Tyrone Wells
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Tyrone Wells has delivered an epic pop/rock album with his second major label effort, Remain. Pursuing a more collaborative process and having added a more lush production to his singer- songwriter roots, the new album proves to be a great showcase for his powerful and emotional voice.
The Spokane, WA native's desire to 'open up the process' found him traveling to London to work with a circle of songwriters/musicians who aligned with Wells' musical direction. "Half of the album was done in London and the other half completed here in the states," says Wells. "I didn't know what kind of record I was going to make before I got to London, but something just seemed to click while I was there that really defined what I wanted to do with this album." Invoking a cathartic creative process from the very beginning for Remain, the songwriter penned an astounding 60 songs for the record.
Tyrone worked with songwriter/producer Martin Terefe (Jason Mraz, KT Tunstall, James Morrison) and Iain Archer (UK indie artist and Snow Patrol co-writer) in the UK, and Tim Myers (formerly of OneRepublic), David Hodges (formerly of Evanescence) and Matt Scannell (Vertical Horizon) in the U.S. Creating a work that manages to be more guitar-edged than previous Wells' efforts - but still unabashedly soul-baring - he appreciated huddling with collaborators like Terefe, who - like Wells - is a big believer in trusting one's instincts. "We had great chemistry together." "Losing Ground," one of a handful of production/songwriting collaborations between Wells and Terefe, was written and demoed in less than 3 hours during their first writing session together.
Wells has found himself on a new musical path on his second Universal Republic effort, but he continues to display the same gritty determination and work ethic that has enabled him to chart his own course from the very beginning. Wells launched his career unveiling his first indie release with the take-me-as-I-am motif of 2003's Snapshot. An in-demand live offering followed in 2005: Close: Live at McClain's, (the coffeehouse where he established his raved-about live rep) capturing the singer's unique intimacy with an audience.
Soon, major labels came calling. “All of a sudden, after five years of doing everything on my own steam I had all these labels interested,” says Wells. His 2007 release, the soulful Hold On, was originally his third indie record. The album was picked up by Universal Republic and released untouched as his major label debut.
The buzz surrounding Wells' inspiring wealth of songs was also beginning to land him song placements in films and TV shows. To date Tyrone has had significant placements including “One Tree Hill,” “Everyone's Hero,” “Rescue Me,” “Ghost Whisperer,” “Numbers,” “Criminal Minds,” “Army Wives,” “What About Brian,” “The 50 Greatest Moments at Madison Square Garden” and the “Rails & Ties” trailer.
Wells is particularly proud that Remain has carried him into some undiscovered territories. His voice continues to set him apart and his passion is demonstrated on this new album. “With constant touring it's important to believe in what you're singing every night. I'm excited about this new material and believe in these songs. I like where I'm going."
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Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers
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Look no further than the title track of their new Vanguard debut album The Bear to understand Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers. As the band sings passionately “Sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you. Sometimes you’re gonna win, sometimes you’re gonna lose…but you know in the end – there's no apologies!’’
“SK6ERS,” as they’re also affectionately known, have carved a determined, inspiring path since forming in Western Massachusetts in 2003. An exceptional live act given to high-energy showmanship, The Sixers are closing in on their 1000th show with a newfound grit and gratitude. Stephen and the core Sixers – Kit “Goose” Karlson (keys, bass, tuba, accordion) and Brian “Boots” Factor (drums, mandolin, banjo), are friends who act like brothers and switch off on their instruments to keep it fresh; much in the tradition of their collective heroes, ‘The Band.’ “We’ve all opted to approach our life in the same way – trying to put integrity ahead of ambitions of fame and fortune, though we’d like that too... at least the fortune part,” Stephen says with a laugh.
Many bands talk about “keeping it real,” but in The Sixers’ case, they mean it. “We’re not up there projecting a personality we can’t believe in. I think it’s important to go with the feel of each moment and take chances.”
That explains why producer Tom Schick (Norah Jones, Ryan Adams, Rufus Wainwright) signed up for the new record. “Each person in The Sixers really adds a lot,” he says. “They’re so locked in with each other. Stephen is definitely the leader of the gang, but everybody has their say,” he adds of the roles played by Boots Factor and Kit Karlson. “They rise and fall together. It’s amazing to watch them work.”
