Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Jayna Noley (Staff Writer)
January 23, 2001
Since their formation two years ago, Bishops Alley has brought energy and quality alternative rock to every club and event they have graced with their presence.
Bishops Alley's musical style had been compared to such radio favorites as Matchbox Twenty and Creed. All the boys have a fondness for this sound, and don't argue the comparison. Baker describes their music as "progressive rock with occasional overtones of country."
Bishops Alley live is nothing short of a high energy rock experience. Sutton delivers power ballads and hard rock favorites with ease. The back-up vocals and musical performances are dead-on. This is a group who actually gets together and practices, or at least sounds like it.
- The Vista Online
By Doug Hill (pop writer)
Date: January 9, 2004
Sutton's voice came from a dynamic powerhouse. He's a talent reminiscent of Scott Stapp and Jon Foreman with soul aplenty.
BA played an accoustic tune that rocked hard as any of their 440 volt material.
People slow-danced to a power ballad that deserved the tribute. Bark Bishop turned the oven way up on several tunes. His guitar is equally terrific on BA's self-titled album. - Pop (published by The Norman Transcript)
‘Out Of Place’ – Bishops Alley - Threatcon Records - Produced by Rodney Pyeatt – 2004 - Stan Moffat, 01/22/2005 - Payne County Line
Rating: 5 / 5
Opened my mail today and what to my surprise was inside… a Bishops Alley press kit with CD inside. But it was more than that. It was a package of dynamite inside the CD cover with the title “Out Of Place” written on it. That is exactly what I think about the CD now that I have listened to it several times! It was truly ‘Out Of Place’ in that manila envelope, so non-descript, nothing defining it, just a simple package with one of the best CD’s we have received to review! Those of you who are fans, will know the title, those that are not, pay attention, take a deep seat, cuz’ these boys have a truly great CD’s with songs you will think about for days, hum for weeks, and still be thinking of when the DJ talks “classics” on the radio in years to come! “Out of Place” contains everything you would not expect to find from a lil’ ole band from Oklahoma! Correctly worded, memorable lyrics matched with some of the best arranged tunes that we have heard on a CD in some time. The production of the CD reflects the tenacity and care we know Rodney Pyeatt puts into everything he touches! These ole Seminole “rockers” do just that! And they do it from start to finish. This is a very complete CD with no “weak sisters” inside. The title may be “Out Of Place”, but nothing the CD is! From the all out rocking of Without You and Misery to the slower “Slo Jam” these guys have it all and demonstrate their ability to do it all with their music. Course it doesn’t hurt to have Steve Palousek on the steel guitar, Jeremy Watkins on the fiddle, and the harmony vocals by Amanda Brown, Jeremy Watkins and Rodney Pyeatt. This is a very polished CD, and one can almost certainly hear the masterful work of Brian Kinzie! The musical arrangement is truly amazing in places, and soundly holds together from start to finish. The instrumentation is very well done. The experience of the band comes through time and time again. Strong intros, deep setting hooks, and words that don’t mess around. The lyrics truly paint a picture inside one’s mind of each song and the vocals truly color that picture in every way possible. Very strong, solid and complete with lots of range and ability to reach out and bring one into the song, and pull every emotion inside of you … make the eyes moisten, the muscles tense, the toes tap, the eyes smile… And it is all here, in one CD. Out Of Place is everything, from hard rock to western swing, to good old Oklahoma Red Dirt. These artist prove they can do it all, and do it with grace, dignity and immense talent. No gimmicks, no “piazza”… just good ole God-given talent, honed to the max, on the edge, for us to enjoy, and that is exactly what we did! PS. If you want to listen to just one song that shows the immense talent of Bishops Alley, listen to “The Traveler”. But listen more than once, and then follow the words… and see how far it takes ya!! Just one example of 10 very good tunes! - Payne County Line - www.paynecountyline.com
By Vix (SugarBuzz Oklahoma City Correspondent) - January 2005
Looks can be deceiving, especially when it comes to Bishops Alley. I received a press kit and CD from these guys and perused it pretty good I thought. Very well written and the CD is so well done, well I was impressed. The guys looked like pretty focused rockers to me so I hopped in the Z (where the stereo is the best) and cranked it….
Let me just say I fell outta the car. The first two songs on their 10 song CD were flat out rockin jams. The first song ‘Without You’ just opens up with a full out force. This song hooks you from the first note. I love the bass line in it. To me, a great get on the road and drive song. Misery has exceptional harmonies. And you know me and know how I am about being able to sing along. And its lyrics hook you but when the bridge kicks in you know this is a song that needs to be in the mainstream. It has a mellifluousness that is just brilliant. This band kinda has a Three Doors Down-ish thing happening.
