Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown have been setting the music world on fire with their soulful writing and tasty guitar work—and for good reason.
Bryant, the band’s singer and guitarist, spent the better part of five tours with Jeff Beck, often jamming with the legend during encores. Meanwhile, guitarist Graham Whitford is about as close to rock royalty as you can get; his father, Brad Whitford, is a founding member of Aerosmith.
On the band’s new EP, The Wayside, which will be released November 13, we find Bryant and the Shakedown—which also features Caleb Crosby (drums) and Noah Denney (bass)—continuing their trend of penning roots-infused melodies and riffs, tightly woven with an alternative, psychedelic mystique.
I recently spoke with Bryant and Whitford about the new EP, their gear and more.
GUITAR WORLD: How would you describe The Wayside?
BRYANT: It’s the first body of work I can say was a complete band endeavor. Every song was crafted by the band. Everyone brought their own personality to the songs and we took some chances we’ve never taken before. It’s a more mature record than anything we’ve ever done. We crafted a record around the songs and a vibe we were all inspired by, which was edgy rock and roll.
What was the writing process like for the new EP?
WHITFORD: A lot of times it starts with a guitar riff, but sometimes we’ll get together and one of us will have a general lyrical idea or a guitar part we think is cool, and we’ll start to dig deep on it. It’s always a different process. There’s no one method to songwriting.
BRYANT: When Graham and I get together, it normally starts with a riff. I also collect lyrical ideas every day and am constantly writing lyrics or thoughts that can turn into something. We jam, sing and talk a lot of trash to each other and before you know it, there’s a song!
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Interview with Tyler Bryant and Graham Whitford Here!
Some have called him a future guitar god, and with good reason. At the age of 21, Tyler Bryant’s resume already reads like a guitarist who’s been performing for a long time. Before he had even reached the legal age to vote, Bryant was awarded the Robert Johnson Foundation’s “New Generation Award” and was also chosen by Eric Clapton to play at his Crossroads Festival. He was also recruited by the legendary Jeff Beck to be the opener for his 2011 tour and invited to play alongside him during his encore set each night. An almost unheard of event that put the young Bryant in the elite company of Stevie Ray Vaughn (the last opener Beck invited to play with him on-stage, in 1989).
go.Jimmy.go 