The Bear is their rawest and most collaborative album yet. With alternating tracks between producers Tom Schick and Sam Kassirer (Josh Ritter, Erin McKeown) the album was recorded in an apartment studio in NYC and a big old house in Maine respectively. The duality of these settings fits perfectly with Kellogg’s description of his family upbringing as, "aristocrats and farmers." Ditto the musical diet he was raised on, a strange bedfellow mix of his dad's 70's records and his sister's taking him to 80's metal concerts. Kellogg explains, "I'm as much a product of Whitesnake as I am of Jackson Browne. The beauty of The Sixers is that they don't have a problem with that."
Out of that deep understanding of each other, several of the new songs were co-written by the group including "My Old Man," an aching personal track about an aging father; "Dying Wish of a Teenager," a song about wrestling hopelessness; "The Bear" and "Do," both brighter tracks about making it through life amidst the highs and lows that exist for everyone. It all builds up to the climactic "Born in the Spring," a song about rebirth from the “what-fors, flames and trap doors through which all of us fell.” The album is a heartfelt odyssey that also rocks with an explosive touch at times, as the band continues to push the boundaries of what they've done before. Of the recording process itself, Boots elaborates "Most of the record was recorded in a room with us spilling all the guts we could muster into the mics. It wasn't always pretty but that's... well that's the bear."
Other stand out collaborations comes in the form of those who lent their time and talents to the making of The Bear. Canadian stand out Serena Ryder on "See Yourself", Josh Ritter on "All Part of the Show," label mates The Alternate Routes and Whiskeytown alumnus Mike Daly. Also appearing on guitar and pedal steel is the newest Sixer, Sam Getz, who joins the touring line up in the Fall of 2009.
Having released four independent records as a solo artist, Stephen formed the band looking not just for talented musicians but for true comrades. "I used to play 60 songs a night at this steakhouse. I was supposed to play only covers, but I would slide my own material in by introducing it as 'an old Jefferson Airplane B-side' or something. The guys brought me out of that and into the realm of making records and touring the whole country over the course of one great year."
The Sixers went on to release three albums including Glassjaw Boxer, (Everfine Records, owned by rock tour buddies O.A.R.) and saw it make the ‘Top Five of the year’ list by USA Today critic Brian Mansfield. They accepted an invitation to tour military bases this past spring in Kuwait, Bahrain, Turkey, Portugal, Italy, Germany (with Sugarland) and NATO bases in England and the Netherlands. “We wanted to give back in the way we know how, which is playing music,” Kellogg told CNN. “It was just an honor to get to say hello to those folks.” Most recently, The Sixers played for the American Embassy in Israel as part of a July 4th celebration.
These days, Kellogg and his wife (his high school sweetheart) have two daughters and live just outside of New York City. Growing up and in step with his fellow band mates, The Bear looks at generations from two sides, both the vantage point of the child and the adult. Although The Bear is not a concept record, there is a conscious time line that the characters on the record follow and Kellogg even goes so far as to say that it's "66 percent autobiographical." Of course, he will only elaborate on it a little, "If I explained the entire story to you, it wouldn't be as fun to dive in and figure it out for yourself," he says grinning. "I'm sorry but I just can't take apart every aspect of the music without taking something out of the soul of it... you'll have to experience it yourself and find meaning there."
No apologies needed.
Click here to download & listen to an audio track from : Maria & Flower In Rain
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Matt Hires
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On the surface, 22-year-old Florida native Matt Hires seems to be the epitome of the sunshine state: bare-footed, artistic, and coolly easy-going. But there's a lot more to him than meets the eye. As a child, Matt was introduced to different musical genres by his father. It was Matt's father that passed along his old, handmade acoustic guitar from 1977 to Matt when he was sixteen years old - the same guitar that Matt uses today. A homeschooler, Matt taught himself to play the guitar. During high school, Matt gravitated towards the punk/hardcore scene, which is a far cry from his own introspectively powerful acoustic pop sound. Although he was a hockey player and enjoyed surfing and skateboarding, Matt was self-proclaimed nerd. "I collected tons of Star Wars toys as a young kid, made my own Star Wars movies with them that usually starred my pet hedgehog, Prickles, and wrote my own Star Wars stories - they were pretty bad," Matt recalls of his early childhood. Though Matt might have outgrown his fascination with Star Wars toys, he never outgrew his love for music. By the time he was seventeen years old, Matt wrote his first song, and began performing in public a year later. Soon thereafter, Matt and a few of his friends decided to start a band, Brer. They recorded two albums, The Sun Is Rising EP and Microwavable. "There were ups and downs, band members came and went, but overall it was a great time, and a great experience. We also evolved a lot musically over our fairly short existence, and I grew a lot as a songwriter and musician," says Matt. Now, as a solo artist, Matt is poised to captivate audiences with his endearing personality, melodic sound, and undeniable talent.
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