Eastern Heights

For the last eight months, a group of local musicians calling themselves Eastern Heights have been taking Branson’s late night entertainment scene by storm, performing a mix of country, rock ‘n’ roll, R & B and original music.
The band features Rob Blackburn, 25, Tyler Stephans, 20, Tyler Landry, 21, and 19-year-old Grant Moody, and a keyboard player “to be announced” soon. Their journey began last year when Blackburn, who performs at Grand Country, and Moody, who performs in the “Pierce Arrow” show, were both members of the Brett’s show.
“One day Rob came in and he was talking about writing some original music,” Moody said. “We talked and he suggested coming over to his house and recording in his little studio. We started writing and recording, and realized we had some really good songs but nowhere to play.”
Realizing they had the makings of an interesting musical endeavor, Moody called on longtime friend and bass player Stephans, and drummer Zach Landry to fill out the lineup. The guys say their original tunes fall in the “modern country” genre, similar to Rascal Flatts, Luke Bryan and Hunter Hayes.
“That’s the kind of sound we’re going for, and we didn’t really even know what our sound would be until our first night in the studio,” Blackburn said with a laugh. “We hear it back and think ‘Wow, this sounds like something that could actually be played on the radio.
They guys were so happy with how their originals turned out, they even filmed a music video.
“We put our first original music video out earlier this year to a song called ‘Without You,’” Blackburn said. “Within like a week and a half, we’d already gotten 5,000 views, so that really got us excited.”
He said they’re hoping to put out another song and video to their original tune “Local Honey” within the next few months.
“People have heard us do that one live, and it’s gotten good responses,” Blackburn said. “It’s a fun, edgy tune with kind of a Jason Aldean vibe to it.”
Even though the boys in the band were anxious to perform, they knew performing strictly originals was a tough sell, especially in Branson. In order to make sure the original tunes were as polished and complete as possible, the guys opted to perform a majority of cover songs, adding an original here and there.
Their set list features a wide array of country and rock ‘n’ roll tunes from Kenny Loggins and Lynyrd Skynyrd to Vince Gill and Bruno Mars.
“We don’t get to play Bruno Mars at work,” Moody said with a laugh. “I love the variety of what we play.”
The strategy worked, and the band began getting booked for gigs at Branson’s Center Stage Grille & Bar and Shindigs. They’ve also performed at a wedding, as well as several private events.
“We really like to read the crowd and react to what they like, and what is going to get them on the dance floor,” Blackburn said. “The guys in the group are very talented, and we made sure to know enough songs to change during the set to make sure we keep the dance floor full.”
While the guy were enjoying their early success as primarily a “cover band,” the originals weren’t forgotten.
“The end goal is to get the original stuff out there, and we started slipping one in there to see if people notice, and see what they think,” Blackburn. “They’ve been responding to it really well.”
With many local groups featuring young Branson entertainers producing their own original music, Blackburn said those groups have served as an inspiration to what they’re going for.
“Prince Ivan really is an inspiration for us, not genre-wise because they do pop music, but because they’re doing their own thing and this great original stuff,” Blackburn said. “There really isn’t a group of younger entertainers doing the new, modern country stuff.”
Even though there are many local and regional bands the guys draw inspiration from, they’re out to blaze a trail all their own.
“When we first started this, I told Rob I didn’t want to be the Horn Dawgs, or the Missouri Plowboys, or the Kraken, or Prince Ivan, I want us to be Eastern Heights,” Moody said. “I hope when people hear us, that’s what they think.”
Visit facebook.com/easternheightsmusic. Eastern Heights will be performing at Branson’s Center Stage Grille & Bar at 10 :30 p.m. Saturday. - Joshua Clark

After nearly a year of hard work, dedication and practice, local group Eastern Heights has finally released their debut single “Local Honey,” which is available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and Apple Radio. As a special way to celebrate the single’s release, the group will perform at the Upper Deck Grille, located in the Shoppes at Branson Meadows, at 10:30 p.m. Saturday.
The band features young local performers Rob Blackburn, Tyler Stephans, Grant Moody, Colter Sullivan, and Zach Landry.
Even though the tune recently “debuted,” the group has been performing it live for a while.
“People have heard us do that one live, and it’s gotten good responses,” Blackburn said. “It’s a fun, edgy tune with kind of a Jason Aldean vibe to it.”
The journey of Eastern Heights began last year when Blackburn, who performs at Grand Country, and Moody, who performs in the “Pierce Arrow” show, were both members of the Brett’s show.
“One day Rob came in and he was talking about writing some original music,” Moody said. “We talked and he suggested coming over to his house and recording in his little studio. We started writing and recording, and realized we had some really good songs but nowhere to play.”
Realizing they had the makings of an interesting musical endeavor, Moody called on longtime friend and bass player Stephans, and drummer Zach Landry to fill out the lineup. The guys say their original tunes fall in the “modern country” genre, similar to Rascal Flatts, Luke Bryan and Hunter Hayes.
“That’s the kind of sound we’re going for, and we didn’t really even know what our sound would be until our first night in the studio,” Blackburn said with a laugh. “We hear it back and think ‘Wow, this sounds like something that could actually be played on the radio.
They guys were so happy with how their originals turned out, they even filmed a music video to a song called “Without You.” Blackburn said within two weeks of posting the video, it snagged more than 5,000 views.
Even though the boys in the band are excited about writing and performing their original tunes, they perform a wide array of cover songs, adding an original here and there when they play live. Their set list features everything from Kenny Loggins and Lynyrd Skynyrd to Vince Gill and Bruno Mars.
“The end goal is to get the original stuff out there, and we started slipping one in there to see if people notice, and see what they think,” Blackburn. “They’ve been responding to it really well.”
Eastern Heights will be performing at the Upper Deck Grille at 10 :30 p.m. Saturday.
Visit facebook.com/easternheightsmusic for more information. - Joshua Clark

