Tyrone Wells with Brendan James and Brett Young

Tyrone Wells w/ Brendan James & Brett Young

Apr 9, 2013 at 7:00 PM

General Admission $12/$15 day of sho

Tyrone Wells - There‰Ûªs nothing quite like a fresh start. Tyrone Wells‰Ûª fourth full-length album, Where We Meet, ushers in a new beginning for the critically acclaimed singer-songwriter. Not only is it his first full-length release since leaving a major label, it signifies his next evolution. Embracing both sides of his sound, Wells seamlessly balances acoustic vulnerability and pop rock… Show more irresistibility over the course of eleven unforgettable anthems. Ultimately, Where We Meet is the perfect place for Wells to start anew while keeping the same ethic that has won him his loyal fan base from his early independent days.

The journey to Where We Meet actually began on the high seas in 2010. He was playing The Rock Boat, an annual floating festival that travels from Tampa, FL to Cozumel, Mexico. Out on the ship in the middle of the ocean, he had an epiphany. With two lauded major label releases under his belt‰ÛÓHold On [2006] and Remain [2009]‰ÛÓand countless high-profile film and TV placements including American Idol, One Tree Hill, Vampire Diaries, Rescue Me, Grey‰Ûªs Anatomy, My Sister‰Ûªs Keeper, Something Borrowed and more, Wells felt the urge to go independent again.

‰ÛÏI was thinking about my relationship with my record label,‰Û* he recalls. ‰ÛÏI didn‰Ûªt feel like they were capitalizing on the momentum that I had. So I wrote this long letter to my manager that I wanted to part ways with the label. When we reached port the next morning, my manager told me that the label actually just ended the relationship. Talk about serendipity! It‰Ûªs like a relationship where both parties want to go their separate ways. After that, I didn‰Ûªt have to worry about anyone else‰Ûªs timelines and concerns. I could just focus on making a great record.‰Û*

Free from any constraints, Wells started working on that ‰ÛÏgreat record‰Û* by penning over 80 songs. In the middle of that process, he managed to release the digital EP, Metal & Wood in 2010. Metal & Wood spent nearly three weeks at #1 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter chart and debuted at #14 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart.

Inspired immensely, he feverishly kept writing, experimenting, and pushing himself for almost two years. Taking his time in the studio, Wells worked diligently with two producers Thomas Doeve and Bill Lefler. The result is Where We Meet.

‰ÛÏI always wanted to make an album that was both sparse and intimate but also had these epic moments,‰Û* he says of the sound. ‰ÛÏI love singer-songwriter albums that are vulnerable, but I‰Ûªm also drawn to big, epic rock music. The record really is a meeting place between those two. I truly tried to incorporate both of those flavors. For the first time, I feel like I accomplished it.‰Û*

You can hear it on the album‰Ûªs first single ‰ÛÏFreedom.‰Û* A sunny acoustic guitar and handclaps resound as Wells delivers one of his catchiest choruses yet. It‰Ûªs energetic, upbeat, and utterly undeniable. About the song, he reveals, ‰ÛÏI was listening to a lot of Simon & Garfunkel, and I wanted to write something upbeat. I was hoping they‰Ûªd peek into the room and inspire me.‰Û*

He continues, ‰ÛÏSo often, we try to hold on to things that aren‰Ûªt working. When you open up your hands and let things go, they come back to you‰ÛÓmaybe not even in the way you expect. As an independent artist, I have the freedom to do anything. I feel like this is a fitting opening to the album.‰Û*

On the other end of the spectrum is the pensive, powerful, and poetic, ‰ÛÏI Can‰Ûªt Save You Now.‰Û* Wells says goodbye as gorgeous instrumentation bristles in the background.

‰ÛÏI was crazy about this girl in college, but she was always in the middle of some sort of crisis,‰Û* he remembers. ‰ÛÏAt some point, I realized I can‰Ûªt fix her and her problems. I couldn‰Ûªt be in a relationship in that capacity because it was making me totally nuts. I had never felt so ungrounded. That‰Ûªs what the song talks about.‰Û*

The title track sums everything up for him though. He goes on, ‰ÛÏIt delves into all of the madness and chaos of the world right now. There‰Ûªs so much in life that we can‰Ûªt control, but we can control how we treat each other. The heart of the record can be encapsulated in the closing lyric of Where We Meet: ‰Û÷Take my hand, all we have is a moment, so hold nothing back.‰Ûª‰Û*

In some ways, Where We Meet brings Wells back to where it all began. Being independent again is like going back to his roots, except this time it is selling out venues, rather than coffee shops. He‰Ûªs carving his own path. ‰ÛÏI‰Ûªm not in music so I can get rich,‰Û* he declares. ‰ÛÏI have what I need and more. The aim for me isn‰Ûªt to get famous. The aim is to make great music that I can stand by.‰Û*

With his first baby on the way and Where We Meet dropping this spring, he certainly has a lot to stand by. Wells concludes, ‰ÛÏI‰Ûªm doing what I love and if my art resonates with other people, I‰Ûªm happy. I love it when someone tells me that my music is the soundtrack to their lives. I hope I can continue to provide that.‰Û*

