Bryan Hayes Available Now
- in Latest
Write a comment Bryan Hayes recently re-recorded his debut album as the newly titled Still Just A Man…10 Years Later. “Ten years is a big milestone for me, an independent songwriter and traveling musician,” Hayes explains. “We felt like going back in and revisiting some of those songs was a way to say thanks to the folks who have been with us this entire time."
Still Just a Man....10 Years Later celebrates his journey. “Ten years ago I was a singer-songwriter in Memphis doing the open mic thing,” Hayes explains. “That was the kick-off for my musical career. The fact that we're still growing and reaching out farther and selling more CDs than we ever have is big. Some of these songs have evolved and some have stayed about the same but all are still a vital part of our live shows today. I've been exposed to a lot more music in the past 10 years and I've gotten to open for some of the icons who were the reasons I started playing music in the first place. That's made me work harder.”
So did a side trip Hayes downplays in conversation: Fighting in the war in Iraq. Naturally, that mission pushed his songwriting toward the back burner. “There was a two-year window in 2009 and 2010 when I was deployed to Iraq and I had to put the guitar in the closet,” he says. “I was either at Fort Benning Georgia training or in Iraq. As the military tour started winding down, I picked up the guitar again in Mosul, Iraq and started writing again and reconnecting with music and how much I love and missed songwriting.”
You'll notice exponential growth. “When I came back, we were even more committed to writing and recording,” Hayes says. “That was something that helped me grow as a songwriter. I've been exposed to whole other cultures and life outside small town Tennessee. You don't go into a war zone in another country and not come back seeing with different eyes. I think my songwriting's more mature and I touch on political topics that I might not have as a young songwriter. I think the lyrics are deeper.”
Still Just a Man...10 Years Later marks a reflective moment in a career built from the ground up. Hayes' debut Just a Man (2004) earned a loyal following in the mid-South and boosted his touring schedule as well as earning two “Best Of” Memphis Songwriter Awards. His second album Long Hard Road (2006) took Hayes and his band The Retrievers to the regional level with independent Internet radio play over the Southeast. His Tangle Me Up In You EP (2013) grew his audience even farther and earned opening slots for Randy Houser, Turnpike Troubadours, Billy Joe Shaver and several others.
He recently finished recording his forthcoming fourth studio album, a collection engineered and produced by Nashville-based Grammy winner Andy Hunt. The record, tentatively scheduled for a Spring 2015 release, will feature a dozen new songs.
CLICK HERE for more about Bryan Hayes
or post as a guest
Be the first to comment.
