Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights

Album review: Pardon Me by Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights
by John Michael Flores, Michelle Parsons


DALLAS — To hear the new album Pardon Me from Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights is to feel it. The blood and sweat poured into this album is evidenced by the live-recorded, gut busting gumption of Tyler’s wails and the omni-present Bayou rock swagger. This album is throwback at its finest. Whatever good-time Southern rock ‘n’ roll was in the ‘70s, JT and company resurrected the most treasured parts (albeit with the sex and drugs included).

Available in stores today, the compilation evokes a salt-of-the-earth, gritty roots rock, served best with a hefty shot of Jameson and a deep inhale of some other earthy substances. Infused with this raw power is something a bit more spiritual, and no, it’s not the bleeding guitar licks (as much of a religious experience as that may be), but rather the ominous Deep South gospel embellishments threaded throughout, thanks in no small part to backup vocalist Mo Brown


The first single (and album’s namesake) is a passionate quintessential representation that’s as sexy as it is technically impressive. Tyler sings, “Maybe it’s been too long since rock and roll turned you on/So pardon me, just let it set you free,” a proverbial request for music’s revival that’s as timeless as rock ‘n' roll itself.

But the album’s standout tunes, “Devil’s Basement” and “Gypsy Woman,” are dripping with a soulful swamp-groove that’s a little more left-of-center R&B than the straight-up kick-in-the-teeth guitar frenzy JT has made so accessible. “Gypsy Woman” has an energetic danceable rhythm anchored by Motown-inspired organ and hungry guitar antics; while “Devil’s Basement” is a dirty swing with a roughed up, stinging harmonica that rivals the unapologetic reverb of Brandon Pinckard and Tyler’s licks. The ominous chain-gang wails in the bridge are followed by a balls-out double-time tempo that lights a fire in the body’s core, forcing it to move and sway to wherever the beat forces it.

The slower tunes on Pardon Me are the hidden gems, and actually where the real emotional intensity lies. “Paint Me A Picture” highlights Tyler’s pitch range and real soul baring that is the minutiae of the creaks and slight quivers in his vocals. The other slower number, “She Wears A Smile,” finds solace in its heart-wrenching ode when Tyler croons, “My love, you’re breaking my heart. You’re breaking my heart/My love, don’t make it so hard. Don’t make it so hard.”

Overall, Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights took tender loving care with their debut, produced by Nashville titan Jay Joyce (Patty Griffin, John Hiatt, Cage The Elephant). It’s a masterly mixed modern update to where the likes of Creedence and Hendrix left off. The only hitch in all this giddy-up may be that it’s nothing too surprising, but that’s perfectly fine if you don’t mind good ol’ Southern classic rock gilded in soul and gospel gold.
- Pegasus News

South by Southwest: Friday, March 19
March 20, 2010 by JOHN BARRETT

I headed around the block to Antone’s, one of Austin’s more famous music venues, in hopes of catching the end of a longer Minus the Bear set at the Relix Party, but I was just a little too late to see them as well (I was getting further and further behind schedule with each event I went to, something one has to get used to in the endless sea of venues and shows across Austin). Luckily, the final band of the showcase, Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights, a blues-rock band with a soulful Southern edge. Not to say country at all; the band was far from and stuck mainly to rock, traveling a vein similar to the Black Crowes. Whatever genre you wanna label them, I had FINALLY gotten my wish. Five musicians who could all absolutely destroy their instruments, tossing blistering yet tasteful solo passages back and forth and bouncing their musical chemistry off one another with that classic, irresistible blues sophistication. One of the most thoroughly engaging sets of music I’ve seen all weekend, no joke. I guess it depends on what you’re searching for in music, but this show reminded me of one crucial fact: blues is f***ing good. What’s a music critic/journalist like me to do if he wakes up and discovers none of the current “trendy” or “fashionable” styles of amorphous, rootless, weird-for-weird’s-sake modern music matter to him? I’m not sure what the answer is, but all I can think these days is that being “innovative” doesn’t seem to be the most important factor of music nowadays.
- Red & Black

The playlist: Jonathan Tyler, Dierks Bentley, Dolly Parton

By Brian Mansfield, Special for USA TODAY
Listen to the title track, 'Pardon Me,' from the debut album by Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights. Or check out 10 other tracks.

