BYRD'S AUTO PARTS

BEST LOCAL COUNTRY, OFF THE ROW "The string-bending excellence is expected; what surprises is the penetrating power of his pen and entertaining quality of his voice." Michael McCall, Nashville Scene Dec '07 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"AMERICANA THE WAY IT WAS AND THE WAY IT SHOULD BE" "...His vocal sound-- a touch of Haggard here and a smear of Willie there-- is wonderfully dated, old Opry and much the better for it. His original songs, such as Jackknife and Reputation, sound like old friends... Fred Dellar, MOJO MAGAZINE August 2007 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "It wouldn't take the 'Perfect World' Jon Byrd sings about with such wistful, regretful finesse on this disc for more people to know him as the terrifically accomplished, versatile country singer he is." Barry Mazor, No Depression May/June 2007 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The surprise of the listening session was JON BYRD. His CD shows it's time for him to step out of the shadows and as a sideman. A well-deserved DISCovery Award." Robert K. Oermann, Music Row Magazine June 2007 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Even in the rootsy arena of country musicians full of reverence for the genre's past, crafting new music doesn't have to be a regurgitaion of worn clichés. On his debut, Jon Byrd proves it. A stunning country album that's as traditional and timeless as they come." Hal Horowitz, Georgia Music Magazine August 2007 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The honest beauty of this record is humbling, and illuminating. ... it's got that timeless feel that is very difficult to create. I'm not even sure you can do it on purpose. But that is what happened. And it all really hangs on the voice of Jon Byrd, and there's not a moment where it falls short. " Frank Goodman, PUREMUSIC.COM October 2007 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "This debut from Jon Byrd's Auto Parts collective is a strong mix of originals and well-chosen covers, delivered by Byrd's engaging, scuffed-up voice and the able backing of his compadres. Byrd and company cover a lot of ground here, and they cover it well. ... Don't let this one slip under the radar." Stuart Monro, COUNTRY STANDARD TIME October 2007 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WHAT'S BEIN' SAID IN A NUTSHELL: "Good, Gritty, Soulful Country Music" ~~ "Byrd’s Auto Parts CD an elegant surprise" ~~ "Retro-honky-tonk to Country Soul" ~~ "Honky-tonk and Hard Country" ~~ "Alt-country and Hard-edged Americana" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PRESS Details: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ JON BYRD--BYRD'S AUTO PARTS "AMERICANA THE WAY IT WAS AND THE WAY IT SHOULD BE" "...His vocal sound-- a touch of Haggard here and a smear of Willie there-- is wonderfully dated, old Opry and much the better for it. His original songs, such as Jackknife and Reputation, sound like old friends and when he opts for something a mite more contemporary, such as Neil Young's The Losing End or The Beatles' Don't Let Me Down, they emerge like something from a roadside diner's jukebox left untouched since the 50's. Which is exactly why he's worth hearing." Fred Dellar, MOJO MAGAZINE August 2007 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The surprise of the listening session was JON BYRD. His CD shows it's time for him to step out of the shadows and as a sideman. A well-deserved DisCovery Award. ***** JON BYRD/Jackknife Writer J. Byrd; Producer Milan Miller; Longleaf Pine Records (track) (www.jonbyrd.com) --This fellow is best known around Nashville's Americana community for his deft guitar backing of other artists. But as this BYRD'S AUTO PARTS CD and his appearances on Billy Block's Western Beat showcases confirm, he is also a singer and songwriter of considerable warmth and personality. This lead-off track on his solo CD sounds an awful lot like a for-real hit song to me. Elsewhere he ably covers tunes by Doug Sahm, Lennon & McCartney, Neil Young and others. Take it from me, his originals can stand on their own two feet. This one's gonna be hanging around my stereo for awhile." Robert K. Oermann, Music Row Magazine ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "On the inside of Byrd’s Auto Parts, the debut album for this well-traveled guitarist, his cowboy boots are photographed propped up against a Fender amp, his Telecaster leaning on the other side. That might suggest that his style of country music leans on the Bakersfield sound and shows off this in-demand sideman’s six-string work—and it does. But the real news comes in how distinctly his original songs blend with several cleverly chosen remakes, from the crisp, Buckaroos-style drive of Red Sovine’s “Freightliner Fever,” Johnny Cash’s “Blistered” and Doug Sahm’s “Be Real” to crafty, dirt-road arrangements of The Beatles’ “Don’t Let Me Down” and Neil Young’s great, rarely revived “(When You’re on) the Losing End.” The album suggests Byrd deserves not only to be plugged into an amp, but also to be standing behind the microphone at the center of the stage." Michael McCall, Nasville Scene ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Watching Byrd perform is like watching a veteran country music icon performing for his friends... Byrd's vocals are a beautiful mixture of Willie Nelson's sweet vibrato and Kris Kristofferson's warm and woody timber... don't be surprised if you catch yourself saying, 'Oh yeah, this is why I used to like country music.'" listen!nashville.