TYLER BRYANT & THE SHAKEDOWN

Tyler Bryant | Lead Vocals / Guitar
Graham Whitford | Guitar
Caleb Crosby | Drums

Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown would label themselves a rock and roll band, however, there’s a little more to it than that. Some might hear a bluesy influence while some might call it classic or southern rock. The pure energy and volume that could follow a heartfelt ballad proves that this band is hard to fit into a single box.

Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown are true music appreciators who pride themselves on their live shows. One would get the sense attending a show that each member of this band lives for the cause. Night after night they leave it all on the stage and like to refer to those nights as celebrations of “life, sound, and community.”

“We would do what we do if no one was there to hear us, but we’re grateful every time people come out to a show to be in the music with us,” says Bryant. “They give us their energy and we give them every bit of ours in return.”

The band consists of Tyler Bryant on lead vocals and guitar, Caleb Crosby on drums, and Graham Whitford on guitar. The group has played hundreds upon hundreds of shows with countless venerable icons, such as AC/DC, Jeff Beck, Guns N’ Roses, Alice Cooper, ZZ Top, Clutch, and Blackberry Smoke, just to name a few. 

“We’ve earned our stripes on the road,” reflects Crosby. “We’ve gone from playing for tiny crowds in tiny bars to getting to play at Madison Square Garden with AC/DC! Are you kidding me? I feel like we’re walking proof that childhood dreams can not only be reached, but grabbed and rung out like a dishrag.”

A few years ago, the group decided to truly take their career into their own hands by starting Rattle Shake Records, an independent label that allows them a direct line of communication with their fans. The first release under the newly launched label came in September of 2022. Titled Shake The Roots, it was the band’s fifth full-length album. 

Less than six months after that release, Rattle Shake Records announced a new batch of songs from the Shakedown entitled Dirty Work. The EP featured a beat up shell pink Fender Stratocaster on the cover — the exact guitar that Fender cloned to be released as the Tyler Bryant Signature model.

“It’s insane to me that Fender put my name on a guitar,” shares Bryant. “I used to mow yards when I was a kid to make layaway payments on guitars. It’s truly a dream come true for me.”

In 2024, the group released Electrified — a project that represents the band’s mantra of grabbing the moment, letting loose, and making music that sounds just as good on the stage as it does on a record.  

The band rate Electrified is their most authentic release yet. “I think about the ‘Electrified’ recordings as sonic snapshots of who we are right now,” says Tyler, “It’s so easy to get red light fever when recording. I think since we started our own label and have been writing and recording music all the time, the whole process has become a little bit more normal, allowing us to be a little more at ease. In turn, I think this is potentially our most “authentically us” sounding album.” For drummer Caleb Crosby, “This album feels like the culmination of where we've been and where we want to be. I feel we pushed the boundaries even more for ourselves on this project.”

These songs mark high-octane moments for a band that has experienced a career full of twists and turns. “I view our little rock and roll band as underdogs every now and then,” says Bryant. “You go through years when you’re playing clubs, loading in and out — and then suddenly you’re sharing the stage with your heroes and the folks that are coming out to your headline shows are wearing your merch and singing along. I pride myself on our grass roots trajectory and have no plans of stopping.” 

“We love rock and roll and the tradition of the blues,” says Whitford. “We tip our hats to the greats we love and respect almost every night on stage as we try to turn the inspiration garnered from all those records into something that feels new an exciting to us.”

Electrified also features cross-genre collaborations with other artists, such as the powerful “Happy Gets Made” featuring veteran blues artist Ruthie Foster and “One and Lonely” featuring Grammy-winning duo Larkin Poe.

It’s not the band’s first time working with Larkin Poe; Rebecca Lovell (Bryant’s wife) was a guest vocalist on Dirty Work, and Tyler co-produced the duo’s Grammy-winning 2022 Blood Harmony record.

Bryant says that working alongside such immense talent gives him a renewed perspective on music-making. “I’ve been really inspired by working on records with other artists and I think it has undoubtedly had a positive impact on the music that I make,” he says.

Bringing in these incredible talents on Electrified isn't just about mixing up the sound; it's about tapping into the communal heart of rock and roll. For Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown, it's clear that making music is a group journey, one that's best when it's loud, filled with friends, and blurs the lines between the stage and the crowd. As they gear up to share Electrified with the world, it's this spirit of unity and shared passion that stands out as the real headline act. In their world, rock and roll isn't just music; it's a life-force, and it's clear they wouldn't have it any other way.

“There are a lot of things to overthink in life,” Bryant says. “Rock and roll is not one of those things.”