PICK OF THE WEEK
Pardon Me, Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights
Did you think they'd quit making bands that groove as hard as they rock? You know, like ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Aerosmith? Listen to this riff-heavy blast, the title track from this band’s debut album, and think again.
- USA Today

Year in Review: Music
Monday, December 27, 2010
By MARIO TARRADELL/The Dallas Morning News
Mario Tarradell's Top 10 CDs

#4 - Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights, Pardon Me (F-Stop Music/Atlantic): Somebody explain why this local rock-blues outfit isn't burning up the national scene yet. Pardon Me is Tyler and gang's Shake Your Money Maker, a roaring musical manifesto that leaves you in a pile of sweat after only one listen. The world needs to hear this.
- The Dallas Morning News

Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights Outshine Headliner

Written by Philip Clements
Monday, 10 November 2008 23:09

As a typical white college kid, I like O.A.R.

They are an obligatory college band (like Jack Johnson and Sublime) that embody the carefree philosophy of the Best Years of Our Life ®. There isn’t any heavy distortion, harsh vocals or offensive lyrics. Instead, they have bouncy reggae riffs, catchy hooks and a song about a game of poker.

O.A.R. is known as a strong live band and is popular among the hippie jam band crowds. Never having seen them before, I was curious to see what the hype was about.

But the real hype was surrounding their opening act, Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights.

A few weeks ago, a copy of their debut album, ‘Hot Trottin’,’ came across my desk. I gave it a listen and was impressed right off the bat by the fresh twist they had on the otherwise classic rock sound. I played their music all the time, developing a new favorite song every day. Anticipation swelled as the concert grew nearer and more people validated my fandom.

At first, I wasn’t even sure I was going to make it in time to see JT & the Northern Lights. I had class until 7:45 and would still have to walk across campus to get to the stage.

Luckily, my last class didn’t last more than the 15 minutes it took for us to realize that the professor was not coming. Now, I don’t want to say I was glad that my teacher was in a car accident, but I am glad that class was cancelled (she’s fine.)

Now with much more time on my hands, I trotted over to the RAC band shelter, making it just in time for the Jonathan Tyler’s opening song. The band, made up of six members, looked like a bunch of 70s gypsy rockers, all with long hair and some form of facial hair (except for the backup singer, a sexy black chick with a fro and shades.)

Their set was tight yet breezy, without a noticeable mistake yet invoking the feeling of a band jamming in the corner of a small warehouse venue. Their sound is a seamless blend of power rock riffage, soulful backbeats and down-home blues sensibilities.

Unlike most front-men, Jonathan Tyler was not hungry for the spotlight. When he wasn’t singing or ripping away on a guitar solo, he was facing the back of the stage or his band mates. The backup singer was able to shine in quite a few songs, taking a verse here and there and showing us that there’s more power to this band than they are going to be pulling out that night.

In between sets, I strolled over to the merchandise booth where I got a chance to shake hands and chat with the bassist from the Northern Lights. He was very friendly and said that the show went well, due in part to the crowd’s energy.

Then, as if by cue, the crowd began screaming. I looked to the stage and noticed a few shady characters holding guitars and moving towards their marks. The lights flickered and then exploded as the band played the first song from their new album, “This Town.�

The rest of their set flowed by like clockwork with the band touching both tracks from their new album as well as golden oldies like “Hey Girl� and “Night Shift.� If there was any doubt, the decibel level of the crowd singing along was a dead give-away that the crowd was there for O.A.R.

Their music is part of the soundtrack at most parties. The reggae sound permeates just about every song, giving all of the hacky-sack enthusiasts a crunchy groove to kick along with. Hands floated above the crowd as multiple body-surfers made their way from stage-left to stage-right in a series of sweaty jerks. Couples were taking advantage of the romantic moments and drunken guys were falling down at any moment.

The night embodied the high spirits of homecoming. There were no enemies present, just a large group of fellow students and potential friends enjoying the music and connecting over a common bond: the music and homecoming.

