via Gaston Gazette
When Western North Carolina-based singer-songwriter Tyler Ramsey recorded his solo album earlier this year, it had been awhile since he had done a complete album of his songs.
Ramsey, who spent a decade in the rock group Band of Horses, last released a solo record in 2011.
Any nerves?
“None. I wasn’t nervous at all,” said Ramsey, who will play a full-band show at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, at Charlotte’s The Evening Muse.
Ramsey has spent his career in music and a return to being a solo artist wasn’t a stretch for him. Although he served as Band of Horses’ lead guitarist, he was still involved in writing songs.
During his time with Band of Horses, which has scored three top 20 albums, Ramsey contributed several songs to the group’s albums, including “Evening Kitchen” and three other co-writes on the “Infinite Arms” record.
“It was the longest I’d been in a band before,” Ramsey said. “I’ve been in plenty of bands before but that was the longest with the same group of people. It was the longest run. Before that I was doing a lot of three-piece and solo shows. I learned about band dynamics and working with other people and trying to be creative and trying to stay inspired. That’s one of the things I came out with.”
Ramsey added that he learned how to tweak his guitar to make different sounds and he’s used that knowledge during his recent solo shows and recording a new album.
His new music is due out early next year, he said, and will be released on Fantasy Records, which recently released notable albums by James Taylor (“Before This World”), Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats (“Tearing At The Seams”), former Journey lead singer Steve Perry (“Traces”) and another of Asheville’s favorite sons, Warren Haynes and his group Govt. Mule.
“I feel so lucky to have hooked up with them. They are really into the record and they are excited about it and that makes me so excited,” Ramsey said. “They run a super tight awesome ship over there. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I think it’s going to be good and I’m looking forward to working with them. It’s going to be really cool to have that support and that team of interested people trying to get others to hear the music I worked on. I think it’s going to be a really good match-up.”
The album, Ramsey said, is more reminiscent of his second album, 2008’s “A Long Dream About Swimming Across the Sea.” That album got Ramsey a nod as an “Artist to Watch” on website Stereogum.
For this tour Ramsey has teamed up with Brian Landrum (pedal steel, guitar, harmonies), David Macinnes (bass, harmonies) and Kevin Rumley (drums).
“It’s awesome,” Ramsey said. “We’ve been having a blast learning how to listen to one another and be super dynamic. It’s like a dream team.”
Want to go?
Who: Tyler Ramsey with Justin Fedor
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2
Where: The Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St., Charlotte
Tickets: $15