A one time colorist with Dark Horse Comics and former high school teacher, Geoff Byrd is a singer/songwriter with a passion for life. "I have always been involved with music. Whether it was in a choir, playing solo or in a band, music gets to places in my heart that are sometimes hard to reach; it prevents me from getting cold and distant in life. Songs are pure; you can't argue with them. As a listener, you can either relate to them or not, but when you do, it's sometimes life changing. There are many songwriting techniques and I am into learning through trial and error, but my steadfast rule is I only write when I am moved, inspired or affected by something. I can't fake emotion."
Byrd is also passionate about keeping the arts an essential part of public education. "Cutting music programs and art programs from public schools will go down as one of the biggest mistakes of the 21st century. There are already enough skyscrapers housing account executives. This country has always valued self expression and yet we are loosing that in America more and more."
Byrd has participated in a program called "Deep Roots" for nearly 5 years, volunteering his time to help students create music and record their own full length CD every year. The premise is simple, students write the lyrics and great local bands are chosen to write the music and record the songs. It's then put on a compilation CD and marketed to pay for the next year's CD. "My friend Chris Gragg, who I used to teach with started this thing and it is one of the best projects I have ever been a part of." Byrd has contributed 5 songs and been a guest speaker every year as well.
Byrd quit teaching after a tough decision. One day he was teaching a class and started to go on a tangent about following dreams at all costs. A student raised his hand and asked: "Mr. Byrd, we don't want to lose you as a teacher but seriously, are you really following your own advice?" "I knew he was right," says Byrd, "it was one of the most profound moments of my life."
Byrd quit his teaching job at the end of that year and hit the coffee house circuit and played private, living room concerts for fans and special occasions, developing a dedicated fan base. He also met Bill Wadhams of Animotion fame just walking down the street with his guitar. Bill randomly asked Byrd if he would like to audition for a TV pilot documenting singer/songwriters around the country. The audition went well and he landed a spot in "The Originals Tour" which is currently being pitched to Fox, VH1 and many other networks. Byrd started opening shows for Wadhams' new band, Black Barrel in larger venues. He made a name for himself as a viable acoustic opener with a great voice, opening for many other Portland bands in the following months.
Byrd knew he needed a band to flesh out the more complex songs with full arrangements. He met a bass player named Colby Hendricks who quickly became his friend and flank man on stage. From there Eric Storm was added on drums and the classical piano player Matt Burnett rounded out the sound on piano and organ. Keith Sommers, who was previously signed to a major label with the band Absinthe, was hired to play guitar. "These are the guys who played on the record and they are the guys that play with me at every show. Not only are they the best musicians I have ever played with, they are some of the best friends I have ever had. Some people call them my backing band but I know that they are much more than that."
The other person who has brought Byrd's sound to the next level is Steve Sundholm. Steve, who's father started Sunn Amplifiers and later Sundholm acoustics, produced bands which gained national attention including Jonah and Rick Bain. Once he saw Byrd play live, he knew he wanted to produce his full length record: "I was watching the show after hearing some pretty promising demos and during the show I said to myself, If that guy hasn't got it, nobody's got it!" said Sundholm.
The two clicked immediately. Both are true fans of concise, clear pop music with a hi-fi presentation. The effort took 9 months and when it was finished, "Candy Shell" was 11 soulful love songs in the vein of "Pet Sounds" or "Rubber Soul." Influences range from Elvis Costello and the Beatles to Prince and the Bee Gees, "Candy Shell" is sugar coated but underneath lie deep, colorful layers. "This is my best work without question. I am proud of the songs, the production and the performances," says Byrd. It is a passionate record that relies more on timeless melodic hooks and honest lyrics than image. "Every one of the songs is personal and quite vulnerable actually. My next record will likely be more thematically intricate and lyrically complex, but this one wanted to be simple, direct, emotional and honest." "I really have to credit Steve Sundholm for this record; he had true artistic vision from the beginning and he really made my songs come to life!"
Byrd has gained a huge fan base with 200-400 people in attendance at every show in his home town of Portland, Oregon. He recently played the Roxy in Los Angeles which caught the eye of many industry people, who came to the show based on the buzz Byrd is getting up and down the west coast. The William Morris Agency was there and loved the CD and the performance. They are currently talking about next steps. Benny Mardones, who sang the hit song "Into the Night," was also there and was so impressed that he called Byrd and asked him to play with him on his east coast tour. He is also planning on bringing some A&R representatives to the next L.A. show, February 20th 8:00pm at the Whiskey a go go. This has become a showcase due to word of mouth from the Roxy show and Byrd's legal representation, Davis/Dixon and Kirby, who have offices in L.A. and Portland. "They are throwing a party for me and really pushing my CD; it's so nice to have people that genuinely believe in me and my potential." There were directors and writers at the show as well and Byrd is currently in discussion with them about including 2 songs from "Candy Shell" in the new movie vehicle for E channel's Brooke Burke.
Meanwhile back at home, Byrd believes in unity and not empty competition. "I made a New Year's resolution to help musicians that I believe in and respect. The Superficials, Red Sector, Scott Fisher, Justin Hopkins, (who Sundholm and Byrd are currently producing) and myself have all pledged to watch each others backs in 2004. I truly believe that envy, competition and slander can only hurt a musical community. Working together creates a culture and a scene! In my opinion, Portland will soon be on the map because of these 5 bands working together." Byrd already plays most of his local shows with Scott Fisher, who has gained national attention and was a featured band at the Winter Olympics. Byrd is currently co-producing an EP for Justin Hopkins (who has opened for John Mayer, Jason Miraz, and Johnny Lang).
Byrd also believes that the fans are the single most important piece of the indie musician's puzzle. "Some artists think fans can be taken for granted and ignored. That is not only lame, it's death to an indie artist like me. And besides, it's amazing to interact with cool people who actually get you!" Yesterday I got an email from a girl who bought my album after reviewing one of the songs posted on Garageband.com. She told me that my song Frozen had moved her so much that she couldn't listen to it without getting emotional. This is the reason why any of us get into this business in the first place. And if I'm never well known, at least I will have connected with a few people like this all over the world while doing what I love to do!" Emails will be returned and comments are welcome. Just email Geoff: geoff@geoffbyrd.com.
The album, Candy Shell, like most hit albums, was recorded on a ProTools system on a Macintosh.
