Kayla Reeves

In a little over 100 years, the blues has gone from field hollers and chants all the way to Memphis, Kansas City and then the West Side of Chicago. Saturday night a gifted pair of the next generation of blues artists brought it all back home to the wide-open fields of Fannin County.

Up here on Red River, far from the din of the city, it cut through the night like a Janis Joplin scream. The surreal lead guitar from the Jimi Hendrix classic “Little Wing” soared and then faded into the darkness. And that was just the opening band.

Around 120 music lovers filled the Family Life Center in Bonham for a Saturday night blues show that started with Kayla Reeves and Triple Threat and ended with a tour d’ force by guitar phenom Tyler Dow Bryant and company.

In addition to the fact this performance featured the mesmerizing vocals of Reeves and the guitar virtuoso of Bryant, a pair of truly gifted teenagers, this concert was held in a place where the blues should feel at home. Somehow the strains of “Sweet Home, Chicago” sounded even sweeter knowing that city traffic and the metromess was someone else’s problem tonight. In the farm country of Fannin County, you could concentrate on the music. Reeves and Bryant took it from there.

Kayla Reeves is a dynamic young lead singer that is as much at home singing an Etta James classic as she is telling the story of Bobby McGee. Her lead guitarist moved from blues classics to original material with a flair that complimented Reeves’ style and in a lot of places this combo would have headlined the show.

Rick Massey Music Productions had a special evening planned for the audience at the Family Life Center.

Tyler Dow Bryant’s Band is building a regional following the old fashioned way…they are earning it one show at a time. Tyler's band has Ben Alsup on bass and George Johnson playing drums. On this night, the group was joined onstage by another gifted blues musician, Bonham physician Jim Tarpley. Bryant and company have a flair for ripping through the timeless material of Freddie King and Jimi Hendrix. Just like with the opening band, Bryant’s most impressive moment may have been polished original material. In any large city, great cover bands are on every corner. But it takes a special musician to weave every note and every word into a song the audience is calling out to hear. Bryant and Reeves are both remarkably talented musicians, as they proved Saturday night to a full house in Bonham. The Family Life Center is a large building, but when more people understand just how good these two are…it won’t be nearly big enough.

“Is it too early for a little Hendrix,” Bryant called out when he took the stage, “Or, are we right on time?”

Anyone who has listened to this young guitarist will tell you Bryant's time has come.



- East Texas e-News

Others believe there's a smooth, exicting sound coming from the Next Generation
By Ken Studer
Herald Democrat
Is the blues dead? Maybe it's just hanging on, dying, in what the so-called experts call a slow, lingering death. So many of the music magazines on the stands today have already labeled the blues as a dying genre due to the fact that the torch is not being passed on to a younger generation of blues players, who are willing to keep the blues alive.




If a person was willing to eat what these experts are serving, there would be cause to panic. The basis of their thesis is that the older pioneers of the blues are dying off and there are no younger blues men or women stepping up to keep blues music going.

For blues lovers who enjoy sitting in their easy chairs, shoes kicked off, listening to Muddy Waters, Leadbelly and Robert Johnson, there could be a cause to believe some of what they are reading. But those out enjoying some great blues shows are witnessing first-hand some excellent young blues artists.

Young blues artists like Johnny Lang, Tommy Castro, Susan Tedeschi, Coco Montoya and Rory Block have grabbed the baton, and are more than capable to keep the blues experience alive and well. It is obvious when you listen to these young musicians, that they didn't choose the blues, the blues chose them.

When you look at this concept on a local level, the cream rising to the top are young singer musicians with what can only be described as old souls. Tyler Bryant, a 14-year-old blues guitarist and singer can dazzle a crowd like he has been performing for 20 years. When you talk to him about normal things a 14-year-old should be experiencing, he knows as much about it as the next kid. When you sit down and talk blues, he talks like an 80-year-old musician who has experienced a lifetime of playing them.

Since playing Honey Grove Music Hall in September, Bryant has been playing and recording non-stop, finding his membership in the club of blues players who play the blues for the love of the sound and feeling - not to fill their wallets. Being asked to participate in a Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute near Dallas in October highlighted the year for Bryant, having a chance to meet some of the best in blues.




“I had a great time there. I got to sit and talk with Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon of Double Trouble and they were really nice. It was a lot of fun being part of that show. I also got a chance to meet Kenny Wayne Shephard,” Bryant said.