Where We Meet is just the beginning‰Û_

Brendan James -

Some artists name an album after themselves because they‰Ûªre stumped for another title. Brendan James grins at this suggestion. ‰ÛÏAs a fellow musician, I definitely get that,‰Û* he says, ‰ÛÏbut I actually had a good reason to do it. The album is self-titled because I feel like it‰Ûªs my first recording that really showcases the different sides of me as a musician. It‰Ûªs got everything from the mellow to the upbeat, to the somber to the unashamedly positive. My friends know me as the guy who loves to jump in the middle of a pick-up basketball game, but they also know me as the guy who needs to be reminded to stop spiraling when I start thinking about something too deeply. I have a lot of different sides and I wanted to make sure my music reflected that.‰Û*

A singer-songwriter who accompanies himself on piano, James began writing the songs on his second album after a year and a half long tour in support of his debut album ‰Û÷The Day is Brave.‰Ûª ‰Û÷The Day is Brave‰Ûª hit Top 10 on Billboard‰Ûªs Heatseekers chart and several of its songs were featured on various television shows including Private Practice, Bones, So You Think You Can Dance, and Army Wives. After releasing the album, James hit the ground running to support it from coast to coast. ‰ÛÏI went to 40 states, ate at 330 restaurants, stayed in 210 hotels, and slept on one boat ‰ÛÓ John Mayer‰Ûªs Mayercraft Cruise; I know because I wrote it all down,‰Û* James says with a laugh. The 18-month tour enabled James (whom Entertainment Weekly has called ‰ÛÏa songwriter on the rise‰Û*) to build his fanbase the way many successful musicians have done before him: one room at a time. He shares the fruits of that journey ‰ÛÓ renewed vigor, musical maturity, and even a new sound ‰ÛÓ on his second album.

Evolving as a musician from ‰Û÷The Day is Brave‰Ûª to the new album, James experimented in a newly found confidence to be a bit more adventurous a this album by adding a lot of musical textures, like synths, strings, and even drum loops on a few tracks like ‰Û÷The Lucky Ones,‰Ûª ‰Û÷Get it Right,‰Ûª and ‰Û÷Changing Us.‰Ûª Though they‰Ûªve pushed the envelope in terms of tempo and production, James and his producer Warren Huart (Augustana, The Fray, Howie Day) have emerged with an album that keeps the spotlight on James‰Ûª emotionally resonant voice and expressive piano playing. ‰ÛÏFirst and foremost, it was important to me that the vocals and piano were up front,‰Û* James says. ‰ÛÏWarren made sure that was his first priority. When it comes to the recording process, he‰Ûªs a traditionalist, which is important to me because though I want my albums to sound current, I also want them to stay true to who I am as an artist."

Recorded in James‰Ûª new hometown of Los Angeles (where he relocated permanently after seven years in New York City), Brendan James is as layered in personality as the artist who made it. Thoughtful lyrical insights are revealed with repeated listenings. ‰ÛÏMy lyrical style is unmovable I‰Ûªve found,‰Û* James says. ‰ÛÏI have tried to write a little more abstractly, but I just can‰Ûªt. You are what you are and my heart is on my sleeve. I am a romantic as well as an optimist. I also go through my daily life thinking too hard about certain things. Stuff doesn‰Ûªt roll off of me that easily. So I think my songs have this heaviness meets romance meets positivity.‰Û*

You can hear that dichotomy in the sheer diversity of the songs, which range from upbeat tunes like ‰ÛÏNothing For Granted,‰Û* ‰ÛÏStupid For Your Love,‰Û* ‰ÛÏDifferent Kind of Love,‰Û* and ‰ÛÏEmerald Sky‰Û*, to a series of elegant piano ballads, including ‰ÛÏAnything For You‰Û* (featuring guitarist David Welsh and drummer Ben Wysocki from The Fray), ‰ÛÏYour Beating Heart,‰Û* and ‰ÛÏLet It Rain.‰Û*

‰ÛÏAs I‰Ûªve matured I‰Ûªve realized that though life is beautiful and enjoyable, it can be legitimately hard,‰Û* James says. ‰ÛÏI didn‰Ûªt know that until I had finished touring behind my first album and I was ready to write about it for this new album.‰Û*

Brett Young -

Brett Young was born and raised in Orange County California where he grew up fascinated with classic voices like Al Green, Marvin Gaye, and Smokey Robinson, all of whom would eventually impact his sound. He began playing music in high school, where he lead worship every friday, but it wasn‰Ûªt until a serious injury in college ended his baseball career that he began writing and pursuing music as something more than a hobby.

Brett has since played venues ranging from House of Blues to Troubadour, and shared the stage with such artists as Mandy Moore, Tyrone Wells, Jason Reeves, Gavin Degraw, Tyler Hilton, Katy Perry Hoku and many more. Brett recently released his second record, Make Believe and is currently in the studio finishing up his latest album.

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