time when all the other guys were asleep in the hotel and he had a nagging musical hook in his brain keeping him awake, so as not to disturb the others, retired to the toilet to hammer out the song.  He played it for the guys the next morning and the band performed the song that night at the next gig.  That's great and all, but it's one thing to write a song on the can yet another to write a GOOD song on the can.  And therein lies my issue, the boy isn't ready to write all his tunes yet.  Pay a proven songwriter/s for a few sheets of suggestions.  Jon Bon Jovi & Ritchie Sambora, Steven Tyler & Joe Perry...those guys could write songs.  I don't believe Mr. Bryant is anywhere close right now. 

And that's why I'm jumping off the bandwagon.  He and the boys are young enough to continue down the road to arena rock stardom but it's too long a drive for me.  I'm unliking their Facebook page and I damn sure won't purchase the next record without a sample spin. 

Keepers from "Wild Child?"  One, barely...

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