When the last song of the encore faded out and the lights dimmed, the cheering continued as the crowd leaves, arm-in-arm, and makes their way to the next party of the night.
- George-Anne Daily

The Vanguard (University of South Alabama)

O.A.R., Jonathan Tyler play at USA

Rodney Thompson

STAFF WRITER
Issue date: 11/10/08

Green is in this season and everybody is getting on board.

Of A Revolution, or better known as O.A.R., joined forces with the Reverb, an environmental organization, to headline this year's Campus Consciousness Tour. The purpose of this tour is to promote environmental sustainability with musicians and their fans.

O.A.R., in its own right, has been leaning on the recycling bandwagon for quite a while now. It came of no surprise when it was announced that the band would be promoting such an eco-friendly national tour.

The CCT recently completed its scheduled stop at the Mitchell Center. Considering O.A.R. has been around since 1996, it was surprising to see the amount of young teens who came out to enjoy the band's performance.

For those who missed out, the show was everything you could hope for from a rock concert. The set-up was a little unusual, with the stage being constructed at the very end of the stadium-style seats. This gave everyone an up-close and personal experience.

Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights opened up for O.A.R. Tyler and his group were not much for crowd interaction.

Instead, they got to business and rocked out as hard as they could. Tyler boasts a more classic rock style with a large band and complex guitar solos. Watching Tyler writhe on stage as the music surged through him was like witnessing a legend being born. Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights are going to blow up fast.

The main event was just as succulent as the appetizer. O.A.R. delivered, in my opinion, one of its best shows ever. There was an excellent blend of music from its new album, "All Sides," as well as hits from the past 12 years.

O.A.R. has a unique style that seamlessly blends rock with a sort of reggae-funk-bluesy type feel. Even the most depressing subject matters drive you to stand up and dance when Marc Roberge, O.A.R.'s front man, begins to sing and adds his lively personality to the mix.

O.A.R. is all about intermittent jam sessions throughout their songs. While this provides for an excellent melding of sounds, it does cause most of their songs to run well over six minutes each in length.

The event began at 7 p.m. and ended around 10:30 p.m. with O.A.R. singing "Crazy Game of Poker," one of their most easily recognizable songs. $12 for a night of entertainment from an amazing band like O.A.R. just goes to show you that Jaguar Productions is doing its job, and doing it well. - The Vanguard

Concert Wrap — O.A.R. at Barnhill Arena, Nov. 10
A note about the opener:
Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights have been to Fayetteville several times, including a couple times already this year at George’s Majestic Lounge. But they certainly hadn’t performed for this many people here before, as perhaps 4,000 had arrived by the time they took the stage promptly at 8 p.m. I can’t imagine they disappointed many who were there.

It’s tough to open for a band with such a ridiculously devoted fanbase (such as O.A.R. has) but they did a good job at keeping a level of interest by launching into tempest-causing blues rock while still managing to sound a bit like Oasis, an odd statement considering the band calls Texas home, but true nonetheless. They received the most reaction from their barnstorming take of Jimi Hendrix’s “Crosstown Traffic.�

- Northwest Arkansas Times

JONATHAN TYLER & The Northern Lights

Creating a fusion of rootsy rock n’ roll, blues and soul combined with compelling rhythms and powerful, tasty guitar playing, Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights is an up-and-coming band that is creating jams that “Mmm, Mmm� make you want to groove.

With the untamed spirit of bands like The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix, it’s as if the 70s rock n’ roll scene has come back to life.

Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights includes: Jonathan Tyler (lead vocalist, guitarist and mean harmonica player), Nick Jay (bass and additional vocals), Kansas (rhythm guitar), Beau Bedford (keyboard), Jordan Cain (drums), and Mo Brown (additional vocals and tambourine).

You won’t be able to keep your feet from tappin’ or your body from groovin’ while listening to the band’s first album, Hot Trottin’ (Jonathan Tyler Music/Indie). The album’s single, “Gypsy Woman,� is fueled by Tyler’s raw, impassioned vocals as he spits,

“I ain’t down for no crazy games and your downright gypsy ways. So, take your lies and all your things and take ‘em right back from where ya came now.�

The band slows things down with a mix of soul, jazz and roots in the groove-infused “Time For Love,� which delivers the classic message,

“If everyone in the world could all finally see as one, we wouldn’t have to be alone.�

The bluesy soul doesn’t stop at the album. Onstage, it pours out in gritty, hard-driving, blues-based rock n’ roll. The band members know how to rock the audience’s world with their ability to put passion, energy and soul into every song they play.

Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights stays true to its roots and has creatively mixed the feelin’ good, shakin’ hips grooves of the past with the rock n’ roll of today, producing a captivating sound that makes a listener of any age want to jam right along with them.

The band signed with Atlantic Records in September and plans to release a debut CD for Atlantic next year. The band is now touring and will begin a tour with O.A.R. in November. - The College Crowd

There’s something afoot with Jonathan Tyler and The Northern Lights. If things play out for the band the way that the hordes of record company weasels currently jocking them seem to think they will.... this time next year Jonathan Tyler will have the John Mayer’s and Gavin Degraws of this world running to their mammas wondering who nabbed their Grammy. Mere months into the bands existence, their scorching live show has already scored them opening slots on bills with the likes of Delbert McClintock, Heart and old school stadium rockers, Chicago.
The fresh faced Dallas based quintet play the blues like men two or three times their age, yet temper their surprisingly authentic roots sound with edgy grooves and hook laden songs that will easily make them contenders for the crowns that bands like the White Stripes and Jet have been wearing a little too long.
Despite the fact that labels are seeing dollar signs thanks to the incessant ear worm songs, the soaring vocals, and the fact that lots of chicks seem to want to bang the guys in the Northern Lights, Jonathan has a surprisingly, grounded take on what his band is about. "I think we definitely have electricity to our shows. People leave feeling better than they arrived. They're NOT going to forget us if they see us live."
Watch this space....


A.D.
Sirius 21 Alt Nation
Sirius 28 Faction
Sirius 20 Octane
KTBZ fm
Takeover Records
Envy Magazine
www.myspace.com/adsXe
(917) 887 7395

- AD

Burgeoning blues beau Jonathan Tyler and his talented stage posse will be rocking the damask walls of the Granada tonight in support of their surprisingly soulful album Hot Trottin�.

As House of Blues favorites and recent targets of major label A&R pursuance, Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights are scaling the kind of publicity pedestal that could land them on the stages in which they certainly belong: festival tours.

Tyler is a roots rocker savant, and buzz on the street is, he�s got the young-buck moxie to exclaim his gruff and melodious self-expression. Backed by equally gypsy musicians, a.k.a. the Northern Lights, this herd of a band is truly destined for jam-band following the likes of�oh, I don�t know�G. Love. (I�m not much of a festival girl these days, but I keep my thumb on the pulse.) Their feverish whaling, jamming and heartstring-pulling rocks-out with mass appeal and a sweet, devilish charm that would find itself right at home at sweat-fests like ACL and Bonnaroo.

Regularly playing and alluding to their love of Austin, I, personally, think it�s a blessing that Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights are from Dallas. The popularity and abundance of boot-scraping rhythm and grass bands in Austin may have bullied the troupe into dog paddling in the Colorado �- like so many talented Austin bands. But, in Dallas, and most likely (according to my magical 8 Ball of fury and duh) more American cities to come, J.T. and the Northern Lights stand out quite like the name of their act implies.

Kicking off an intensive Texas tour, these brazen youngsters may never return to their dirty concrete roots. They have seeds to sew from here to Bumbershoot and Thursday�s show could go down as one of the last chapters of their wily Texas tale. -- Krissi Reeves - Krissi Reeves

Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights

At 23, Jonathan Tyler is too young to have seen Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin or Janis Joplin, but he's got their sound down pat.

The Dallas singer-guitarist plays blues-rock with spit and swagger – check out his sweaty YouTube version of "Gypsy Woman" – but he also sings tender ballads that will appeal to the John Mayer crowd. Mr. Tyler and his band, the Northern Lights, recorded their debut CD, Hot Trottin, with help from local producer-engineer Chris Bell (Erykah Badu, Polyphonic Spree). And while it's not the most innovative album in the world, it has enough radio potential that major labels have reportedly begun sniffing around.

• Mr. Tyler and the Northern Lights perform Saturday at the Cavern.

T.C. - Thor Christenson