I am proud to announce that I have been invited to open for LeRoy Bell (of X-Factor) at The Aladdin Theater on Saturday February 11th. Any time I get to perform at such a venue, in tandem with such talent, is a recipe for something special. Please join us.

Saturday Feb 11 @ The Aladdin Theater
LeRoy Bell and His Only Friends
w/ Tyler Stenson

$25.00 adv / $25.00 dos
Minors Accompanied by Parent
Doors at 7:00 PM, Show at 8:00 PM

FULL SHOW DETAILS HERE

LeRoy’s Biography (from the Aladdin Website):

“A Change Is Coming” represents a major leap for singer/songwriter LeRoy Bell. Not only has he grown as a touring artist, but also the experience has given his music an edge that places him into league of performers creating a sound that crosses many demographics. Taking a cue from his roots, the soul and R&B styles incorporated into “Change” plays out on the contemporary musical field.

The reception to LeRoy’s music has been spectacular. He has performed with Van Morrison, Sheryl Crow, B.B. King, Etta James, Joe Cocker, Al Green, Paolo Nutini, India.Arie, Erykah Badu, LeAnne Rimes, Joan Osborne, Michael McDonald, Suzanne Vega, Idina Menzel, Colin Hay, Mavis Staples, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Keb Mo, Taj Mahal, Leon Russell, Sonny Landreth, Charlie Musselwhite, & Los Lobos.

He’s played the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival, The San Jose Jazz Festival, The Vancouver Island Music Festival, and The Coldsnap Festival.

LeRoy was personally invited by B.B. King to open for him at his Oct 15, 2007 historic return to The Filmore Auditorium in San Francisco.

LeRoy’s band features Terry Morgan on bass, who has played Dee Daniels, Pat Wright & The Total Experience Gospel Choir, Dave Lewis, Thelma Houston and others. On drums the mighty force of Davis Martin, formerly of Maktub.

His music gets heavy in-store at Starbucks worldwide thanks to great support from PlayNetwork.

The Bell family legacy extended from Philly to Seattle when Thom Bell, LeRoy’s uncle and third member of Mighty Three Music (along with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff) opened up the west coast offices of Mighty Three Music in the late 70′s. As a young staff writer LeRoy teamed with Casey James and wrote songs that would be recorded by The Spinners, The O’Jays, The Temptations, Rita Marley and most notably Elton John.

“Mama Can’t Buy Me Love”, from the “Thom Bell Sessions”, went to #9 pop, #36 R&B, and #1 AC in the fall of 1979. Earning John a Grammy Nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. That same year Bell and James had their own million- seller with “Livin It Up (Friday Night)” on A&M Records.

2003 brought new life for LeRoy as the Fat Boy Slim mix of Elton’s “Are You Ready For Love”, reached #1 in England and most of Europe. LeRoy reinvented himself emerging as a singer/songwriter releasing on his own label Martez Music the acclaimed EP Spending Time, selling over 15,000 copies, and the 2006 release of his first full length CD Two Sides To Every Story, receiving rave reviews, bringing to light social issues, concerns and compassion for all, with the hopes of youth, love, and optimism.

FULL SHOW DETAILS HERE

I enlisted the help of a full band this last weekend at Someday Lounge in debuting a number of songs from the upcoming album. Above all, I’d say one of my favorite songs of the night was a brand new one called Lover Things — it just felt good.

That said, below is a video of the inaugural performance of Lover Things with lyrics added in an effort to combat the crowd noise. Enjoy the new tune and look for it to be on my new record, Some Days I’m a Lion, in June 2012.

Two years ago, just before my stint in Nashville, I was invited to collaborate with Portland-based hip hop artist, Madgesdiq. He was writing a new album and, in addition to himself, he wanted to feature multiple artists … I’m lucky enough to have gotten the call to be the folky flare on Rastamerica.

While I don’t do a lot of co-writing in my career, I was truly honored to be a part of this project. Admittedly, I was a bit intimidated upon arrival but the unfounded tension soon eased and we were eventually left to do what we do best — write a song.

The resulting tune, World without Walls, is something truly special — it’s about a world without discrimination, judgement, genocide, prejudice, war and all of the other walls that drag us down as a human race — equality and harmony at its finest.

