Tyler Byrant & the Shakedown are a rock and roll band have classic rock sound that very popular right now – emphasis on the roll part, the swing part, the part the parents feared when Rock and Roll came out. They’ll make you want to get up and dance. They are based in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, but they hail from all over
At Rock on the Range 2018, I got a chance to talk to Caleb Crosby and Noah Denney of Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown from Nashville, Tennessee. They are quite personable and as I had my favorite shirt on which has fuzzy leopard print panels on it, the first thing out of their mouths were compliments on my shirt. Right then, I knew it was going to be a fun interview.
The Rock Pit: It’s my first time seeing you. This was my first experience ever with Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown.
The Shakedown (Caleb & Noah): Was it alright?
TRP: Alright? (lowkey). It was awesome.
Caleb: I love it. That’s what we want to hear.
Noah: You never know.
TRP: My cousin introduced me to classic rock of the late 60s, early 70s. That rocking rock and roll. And you have that sound of Rock and Roll that makes you want to get out there and move. Alan Freed called it Rock and Roll, we’ve gotten away from the roll part.
Caleb: It’s funny you bring this up, I had this same conversation with someone earlier. They were saying it’s very rocking and that’s fine. We’ve gotten away from the roll part of it, the swing, the Keith Richards kind of vibe. We’re trying to become part of that movement of the bands that are doing it, we appreciate that you recognize that.
TRP: Since we’ve taken a left turn, I’ll have to put away the questions I had, like what’s your favorite colour? Who’s your favorite Kardashian? What did you think of the Royal Wedding?
Caleb & Noah: [Laughs]
TRP: Live music, photography, and alcohol are 3 of my favorite things, especially put together. When they’re put together, I like to move, dance. You guys get me doing that today. What is it? Where are you from, Nashville, Tennessee?
Caleb: We’re from everywhere. Tyler is from Texas, Noah is from Virginia, I’m (Caleb) is from Kentucky, and Graham is from Boston. We’re from everywhere, but Nashville is what brought us, the band, together. Tyler moved to Nashville in 2008, we met January of 2009. I was living there going to Belmont, same us Noah, that’s how we knew each other. We met Graham in New York City and brought him down, now his whole family lives in Nashville now. Noah’s been 12 years going on 13, I’m coming up on 11. When our first bass player quit, that’s how Noah joined the band. We had played together before, that’s important when playing in a band. He had a lot of guys that came in and played well, but there was no connection. We needed someone who had a feeling, a good look, just a vibe.
TRP: Watching you play, you guys fit. You look like a band, not a plug and play that you can out anyone in. You look like you guys hang out together after playing so what brought you to music? How did you know it was your calling, what you wanted to do? You went to school. You studied something.
Noah: It’s the only thing I’ve done consistently, even as a baby. My parents had a piano and I would sit at it in my diaper and bang on the keys until my parents went insane, they put me upstairs and I found my great Aunt’s classic guitar and plucked the strings until my parents went insane. At age 6 I decided I wanted to play drums and my dad said “NO WAY!” Mom said “Aw, come on.” A few years later my Mom won and that’s what I went to school to study, percussion. And bass just happened by accident, I’ve always tried to learn anything I can get my hands on, bass and drums are half of the same thing. Half of bass is knowing what the drummer thinks and I already had that part down, the rest is playing the right note and as one of my old teachers used to say, “If you’re playing bass, you’re always a half step away from the right note.” I figured that was easy to figure out, it’s all I’ve been doing since I graduated with my percussion degree is playing bass. I owe that to alcohol and a brazen over-confidence, you know, it’s worked out so far.
TRP: I think most musicians need that because it’s such a fickle kind of thing. You have people on top 1 minute, on the bottom the next. If you really have that passion, it will drive you forward. There can be hardships, stumbling blocks in your way that might deter you. Have you run into anything like that?
Caleb: Every single day. I always joke when I have kids, a long time from now, I won’t let them be musicians. I’ll be like, “Don’t do it. (defeated sounding)” I eased into music. It was fun, I love this. I played sports but I’m going to completely focus on music. I moved to Nashville, just like Noah and we went to Belmont for percussion, it was easy, joined a band, played shows, traveling. Who cares. And then…reality hits. This is a business, we made no money, but someone kept us on the road. They believed in us or we wouldn’t be here.
TRP: Thank god they did. (Manager says times up.) Bummer, it seemed this conversation was heading toward deeper things.
Caleb & Noah: Yes, we could sit and talk all day.
TRP: Thank you for your time. Have a great tour, hope to see you in my town.
Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown – Rock On The Range 2018
Photos by TM Photography