Then your ready for the third ass kickin tune to come on and all of the sudden a steel guitar breaks into ‘Slo Jam’. I was shocked. Here is a band that actually can pull it off. It’s got a country sound to it that will blow your mind. Okay now I know what you are thinking. “I DON’T LIKE COUNTRY”. Get off your high horses and try something a little different. I promise you…you will know all the words to ‘Slo Jam’ before the second time it finishes playing.
The rest of the CD wavers back and forth between the rockish-country thing that is so unlike anything out there from a local band that you would expect. “Nothing Left” kicks back to the rockin sound and just when you get grooving along with the CD they throw another hook at you and you are listening to that steel guitar sound again that makes you wonder…why can’t I pull that off?
These guys are REAL Musicians. No fooling around. Straight to the core serious and an act that would be hard to follow by just about anyone. Their sound can appeal to a wide range of music tastes and possibly changing some people’s minds on the way they program their radios.
- SugarBuzz Magazine - www.sugarbuzzmagazine.com
By: Preston Jones (Staff Writer)
June 23, 2004
Regional touring staples for more than five years,
Seminole natives Bishops Alley have unleashed their sophomore disc, “Out of Place”, the follow up to their 2001 eponymous debut. Jared Sutton’s evocative vocals are fueled by Bark Bishop’s relentless guitar over the course of 10 tracks – highlights include “Without You” and “Falling Behind”. - Oklahoma Gazette
Discography
Whiskey Blues Revue (Released August 2005)
1. Wasted Year
2. She's Alright
3. Rearview Mirror
4. I Don't Regret
5. Unsaid
6. The Other Side
7. Bathtub Brew
8. Whiskey Blues Revue
9. Qualms
10. Outlaw Anthem
11. Silently Seducted
12. Let Me Be Me
Bonus Track: Homegrown Remedy
Out of Place (Released April 2004)
1. Without You
2. Misery
3. Slo Jam
4. Nothing Left
5. Out of Place
6. #6
7. Falling Behind
8. Drowning
9. The Traveler
10. Lost
Bishops Alley (2001 Self-Titled Album)
1. Forgotten
2. Silently Seducted
3. Sometimes
4. Evil Pill
5. Bleed
6. Lonely Road
7. Faded
8. Invisible
9. Devil Woman
10. Why
11. The Traveler
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Hailing from deep in the Midwest, Oklahoma based band Bishops Alley is a southern rock band who's music ranges from energetic guitar driven rock, to rock slow jams, and a splash of country…all fused with a perfect blend of southern soul. In six years of existence, this quartet has played hundreds of shows throughout the region including Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Louisiana, and Tennessee. With two albums under their belt, Bishops Alley is currently putting the finishing touches on their newest album, which is scheduled for release August of 2005.
Bishops Alley's first recording effort was a self-titled album released in 2001. The band independently recorded and produced the entire album in their practice garage located in Seminole, Oklahoma. Although the record was not recorded in a professional studio, the end result was an 11 track disc that any young band would be proud of. When the CD was released, it quickly spread throughout the band's home state of Oklahoma and helped establish Bishops Alley as a staple in the Oklahoma music scene.
In March 2004, Bishops Alley followed up the self-titled release with their sophomore album "Out of Place". Having saved some money from constant touring and wanting to improve upon the first album, the band headed to a recording studio in the small town of Belton, Texas called Awesome Works Recording Studio. Texas musician Steve Palousek engineered and mixed the bands sophomore effort. With help from producers Rodney Pyeatt (another Texas musician known for his bad ass guitar skills) and Brian Kinzie (sound engineer for Cross Canadian Ragweed), "Out of Place" was a major improvement from the self-titled album released three years earlier. Once the album was released, the band once again hit the road to build a regional fan base. Over the next year, the growing popularity of "Out of Place" (named New Album of the Year in PayneCountyLine.com's 2005 Music Awards) and devout dedication to touring opened the door to regional success.
After releasing "Out of Place" and amidst touring, Bishops Alley quickly got to work on writing songs for the next album. Over the course of the next year, the band completed 12 new songs for their latest album entitled "Whiskey Blues Revue". In May of 2005, the guys hit the studio again and began work on the new album at SoundPaige Recording in Norman, Oklahoma. Because they were closer to home, the band was able to spend more time on this album than the previous one. Paige Harwell recorded, mixed, and helped produce the new album. With the combination of Paige's masterful studio ability and the band's commitment to making sure it was done the right way, this is by far Bishops Alley's best album yet. After its release in August of 2005, the band will once again hit the road and focus on the next goal of gaining national attention. With the experience gained and dedication shown over the past six years, it is only a matter of time.
Bishops Alley is also proud to be an artist on the Budweiser True Music Label.
Band Management: B.J. Roberson @ Threatcon Entertainment. (405) 249-2472
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