In the end, if ever you believe that this utopic world could never exist and that there will always be walls between men, just know that this song was a collaboration between a 6-foot-4 black hip hop artist with waste-long dreadlocks and a 5-foot-8 white dude with a crew-cut and a healthy twang — unalike on the surface but the same underneath.

Enjoy it. Live it.

WORLD without WALLS (feat. Tyler Stenson):
by Madgesdiq © 2012

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DOWNLOAD WORLD WITHOUT WALLS ON iTUNES

DOWNLOAD WORLD WITHOUT WALLS ON iTUNES

In the 100+ songs that I’ve written, only a handful have been written in a single day. Yesterday was one of those special lightening-strikes of inspiration. Although this is an extremely rough recording of an early version that will surely evolve over time (as I get more comfortable with the nuances), I’d like to introduce my newest song, This Too Shall Pass.

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This Too Shall Pass
by tyler stenson © 2012

So, you’ve fallen behind
Oh no, not again
And you can see that you are
Hard-pressed against a wind
That hits just like a hammer
On a nail that’s bent
Oh no, not again.
Oh no, not again.

Oh, I know these days are hard
And I know it’s hard to last
But, believe you me,
Just sturdy up your heart
And this too shall pass.

So, there are wars being waged
But they’re not your voice
And good love has gone away
But it wasn’t by choice
If it’s out of your hands
But you just can’t let go
And there’s a whole lot on your mind
But a whole lotta no one to show

Oh, I know these days are hard
And I know it’s hard to last
But, believe you me,
Just sturdy up your heart
And this too shall pass.

So, you’ve fallen behind
Oh, no, not again
And you can see that you are
Hard-pressed against a wind
That hits just like a hammer
On a nail that’s bent
Oh no, not again.
Oh no, not again.

Oh, I know these days are hard
And I know it’s hard to last
But, believe you me,
Just sturdy up your heart
And this too shall pass.

ATTENTION: I will be coming out of the shadows to play my first show of 2012 THIS FRIDAY at the Someday Lounge in Portland, OR. To make this inaugural show extra special, I will be enlisting the help of a full band in debuting some brand new songs off of the new record and, of course, a couple oldies but goodies.

Not only is this the first show of 2012 but realistically, my first Portland show since October so I hope you’ll help me spread the word, grab some friends and come join me at this fine event!

Tyler Stenson @ Someday Lounge
Friday January 20th at 8:30pm
8 Bucks
21+

w/ The Druthers
Peter Rodocker & So It Is
and Fanno Creek

I was recently invited to perform on Live from the Yellow Room — a new video series that’s hosted by Peter Rodocker of the Yellow Room Recording studio where I’ll be recording my next album. This is a great new series that features some of Portland’s finest indie artists, so I was glad to be part of it in performing my song Better Be Us All.

Song: “Better Be Us All”
Host: Peter Rodocker
Cameraman: Chris Duggan
Video Editor: Thom Lyons

DOWNLOAD “BETTER BE US ALL” NOW!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
Need a cheap stocking stuffer or unique white elephant gift? Well, introducing my Stocking Stuffer Steal. 2 albums and 2 stickers for just 10 bucks!!

THIS DEAL INCLUDES:
-Long Before the Wheel (2010 EP)
-Another Gleam (2011 LP)
-Two 2″ x 4″ vinyl stickers

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

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Of course, you can always give the gift of my other music by shopping my page on CD Baby.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM TYLER STENSON!!

Tyler Stenson is a singer/songwriter in Portland, OR that is increasingly known for his unique brand of elegant folk music. Along with spending 15 months as a singer/songwriter in Nashville, he has been twice-named the “Songwriter of the Year” by the Portland Songwriters Association, “Best Male Artist” at the Portland Music Awards, was nominated for the Wyoming Governor’s Art Award, has opened for famed rocker, Chris Isaak, performed on OPB’s Live Wire! Radio and has 10 studio albums being distributed internationally.

For anyone who wants to join my growing army of fans and proudly proclaim to the world that you are indeed One of the Elegant Folk, I’ve recently launched a line of tees just for you. Found exclusively on ReverbNation, these statement shirts are just $25. Tell somebody!