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "'Old Country' - Alive and Well! If you like your country music in back to basics, strictly non - alt mode, delivered in a weathered,"lived in" voice a la Nelson/Williams/Kristofferson, then this could be the record for you." John Hinshelwood, Americana UK ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE NASHVILLE SCENE CRITICS PICKS Saturday, 24TH BYRD’S AUTO PARTS Hard work, solid chops and wry charm have already earned Tele slinger Jon Byrd a sterling reputation on the honky-tonk side of Nashville’s Americana community, but even those familiar with his work to date are likely to find Byrd’s Auto Parts’ debut, self-titled CD an elegant surprise. Four originals, including the wistfully humorous, steady-rollin’ opener, “Jackknife,” show off his sinewy writing skills, while the entire set justifies the relaxed self-confidence of his vocals. The backing, which prominently features producer Milan Miller, along with Alex McCullough (bass), Tim Blankenship (drums) and a handful of steel-playing and vocal guests (Adam and Shannon Wright among them), is spare but not sparse and exceedingly well-crafted. —JON WEISBERGER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE TENNESSEAN TOP PICK for Saturday, 02/24/07 Byrd's new album [Byrd's Auto Parts] helps keep career on schedule [and] finds him realizing his own soulful country vision. Jon Byrd moved from Atlanta to Nashville in 2001, and since then he's been kicking around Music City stages, playing fine guitar, singing soulful lead and harmony vocals, leading his Byrds' Auto Parts band and providing sideman-style assistance for a circle of music-minded friends. ...a can't miss evening of good, gritty, soulful country music. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE CITY PAPER Thrusday 2/22/07 Jon Byrd’s prowess with honky-tonk and hard country material as an instrumentalist and vocalist have earned him a sizable following, and his forthcoming new CD Auto Parts fully chronicles his skills in both areas. Byrd also has a cut on a current compilation of music from East Nashville artists. --RON WYNN ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ALL THE RAGE JON BYRD's now found a home amongst Nashville's rollicking crew of alt-country and hard-edged Americana writers. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Byrds Auto Parts serve up an enjoyably loose but keenly felt take on classic honky-tonk and country-rock styles." Nashville Scene ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"The music swings from retro-honky-tonk to country soul to surprise covers washed in both." Barry Mazor, Nashville Scene ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~BYRD'S AUTO PARTS~~The Recording: The new cd produced by Milan Miller includes 11 songs. Here are the tracks: 1. JACKKNIFE (j. byrd) 4:03 ~~ 2. REPUTATION (j. byrd) 3:28 ~~ 3. IN A PERFECT WORLD (g. simmons/m. miller) 3:51 ~~ 4. FREIGHTLINER FEVER (t. lankford) 2:48 ~~ 5. DON'T LET ME DOWN (j. lennon/p. mccartney) 3:26 ~~ 6. BE REAL (d. sahm) 2:33 ~~ 7. STAY (j. byrd) 3:35 ~~ 8. (WHEN YOU'RE ON) THE LOSING END (n. young) 4:50 ~~ 9. MARK MY WORD (d. primm) 2:52 ~~ 10. ONE FINAL ROUND (j. byrd) 3:14 ~~ 11. BLISTERED (b. wheeler) 3:20 ~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CD Credits: JON BYRD: Lead Vocal on all songs; Tenor Vocal on track 4 ~~ Electric Guitars on track 8; Acoustic guitar on track 9 ~~ MILAN MILLER: All Electric & Acoustic Guitars on tracks 1- 7, 10 & 11 ~~ Acoustic Guitar on track 8; Tenor/Harmony Vocal on tracks 1, 2, 5 & 10 ~~ Keyboards on tracks 1- 8 & 10; Mandoin on tracks 1, 2 & 7 ~~ Dobro on track 1; Bass on track 8 ~~ ALEX McCULLOUGH: Bass on all tracks except track 8 ~~ TIM BLANKENSHIP: Drums on all tracks ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~EDDIE LANG: Pedal Steel Guitar on tracks 2, 3, 4, 6, & 10 ~~ PAT SEVERS: Pedal Steel Guitar on tracks 5, 7, & 8 ~~ BUDDY MELTON: Tenor Vocal on track 6 ~~ ADAM WRIGHT: Tenor Vocals on track 7; Keyboards on track 8 ~~ SHANNON WRIGHT: High Baritone Vocal on track 7; Duet Vocal on track 8It's a band name AND a cd! The origin? The name comes from the small business my Dad and Mom owned and operated for nearly 35 years in Hank's and Dan Penn's beautiful home State of Alabama. It seems somehow to also reflect the challenges of maintaining a band in Music City, U.S.A. Did you know that many bands come here to die? Yep. And a band that finds a way to survive here has to be carefully and lovingly assembled-- with proper and regular maintenance, and still, new parts are needed from time to time to keep the damn thing running! Lot's of tune-ups and TLC. Even so, Waylon sang about "the pleasures of life in a hillbilly BAND" and that's what the band BYRD'S AUTO PARTS strives to be. Their first gig took place August 26, 2004 at the late, illustrious Sutler in Nashville, TN. That band included Tim Marks on bass, Alex McCollough on pedal steel, Adam Wright on Wurlitzer piano, Milan Miller on electric guitar, and Matt Crouse on the drums. The current version of the AUTO PARTS includes producer Milan Miller on electric guitar, Alex McCollough on pedal steel, Duane Blevins on bass, and Tim Blankenship on drums. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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