Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown Rock Terminal West – Review and Photos

What’s up Atlanta? You had a dual bill slate of GA-20’s Chicago style electric blues followed by Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown… who could play the blues but pretty much settled for rocking the night on this occasion. Seriously, having opened for Aerosmith, AC/DC, Jeff Beck (RIP), ZZ Top and Eric Clapton, this was a band that shouldn’t have to open for anyone. If Terminal West can burst at the seams for (name any other non-rock genre) on a weekday, Atlanta music fans should have been out in force on a Friday night.

It was a good crowd, but not a great crowd. It didn’t matter a bit for the performance. From the start, Bryant was all smiles, full of positivity, introducing the songs, singing hard and doing those things with a guitar that guitar whizzes can. And the band… bassist Ryan Fitzgerald anchors the stage, guitarist Graham Whitford counterpoints Bryant’s solos and gets his turns in, and drummer Caleb Crosby… isn’t one of those drummers who hides behind his kit. Maybe stand on it, squat on it, leave it behind… The band needs that anchor, indeed.

With some industry frustrations behind them, the band is touring their 2022 release, Shake the Roots, on their own label, Rattle Shake Records. The set kicked off with “Off the Rails,” a tone setter for a concert opener but curiously hidden halfway on their CD. “Ain’t None Watered Down” followed, with Bryant breaking out the (often featured) resonator guitar for its requisite Delta blues feel but featuring Whitford’s driving electric guitar accompaniment along with a big beat. With opening lyrics “Give me a jar of that lightning strike, I like my love like a ballroom fire…,” you better not disappoint. The song doesn’t.

For those that just enjoy rock music and want something to watch in a live performance, Tyler Bryant has that in spades. It’s not like he hates singing or is in a hurry to the guitar hero role. He’s playing some awesome things even as he sings. But when he slips away from the mic, he’s in the moment. He packs a lot in. For example, Shake the Roots clocks in at 41 minutes, but it feels a lot longer. In concert, Tyler and the band stretch things out. Great stuff.

It’s hard to highlight one song or another. If there’s a regret, though, “Wayside” would have been a nice addition and could have easily replaced “That’s All Right,” a fine classic, but this band doesn’t lack for great original material. Another highlight was “Tennessee,” as Taylor’s wife, Rebecca Lovell of Larkin Poe, made the day/night trip with the band and joined in with obvious chemistry between the couple and collaborators.

“Lipstick Wonder Woman” closed the pseudo set, another song that starts with a lot of slide guitar before yielding to a big rocker. The finale, “Shackles,” was a perfect end to the evening, a great song that exemplifies many of the things the band does well.

See below for the setlist and additional photos!