TYLER BRYANT AND THE SHAKEDOWN

There’s something Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown learned from the huge shows they’ve played supporting the likes of AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses over the past few years. It’s what guitar prodigy Bryant calls “the cannonball approach.” “I’m gonna run out like a bullet from a gun and let everyone know I’m here to give ’em all I’ve got,” he says. And that’s precisely what The Shakedown do on their incendiary third album. Truth and Lies is a taut and thrilling record, exploring Bryant’s blues heritage (“Ride”), blistering heavy rock (“Shock and Awe”), heartfelt balladry (“Out There”), southern roots (“Trouble”), love of the ‘90s rock and roll movement (“Eye to Eye”), and more. They wanted the album to sound raw and visceral, not careful and labored. They did that, but without sacrificing skill and nuance; it’s a brilliant rock ‘n’ roll record that allows the ghosts of the past into the grooves whilst living firmly in the present.

There’s also a new level of depth to Bryant’s writing, inspired by his realization that, while there’s no shortage of quality singers and guitarists in the world, skill means nothing without great songs. So rather than being content with instrumental pyrotechnics, he set about writing compositions that had meaning to him–and that the kids in the audience would be able to relate to. “I’ve never really spoken about this, but I deal with extreme anxiety and panic attacks,” he says. “It’s a vicious cycle that I think a lot of people find themselves in. Music’s always been my outlet to seek out healing and find the confidence and the power within myself. So (new album track) ‘Panic Button’ is me fighting against that cycle that I refuse to let control me.

“For me, there are a few different elements of The Shakedown,” Bryant says. “There’s the energetic, raw, jump-out-of-your-skin live version of us. Every night when we run on stage, I get such an adrenaline rush that I feel like my heart and soul are going to come busting out of my skin. And then there’s this other side, which is a little more sensitive, a little more insecure and hopeful.”