Nashville-based Americana artist, Jon Byrd will be making two appearances in Los Angeles this February in support of his soon to-be-released record, Down at the Well of Wishes:
Wednesday, February 8th with Brad Colerick's Wine and Song Night
Firefly Bistro 7-10 pm 1009 El Centro Street South Pasadena, CA 91030
(626) 441-2443 http://www.wineandsong.com/
Thursday, February 9th as part of the “The First Picture Show”:
Music Photographs by Deone Jahnke Artist Reception & Live Music
Viva Cantina, 7-11 pm 900 W. Riverside Dr., 818-845-2425
In this time of style over substance––of reality with a capital "R"––Nashville singer-songwriter Jon Byrd gives us something we can actually use: honesty. Down At The Well Of Wishes, the Alabama native's second solo recording, is a remarkably above-board piece of work that demonstrates his world-class songwriting and performing skills while remaining refreshingly devoid of pretense. If you can imagine Gram Parsons or The Byrds had they actually been accepted by the country music establishment, then you have an inkling of Down At The Well Of Wishes' straightforward mix of barroom exuberance and front porch restraint.
As with Jon himself, there's nothing forced about Down At The Well Of Wishes––no miasmatic caterwauling; no high speed picking; no obligatory reggae track. On Down At The Well Of Wishes, the songs do the work. From "When it Starts to Rain," a heartfelt acknowledgement of the trials we all share, to "In a Chest of Skin and Bone," written with longtime collaborator Butch Primm, its tracks get right to the heart of the matter––and tend to stick in your head long after the listening is through.
Recorded at Ocean Way studios in Nashville, Tennessee, Down At The Well Of Wishes pulls together some of Nashville's most respected talents, including Shannon and Adam Wright (The Wrights), Milan Miller (Patty Loveless, Grayson Capps, Gary Bennett), Pat Severs (Bill Anderson, The Everly Brothers), Marty Lynds (Marah, Last Train Home), Ed Adkins (The Derailers), and Jimmy Lester (Webb Wilder, Los Straightjackets)––all under the watchful eye of veteran producer R.S. Field (Billy Joe Shaver, Sonny Landreth, Justin Townes Earle).
Down At The Well Of Wishes comes as no surprise to those who've watched Jon work over the years. During the 90s, he was an integral part of Atlanta's storied Redneck Underground movement. His inventive yet understated Telecaster bending with bands like Slim Chance and the Convicts, and solo artists like country traditionalist Greta Lee, stands as a testament to that heady scene.
In 2001 Jon relocated to Nashville and began working with some of that city's finest songwriters and performers, including Davis Raines, Buck Jones, Stephen Simmons, and Suzette Lawrence. He co-produced Greta Lee's critically acclaimed recording You Must Be Present To Win and furthered his reputation as an empathic musician who can dazzle and support with equal measure.
But the move to Nashville had an ulterior motive. As a sideman, Jon had been long been performing his own compositions––if only one or two a night––but now he was ready to jump in with both feet. In 2004 he debuted Byrd's Auto Parts, a rambling collective of in-demand players who set about fleshing out Jon's original material. A self-titled cd followed, and the critics loved it: "A terrifically accomplished, versatile country singer," reported No Depression magazine.
Since then, Jon's songs have appeared on three Red Beet Records compilations––Red Beet is an East Nashville label known for their support of quality, if under-sung, songwriters like Peter Cooper and Fayssoux McLean. A duet with Amelia White, "Morning Song," was highlighted on that singer's 2009 recording, Motorcycle Dream. In the fall of 2010, Jon's composition "Silent Night" was the first single from Master Sessions, an Eric Brace and Peter Cooper recording that also featured steel guitar legend Lloyd Green. This year Jon's voice can be heard on I Love: Tom T. Hall's Songs Of Fox Hollow, a tribute to Hall and that legendary recording, which also includes Buddy Miller, Patti Griffin, Jim Lauderdale, Lloyd Green, Elizabeth Cook, Duane Eddy, and Bobby Bare. David McGee of The Blugrass Special says: "In the lilting pop-country of 'How To Talk To a Little Baby Goat,' a tale told gently by Jon Byrd makes an important point about tolerance and respect."
Down At The Well Of Wishes will be released to US radio in February of 2012 following a successful UK tour. If you've been left cold by what passes for country singing and songwriting these days, give it a spin. Call it country, Americana, roots-rock, folk, or what have you, this record delivers––honestly.