BUY ONE OF THE ELEGANT FOLK TEES HERE

BUY ONE OF THE ELEGANT FOLK TEES HERE

I’m proud to announce that I’ve been invited to play at the legendary Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. On top of Nashville being the Songwriting Capital of the World, the Bluebird Cafe is the epicenter of it all — every notable songwriter to have ever penned a song has passed through this venue at one time or another. Hence, legendary.

That said, I’ll be sharing a round with David G Smith, Kevin So and Mike Willis and couldn’t be more excited. Everyone in this round is a pure talent and I’m honored to be in the mix.

See ya there!

TYLER STENSON @ the Bluebird Cafe
w/ David G Smith, Kevin So and Mike Willis
Tuesday 11/15 in the 6pm round
NO COVER

RESERVE YOUR SEATS HERE:
http://www.ticketsnashville.com/WebSales/Pages/TicketSearchCriteria.aspx?evtInfo=41438~72dc6c1b-3063-47a6-b502-52e42391689c&epguid=2ae0daa4-93ce-4345-b985-525ecf702c7e&

My media team and I recently issued a press release on PRWeb.com announcing the launch of my new video EPK. Even though the video has already been wildly successful on its own, we’re hoping that this media release will draw further attention to the video and its purpose.

Both the video EPK and the press release are featured, in full, below. Enjoy!

CLICK TO READ THE PRESS RELEASE ON PRWEB.COM

FULL PRESS RELEASE, AS SEEN ON PRWEB.COM:

DIY Indie Artist Releases Innovative New Video Press Kit That Aims to Tell the Story Beyond the Music

Tyler Stenson is a tenacious DIY musician that has self-funded and self-produced 10 albums in 10 years and now, holding true to his same signature of prolificacy, Stenson has just released a beautifully produced video press kit and promotional reel that aims to tell the story of much more than just the music.

Portland, OR (PRWEB) November 08, 2011

Navigating today’s music industry is much like braving the Wild, Wild West of old; every man for himself. Knowing this cold reality well, Tyler Stenson is a tirelessly tenacious DIY musician that has self-funded and self-produced 10 albums in 10 years and now, holding true to his same signature of prolificacy, Stenson has just released a beautifully produced video EPK (electronic press kit) that aims to tell the story that extends beyond the music.

“My goal in making this video was to leave no doubt about exactly who I am as a musician, but more importantly, a person,” says Stenson about his recently released video press kit. “A website with airbrushed photos and pre-recorded audio can only say so much, and can be manipulated to make you into anyone you want to be – video is much more stark and true.”

From start to finish, the 6-minute video short is all at once humble and dazzling. Blending crisply dynamic footage from multiple live performances, music videos and interviews, the viewer gets an immediate sense of Stenson’s obvious musical ability but is rewarded further by his engaging personability and authenticity.

“I’m not sure anybody’s website alone could persuade an industry power that you’re any different from the rest,” Stenson admits. “My hope is that someone will see the person within this film, crooked teeth and all, and simply say, ‘Yes, I’d like to work with that guy.’”

Although Stenson has nearly 90 videos of substantial quality already posted to his YouTube channel, this newly released video EPK shines with a next-level glow. So much, in fact, that in the first 48 hours, it amassed over 75 community shares on Facebook and nearly 700 unique views on YouTube.

With a number of notable songwriting accolades under his belt, there is zero doubt that Stenson’s music is good enough to take him places but he’s well aware that that just isn’t enough these days. However, with this innovative promotional tool, filmed by Quarter 4 Sports and co-produced alongside with Stenson himself, this DIY musician that built his own website and does all of his own design, booking and promotions, hopes that the story beyond the music will be his maker.

Tyler Stenson is a singer/songwriter in Portland, OR that is increasingly known for his unique brand of elegant folk music. Along with spending 15 months as a singer/songwriter in Nashville, he has been twice-named the “Songwriter of the Year” by the Portland Songwriters Association, “Best Male Artist” at the Portland Music Awards, was nominated for the Wyoming Governor’s Art Award, has opened for famed rocker, Chris Isaak, performed on OPB’s Live Wire! Radio and has 10 studio albums being distributed internationally.

CLICK TO READ THE PRESS RELEASE ON PRWEB.COM