Allan Byer Band
Electic Acoustic Americana Folk Music with an edge.
9
songs
569
plays
Song of the Nations Song of the Nations
Tribute to Native Americans and the 'stolen land' we took from them.
Take a Chance Take a Chance
Blues format love song...first song i ever had on the radio on KLCC Eugene and KLRR Bend, OR
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Ecectic Acoustic Americana Folk music with elements of jazz, rock, blues, and poop seeping through. Songs to inspire and encourage. Central Oregon's finest musicians join Allan Byer on his break through album "Your Voice," and his latest record, "Money Talks Too Much."Band/artist history
Bends Source entertainment magazine has called his music an eclectic mix of rootsy instrumentation and harmonies that breaths fresh air with wide-reaching inspirations providing a night full of originality and character. Byer calls his music contemporary folk. He plays acoustic guitar and harmonica as well as singing and writing the songs. With hot-licks lead guitar player Matt Engle or Doc Sackman on flute and Hal Worcester on bass, the group is Folk Rock at its rootsy best.
Redmond-based singer/songwriter Byer started writing songs and singing over 25 years ago in Tillamook when he informally managed two garage bands. During the past seven years hes performed all over Central Oregon with the Byer Band, as a solo artist, or in Duo form with Engle, Sackman, Hal Worcester or Ed "the whistler" Sharlet...
Byer also claims to be the "world's second best musical spoon player behind only his master, Seattle's Artis the Spoonman. Says Byer, It was how I got into music, playing spoons at the bands practice sessions. I met Artis in 76 at the Pike Street Market in Seattle. He gave me my first musical spoon. I played along with the band. Soon I wanted to play songs by my heroes Jackson Browne and Van Morrison, so I picked up a guitar.
Byer still counts Browne and Morrison among his heroes but has added Canada's Bruce Cockburn as his current musical hero. Byers shows usually are sprinkled with Cockburn covers. Allan met Bruce in July 2002 and was given permission by Bruce to keep playing those songs. His performance repertoire of over 100 songs now focuses primarily on original tunes. I just got serious about performing mostly originals during the past five years as a result of putting them out there at the Café Paradisos Open Mic in Bend hosted by The Substitutes. He credits Dean Prescott and Don Hoxie of The Substitutes in helping him bring his music out of the closet. "Those guys took me under their wing. I got to open a few of their shows with my originals and they brought me onstage to play some blues-harp with them, says Byer.
Since the summer of 97 Byer has been busy playing regularly all over Central Oregon. Byer has played over 100 dates per year since 2001. He has played five"Concerts on the Green" in Redmond with the Byer Band and added the Bend Farmers Market and Wild Oats Market concert series to his musical resume. Past shows have included dates at: Bends Summer and Fall Fests in which he has acted as host of the Locals Stage, Bends Winterfest, in which he has been a featured artist the past two years. Bends Cafe Paradiso, Brad's , the Wall Street Cafe, Merendas, Kayos East, and the Reed Market Pub; Redmonds Harris Wine Cellars , Madelines , the Deschutes County Fair, Sisters Saturday Market and Harvest Fair, Madras Collage of Culture, and the Crook County Fair. He has played regularly at Redmonds Saturday Market, , and the Royal Blend's Concert Series in Bend. He has also ventured out of Central Oregon to play shows at Eugenes Café Paradiso , the Eugene Saturday Market , Corvalliss Beanery, Bohemia Mining Days in cottage Grove, and The Landing in Bay City. He hopes to take his band on the road in the summer of 2004 for many Fairs and Festivals around the Northwest.
Byer is an active member and past officer of Central Oregon Songwriters Association and has co-produced COSA's gala Song of the Year Contest the past six years. Byer has won 18 COSA song-of-the-month awards with: "Miracle," "Be It Illusion," Take a Chance, Ravens Song, Your Voice, and How to Make Love Stay, and others, plus earned COSA Folk Song of the year 2001 with Storm" and "Song of the Nations" in 2003. A sample of his songs can be heard at his new website at www.allanbyer.com or www.myspace.com/allanbyerband.
Byer was the featured artist on Bends KLRR 101.7 FM radio show Homegrown in Aug.99 and has since appeared on the show five more times including the recent interview and album preview of his work Your Voice. Two of his songs: Take a Chance and Never Give Up, received regular radio air-play the eight weeks following the first show. They kept getting requested, he explains. Those tunes as well as Wonder and Snow on the Mt. have aired regularly on KLCCs (88.1 FM Eugene) folk shows and its prestigious Blues Power since his first CD release. He has now appeared seven times in the past year on the popular Good Morning Central Oregon TV show hosted by Kristie Miller.
His debut CD Sometimes It Work was produced at Mirror Time Records in Prineville and released in Jan. 2000. It features Dean Prescott on lead guitar and harmony vocals. His second CD , Your Voice, was released Jan. 2004 on the Mirror Time Records label and produced at Musi-Tech Studios in Redmond. His third record, "Money Talks Too Much" was produced by Dean Prescott of Mirror Time Records and released in Oct. 2005.
Byer previously played in Central Oregon in the duo New Dawn with Countrified's bass man Yancy Fall after they collaborated in using music to reach handicapped students in Fall's third grade class at Lynch Elementary School in Redmond in the early '90's. Byer is currently a Special Education teacher at Crook County Middle School in Prineville where he uses music and musical spoons as part of his program for learning disabled students. He has been a Special Education teacher for 28 years.
Byer is happily married (29 years) and has three children and two grandchildren. He is proud to call Central Oregon his home since 1992. He was born in Ontario and spent his high school years in Tillamook. He is a graduate of the University of Portland (1973) and has a Masters in Special Ed. from the University of Oregon (1990).
Contact Byer at (541) 2333-3663, e-mail allanbyer@hotmail.com or write at: 8210 NW Oasis Ln., Redmond, OR 97756.Have you performed in front of an audience?As much as possible. Mostly play live in duo form with various band members including Dr. Marc Sackman (flute), Matt Engle (guitar), Hal Worcester (bass), or Ed "the whistler" Sharlet.
Your musical influences
Artis the Spoonman was my first inspiration, met him at the Pike Street Market in Seattle in Oct. of 1975. He gave me my first musical spoon and I started playing. It led to picking up a guitar eventually so i could write songs and accompany myself. Second is Jackson Browne whose music I have always loved and been moved by. Then came Bruce Cockburn whose music touched a special place in my heart and soul. (I met Bruce two summers back and he gave me permission to play any of his songs that i could.) Finally, and most importantly Dean Prescott and his band The Substitutes. Dean and his partner, Don Hoxie, took me under their wings in 1997 and encouraged me to play my own songs. They nurtured me along the way and still do. Of late Keith Greeninger has touched my life.What equipment do you use?
I play through a Crate 125 Acoustic guitar amp with built in PA for my singer songwriter performances. I love the sound it gives my old Yamaha acoustic and my new $5 Breedlove cut-away. (won it on a $5 raffle ticket at COSA song of the year show last April.) I also play Lee Oskar harmonicas exclusively for thier durability and great clear sound.Anything else?
I have many songs at various internet radio stations around the world and am in the midst of writing and recording a new batch of songs for a fourth album with bandmate and now producer Hal Worcester.
Redmond, OR
USA
ID
302770
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