Wednesday, February 8th with Brad Colerick's Wine and Song Night
Firefly Bistro 7-10 pm 1009 El Centro Street South Pasadena, CA 91030
(626) 441-2443 http://www.wineandsong.com/
Thursday, February 9th as part of the “The First Picture Show”:
Music Photographs by Deone Jahnke Artist Reception & Live Music
Viva Cantina, 7-11 pm 900 W. Riverside Dr., 818-845-2425
In this time of style over substance––of reality with a capital "R"––Nashville singer-songwriter Jon Byrd gives us something we can actually use: honesty. Down At The Well Of Wishes, the Alabama native's second solo recording, is a remarkably above-board piece of work that demonstrates his world-class songwriting and performing skills while remaining refreshingly devoid of pretense. If you can imagine Gram Parsons or The Byrds had they actually been accepted by the country music establishment, then you have an inkling of Down At The Well Of Wishes' straightforward mix of barroom exuberance and front porch restraint.
As with Jon himself, there's nothing forced about Down At The Well Of Wishes––no miasmatic caterwauling; no high speed picking; no obligatory reggae track. On Down At The Well Of Wishes, the songs do the work. From "When it Starts to Rain," a heartfelt acknowledgement of the trials we all share, to "In a Chest of Skin and Bone," written with longtime collaborator Butch Primm, its tracks get right to the heart of the matter––and tend to stick in your head long after the listening is through.
Recorded at Ocean Way studios in Nashville, Tennessee, Down At The Well Of Wishes pulls together some of Nashville's most respected talents, including Shannon and Adam Wright (The Wrights), Milan Miller (Patty Loveless, Grayson Capps, Gary Bennett), Pat Severs (Bill Anderson, The Everly Brothers), Marty Lynds (Marah, Last Train Home), Ed Adkins (The Derailers), and Jimmy Lester (Webb Wilder, Los Straightjackets)––all under the watchful eye of veteran producer R.S. Field (Billy Joe Shaver, Sonny Landreth, Justin Townes Earle).
Down At The Well Of Wishes comes as no surprise to those who've watched Jon work over the years. During the 90s, he was an integral part of Atlanta's storied Redneck Underground movement. His inventive yet understated Telecaster bending with bands like Slim Chance and the Convicts, and solo artists like country traditionalist Greta Lee, stands as a testament to that heady scene.
In 2001 Jon relocated to Nashville and began working with some of that city's finest songwriters and performers, including Davis Raines, Buck Jones, Stephen Simmons, and Suzette Lawrence. He co-produced Greta Lee's critically acclaimed recording You Must Be Present To Win and furthered his reputation as an empathic musician who can dazzle and support with equal measure.
But the move to Nashville had an ulterior motive. As a sideman, Jon had been long been performing his own compositions––if only one or two a night––but now he was ready to jump in with both feet. In 2004 he debuted Byrd's Auto Parts, a rambling collective of in-demand players who set about fleshing out Jon's original material. A self-titled cd followed, and the critics loved it: "A terrifically accomplished, versatile country singer," reported No Depression magazine.
Since then, Jon's songs have appeared on three Red Beet Records compilations––Red Beet is an East Nashville label known for their support of quality, if under-sung, songwriters like Peter Cooper and Fayssoux McLean. A duet with Amelia White, "Morning Song," was highlighted on that singer's 2009 recording, Motorcycle Dream. In the fall of 2010, Jon's composition "Silent Night" was the first single from Master Sessions, an Eric Brace and Peter Cooper recording that also featured steel guitar legend Lloyd Green. This year Jon's voice can be heard on I Love: Tom T. Hall's Songs Of Fox Hollow, a tribute to Hall and that legendary recording, which also includes Buddy Miller, Patti Griffin, Jim Lauderdale, Lloyd Green, Elizabeth Cook, Duane Eddy, and Bobby Bare. David McGee of The Blugrass Special says: "In the lilting pop-country of 'How To Talk To a Little Baby Goat,' a tale told gently by Jon Byrd makes an important point about tolerance and respect."
Down At The Well Of Wishes will be released to US radio in February of 2012 following a successful UK tour. If you've been left cold by what passes for country singing and songwriting these days, give it a spin. Call it country, Americana, roots-rock, folk, or what have you, this record delivers––honestly.
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