Dirty Work

Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown release their brand-new 6-track EP ‘Dirty Work’ out now on the band’s own Rattle Shake Records.

Led by Bryant’s fiery lead guitar playing, soulful songwriting, and frontman presence, Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown have already released five studio albums, the most recent being their critically acclaimed album ‘Shake the Roots’ (2022) , which made it into Classic Rock’s Ultimate Review 2022 list, whilst the single ‘Bare Bones’ got shortlisted for Best Song of 2022

The group’s current lineup consists of Tyler Bryant (lead guitar & vocals), Graham Whitford (rhythm guitar) and Caleb Crosby (drums)

“‘Dirty Work’ is the second offering from our independently owned and operated label, Rattle Shake Records,” Tyler explains, “When we told our fans that we wanted to release more music, by God we meant it!

The EP’s cover was inspired by a chance encounter. Tyler explains: “I was on a walk in Nashville and stumbled upon a shell pink wheelbarrow. I just stood there and looked at it for a minute, in awe of how cool it looked. It reminded me so much of my guitar, ‘Pinky’. When I got home, I was looking through my record collection and found an amazing Howlin’ Wolf record where his guitar was leaned up on a chair. I grabbed my guitar and drove back to where I had been walking. Against the confused looks of strangers passing by, I put my guitar in the dirty wheelbarrow and started snapping pictures, pushing it around to different locations. I felt like the wheelbarrow not only fit the album title, but visually it tied in perfectly with the release of my Fender guitar. I’m thrilled by the album art and the fact that this body of work was pressed on shell pink vinyl!”

Tyler Bryant’s signature, shell pink, Stratocaster got celebrated just recently when Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) and Fender Custom Shop (FCS) announced the launch of a special, custom, made-on-demand, limited-edition guitar honouring Tyler, based on his trademark Strat, Pinky, which has served as his go-to guitar since he was just 16.

Tyler says “With the EP coming out right after the announcement of my signature Strat with Fender, I thought it would be appropriate to start the EP with a guitar solo. “Strike” is undoubtedly inspired by Jeff Beck, who not only was a friend, but was always and will always be my favorite guitarist. When I heard the news of his passing, we decided to dedicate this EP to him. There’s a Strat on the cover for crying out loud. He was the ultimate Strat player in my book. I learned so much from sitting side stage watching him sound check and getting to jam with him on tour. There’s a nice little tip of the hat to Jeff at the end of ‘Burnin’ as well. He certainly always kept his fire burning and kept a wealth of inspiration burning in us.”

‘Burnin’ offers a positive lyrical message of persistence, despite obstacles — something that is the epitome of The Shakedown story. Caleb Crosby says “We’ve had our music shelved by record companies. We’ve been stranded on highways trying to figure out how we were going to make shows. We’ve had times where we felt like we were banging our heads against the wall. But you keep your head down and keep going. It’s all part of the journey.”