Eastern Heights is a young band out of Branson, Missouri. The band is young in the fact that they have been performing together only nine months, plus the members are young in age. Rob Blackburn, 25, frontman and lead vocals, and Grant Moody, 19, lead guitar and harmony, put the band together when the two started writing songs. The current line up includes Tyler Stephans, 20, on bass, harmony, and harmonica; Zach Landry, 21, on drums; and the just-added Colter Sullivan, 29, on keyboard, lead vocals, harmony, and guitar.
Although they are young, their talent exceeds their years. Blackburn, Moody, Stephans, and Landry are second generation Branson performers raised in the music industry. Blackburn and Moody currently perform at Grand Country Music Hall and Pierce Arrow, respectively. The guys all play multiple instruments beyond what they play on stage with Eastern Heights. The work ethic and professionalism of the members of the band come across clearly whenever they give an interview, sit-in with another band, mingle with fans in a crowd, or set up/do sound check. The talent of the band is obvious from the first notes of the first song they play when jaws of first-time listeners hit the floor and shouts of adulation fill the air from the audience. The comments on Moody’s Facebook page under posts of gig videos express repeated compliments of, “Great riff and tone, Grant.” Dino Strunk, 2015 Branson Terry Music Award winner for Lead Guitar Player of the Year, asserts, “I have watched Grant grow up from a six-year-old little boy learning to play...to a young man who has achieved efficiency on several instruments. He's one of the finest overall musicians out there at his age and I believe he has nowhere to go but to the top.”
The band fills the venues with all ages because the guys fill a niche no other band in the area is filling. While fans the age of the band members attend Eastern Heights’ shows, the majority of the dance floor is literally filled with 40-year-olds to 70-year-olds, both male and female. Since the guys perform in Branson shows, Eastern Heights’ shows typically start at 10:30 p.m. and go until 1:00 a.m. Clearly, Eastern Heights busts the myth that senior citizens won’t come out for late shows. The seniors come out and dance. The seniors dance all night long. Blackburn’s keen ear for what style of songs the audience responds to on a given night keeps the playlist fresh for a particular audience. The rhythm section of Stephans and Landry does their part to keep the dance beat strong. Landry drums with his whole body. No exaggeration, as even his lips, nostrils, everything move to the beat; a site that only adds to the already tight visual performance the band provides.
Blackburn and Grant have approximately 10 to 11 songs written and seven to eight songs ready to record. Eastern Heights has a professionally produced video of their first song, “Without You” in which Blackburn and Grant turn out polished acting performances. Blackburn and Grant describe their originals as modern country and they definitely remind listeners of the band Rascal Flatts. Eastern Heights’ live performances are mostly covers while they write and develop their original material. Though not traditionally a blues band, rockin’ southern blues and R&B are included in the playlist mix, as well as country, and rock ‘n’ roll from the 1950s to current chart toppers.
The band makes the covers their own with Blackburn’s vocals and a slight twist in the arrangement. Every song is a dance song, even if it means increasing the tempo. Judging by the response of the fans, no song is ever harmed in the making of an Eastern Heights’ dance arrangement or by Blackburn’s vocals. Blackburn’s vocals: oh, those vocals. Blackburn sings moments of melody lines in upper harmony; the brilliance is that he knows just when to do so effectively. Favorite, familiar songs are played like an audience has never heard them before and the audience wants to hear those songs again and again. Eastern Heights’ audiences and popularity grow with each event. Larry Allred, a Branson icon and staple himself, affirms, “Eastern Heights may very well be the next big thing [nationally]. They have talent, the work ethic, and most importantly they love playing music. That comes natural, you can't teach that.”
Right now the demand for Eastern Heights exceeds their scheduling allowance as Blackburn and Moody work six days a week in Branson shows, Sundays being their only current available day for an out of town performance. If a band is going to have a problem, this is a good problem to have. Blackburn and Grant agree that their goal is to get better as a band and start playing outside of Branson. Right now, fans are demanding more original songs, demanding a release of a CD, demanding more shows. Help increase Eastern Heights’ problems and growing pains by liking their page and attending their events. https://www.facebook.com/easternheightsmusic/ - Barb Hensiek