Bryant said he is playing all over now and spending time recording some of his own material on his home studio. Capable of playing several instruments, laying the tracks down himself is an instant gratification process, plus it gives him the ability to change things around himself to see what works.

Bryant will be playing Honey Grove's Music Hall again Dec. 10, with his Blues Buddies. In September, Bryant and the Blues Buddies filled the house, which turned out to be the largest crowd the Music Hall has seen.

In that show Bryant asked 12-year-old Kayla Reeves to join him on stage and sing a few songs. With no rehearsal, Reeves brought down the house with her version of Susan Tedeschi's “(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean” and Stevie Ray Vaughan's “Pride and Joy.” She got back on stage to open the second set and sang an a cappella version of Etta James' “At Last.”

Reeves is another young blues artist whose age is not represented in her voice or stage presence. Reeves will be joining Bryant once again in Honey Grove Dec. 10, and this time they have actually worked a few things up. Reeves has the gritty and aggressive vocal style of an Etta James or Susan Tedeschi. Since her last appearance in Honey Grove, she has been recording a CD and putting together a band.

“People say to me sometimes that if you are feeling sad why would you want to listen to the blues. They just don't get it. The blues just lets you know that you are not the only one feeling down and you are not alone. This makes me feel good all over. I listen to the blues all the time and if I've had a bad day in school or something the blues makes it all better,” Reeves said. “There is a certain way you look and sing when you sing the blues. When I watched Etta James or Tedeschi sing, and you can see they know they have it. When I sing, and I know when I get that same feeling, I've got it.”

Bryant and Reeves are a couple of the reasons why there is no need to worry about the future of the blues. The blues will do fine by just playing and singing, the way they do, from their hearts. Artists like Bryant and Reeves will keep the blues alive and kicking for all of us to enjoy. While some blues fans read and believe the sky is falling over the blues world, others are secure in the fact that young blues artists like Bryant and Reeves will continue to bring the roof down, securing the future for blues lovers every where.

Tyler Bryant and the Blues Buddies and Kayla Reeves - Blues Matters

November 13, 2006
Universal Blues w Catfish ><>; "Killer's Trip to Austin TX!!! Nunos Extra Extra Extra! Nov 9,10,11 2006 Featuring Wes Jeans, Kayla Reeves, Carson Alexander , Buddy Miles ( Damn right), 'Killer' Hannah Ford Well my friends I am still on a high ( legal kind ) from the last few days of music. I had the pleasure no priviledge to hear some of the great young talent on the scene today. Since I was on the SRV ride in Dallas I got to hear Wes with Tyler Dow & Tommy K Jr( my great friend & bluesman from Hungary, I knew I wanted to catch a full show of his. Fortunatly, Nunos my home away from home & the best blues bar on 6th St had Wes for 2 nights Cool! I really like Wes's CD ' Forest of the Pine' . He did great lowdown no BS blues. I met the writer of Back to Bed' at the show. It is one of my favoritres. I also like 'Chasing at Shadows' . The special guest lists were great. 1st the young & incredible Carson Alexander was tearing it up. If this cat ever finds out how good he truly is it will be scary. 5 or so years if he keeps it together Wow! Miss Kayla Reeves was tearing in up on the vocals . She has serious pipes. Buddy Miles called her Lil Janis. Since I am not gonna argue with Mr Miles so ,thats that.Speaking of Buddy Miles his appearnce on night 2, well I kinda lost it ( my mind that is haha) He was stil fierce on the skins, & great to hear him sing too. Tonight was a big night for me because Miss Killer ,Hannah Ford was in the wings and ready last few nights , but tonight thanks to Jo Hell & the Red Roosters( Thanks Jo, Steve & Frank) Her breif but great performance left me wanting much more. After talking with owners ( Angie & Nuno ) ,I think Killer will have a return trip to Austin in the near future. This lady can really play. As good as she is , I found her warm & down to earth. It was my unique pleasure to meet Dave & Hannah Ford. I think we will see them back in Texas & I can't wait. Catfish><>; I have Hannah's link under my links So check it! Find Roger "Catfish" Barb's report on Blue's in Yahoo Groups under Blues Universe.

- Universal Slim & the Blues Kangaroos