Burgeoning blues beau Jonathan Tyler and his talented stage posse will be rocking the damask walls of the Granada tonight in support of their surprisingly soulful album Hot Trottin’.
As House of Blues favorites and recent targets of major label A&R pursuance, Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights are scaling the kind of publicity pedestal that could land them on the stages in which they certainly belong: festival tours.
Tyler is a roots rocker savant, and buzz on the street is, he’s got the young-buck moxie to exclaim his gruff and melodious self-expression. Backed by equally gypsy musicians, a.k.a. the Northern Lights, this herd of a band is truly destined for jam-band following the likes of…oh, I don’t know…G. Love. (I’m not much of a festival girl these days, but I keep my thumb on the pulse.) Their feverish whaling, jamming and heartstring-pulling rocks-out with mass appeal and a sweet, devilish charm that would find itself right at home at sweat-fests like ACL and Bonnaroo.
Regularly playing and alluding to their love of Austin, I, personally, think it’s a blessing that Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights are from Dallas. The popularity and abundance of boot-scraping rhythm and grass bands in Austin may have bullied the troupe into dog paddling in the Colorado –- like so many talented Austin bands. But, in Dallas, and most likely (according to my magical 8 Ball of fury and duh) more American cities to come, J.T. and the Northern Lights stand out quite like the name of their act implies.
Kicking off an intensive Texas tour, these brazen youngsters may never return to their dirty concrete roots. They have seeds to sew from here to Bumbershoot and Thursday’s show could go down as one of the last chapters of their wily Texas tale. -- Krissi Reeves
