New Music (Thursday) Friday

Hey there everyone welcome to my last blog post of the week. As you may know if you regularly follow me on here I usually do New Music Thursday's but in my absent mindedness I forgot that yesterday was The Day The Music Died so I had to blog about that. Therefore today's post will be New Music Thursday on Friday.

For this round of new music I would like to take us to Texas which has bred many fine musicians and groups from Stevie Ray Vaughan to ZZ Top and countless others. Well the next guitar slinger/musician to come from Texas is a good one and he is only 19 years old! That man ladies and gentleman is Tyler Bryant.

Now Tyler Bryant is not a household name yet but I feel that he will be sooner rather than later. He was one of the featured artists in the movie Rock Prophecies that came out last year and he is a rising star in the world of blues and rock.

What makes Bryant so special. Is it the fact that he can shred on a guitar like some of the greats. Or is the fact that girls love him for his model like looks and boyish charm. Either way I think the combination of this could be deadly in today's music world because a record company can actually have a musician that has the looks that are "oh so important" and on top of it guess what, he's actually good at what he does! Wow shocker right?

Listen to some examples of Bryant's work. From his roaring cover of Jimi Hendrix's Foxy Lady to his originals such as Lipstick Wonder Woman, You Make Me, and Two Hearts Collide, there are many great songs out there by this young artist that have great appeal not on just a blues/rock level but on the mainstream as well.

I think it is only a matter of time before Tyler Bryant is a household name and the next guitar icon. If he keep on the path he is currently on it will happen. Mark my words, Tyler Bryant is the next big thing in the long line of Texas guitar slingers.

Until next time keep on rocking away music lovers,
JAS

Stevie Ray Vaughan: Never Another Like Him

Hey everybody I'm back for my third week of blogging on Music Reviews by a Musician and I've decided to start off the week with something special to me.



Stevie Ray Vaughan

Last Friday I talked about what makes a guitarist special and I mentioned one in particular; Stevie Ray Vaughan. The reason I focused on SRV for Friday's blog is because he is my first and truly number one inspiration for my guitar playing. Stevie Ray Vaughan is a very special guitarist in many, many ways. His tone, phrasing, stage presence, soul, and heart poured through every song he played and made him the soul reason in my opinion that blues music became popular again in the 1980's.

From his debut album "Texas Flood" until his untimely death in a helicopter crash on August 27, 1990 in Alpine Valley, Wisconsin; SRV completely turned the world of guitar and blues music on its ear and made people stop and listen to his music when they heard it.

His fiery Texas style guitar playing combined with elements of R&B, jazz, early blues pioneers, and influence from other artists like T-Bone Walker, Otis Rush, Lightning Hopkins, and most notably Jimi Hendrix on top of countless others became a centerpiece for a remarkable career.

From early hits on songs like Pride and Joy, Texas Flood, Voodoo Chile, and Love Struck Baby to later hits such as Couldn't Stand the Weather, Crossfire, Tightrope, and The House is Rockin, SRV turned on a whole new generation of guitar players to the blues. And his effect is still being felt today some 20 years after his death.

Countless young artists are doing their best to pick up where SRV left off after his passing and keep the blues alive. Guys like Joe Bonamassa, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Tyler Bryant, Jonny Lang, and even John Mayer all have elements of SRV's playing infused into their playing styles and they are all doing their part to keep alive a type of music that is slowly dying away amidst the mainstream music today.

But even then no matter how hard these guys try there is no way to duplicate or match what SRV did and still does today. He was a phenomenal talent that will never, ever be matched in my opinion. He is simply an amazing talent and the odds of someone like him coming along in the future are very small. If I were a betting man I would not put money on that. That is why I feel that there will never be another like him.

Until next time keep on rocking away music lovers,

JAS

Image coutesy of Joe Bielawa, Creative Commons/Flickr