IF YOU KNOW PEOPLE IN THE SEATTLE AND/OR TACOMA AREAS, PLEASE SEND THEM TO THESE UPCOMING SHOWS!!

I will be playing in Seattle and Tacoma between Sept 21-23. Whether you live in the area, or simply know people that do, please spread the word about these upcoming Washington shows…

9/21: The Mandolin Cafe – Tacoma, WA (6pm)
9/22: Mill Creek McMenamins – Mill Creek, WA (6pm)
9/23: Reds Wine Bar – Kent, WA (5pm)
9/23: Bluebird Microcreamery – Seattle, WA (9:30pm)

Please, join me for these intimate evenings of storytelling and award-winning songwriting. I solemnly swear that you will not be disappointed. Thank you.

I was in the Kink.fm studios today and had a pleasant conversation with Inessa that will be featured on tonight’s Kink.fm Local Music Spotlight. Between opening for Chris Isaak in July, opening for Alpha Rev tomorrow at the Aladdin Theater and a new management agreement in the works, we had much to discuss — and discuss we did.

Here is the link to the full interview: http://bit.ly/n8PFNE

TO BE TRANSPARENT, THIS INTERVIEW WAS TO PROMOTE:
1) I’m opening for Alpha Rev at the Aladdin Theater on 9/14
2) I’m playing on the Kink.fm Early Escape Cruise on 9/16
3) I’m playing at the Alberta Rose Theater on 9/29

Tune in tonight to hear the discussion and my song Daffodils live on the air!!

THIS JUST IN: I will be opening for Alpha Rev at the Aladdin Theater on Wednesday 9/14.

Alpha Rev w/ Tyler Stenson
Wednesday September 14th @ The Aladdin Theater
Doors at 7:00 PM, Show at 8:00 PM
Minors Accompanied by Parent
$15.00

GET TICKETS HERE

Alpha Rev is a soulful American rock group out of Austin, TX, led by front-man Casey McPherson. Their music is full of achingly beautiful melodies, haunting lyrics and classical beauty. As Austin’s famous landmark club Antone’s raved on their website “witness [McPherson] in action and you know God made this man to play music.”

ABOUT ALPHA REV:
(bio taken from Aladdin-Theater.com)

Above all else, Alpha Rev is a journey into the depths of the human experience.

Frontman Casey McPherson’s gripping, emotional songwriting dares others to search out hope in the bleakest of circumstances and the unique instrumentation pays homage to the classical music that gave him his love for the art. While McPherson’s songwriting and rock-inspired vocals form the core of Alpha Rev’s music, he is supported by a unique cast of musicians that fill Alpha Rev’s songs with as much classical beauty as American rock. In addition to the typical guitar, keyboard, bass, and drums, Alpha Rev boasts a violin and cello that add brilliantly to the band’s sound. Together, Alpha Rev offers up layered, orchestral, melody-driven masterpieces able to turn strangers to super fans in a single listen.

Home schooled in small town Texas, frontman Casey McPherson studied classical piano for 12 years and learned to play guitar left handed after figuring out it only worked when he played it upside down. The first band he started, Endochine, performed with Staind, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pete Yorn and many others. During this time, McPherson lost his father and only brother to suicide. Although Endochine was succeeding on many levels, touring took its toll, eventually leading to the band’s demise. Faced with unimaginable tragedy and the dissolution of his band of five years, Casey began to realize that his music, and his life, needed to take a turn in a more positive direction.

The result was Alpha Rev and its distinctive brand of soulful American rock, full of achingly beautiful melodies, haunting lyrics, and classical beauty. Welling up through all the rich, sonic splendor is a message of hope spun by McPherson and his penchant for perseverance. As Austin’s famous landmark club Antone’s raved on their website “witness [McPherson] in action and you know God made this man to play music.”

Life has been cooking with gasoline and I have my busy music schedule to thank for that. That said, if you haven’t seen a show in a while, here is my End of Summer Schedule for 2011 that includes dates in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. With the summer coming to a close, I hope you’ll pick a performance (or four) and bring a friend (or nine).

See you at one of these fine venues soon!

8/25: Kink.fm Street of Dreams
Portland, OR

8/27: Beavers w/o Borders @ Bend High School
Bend, OR

9/09: Private Event
Meridian/Boise, ID

9/10: Tualatin Riverkeepers Riverfront Festival
Tualatin, OR

9/11: McMenamins Edgefield Winery
Troutdale, OR

9/14: Opening for Alpha Rev @ the Aladdin Theater
Portland, OR | GET TICKETS

9/16: Kink.fm Portland Spirit Early Escape Cruise
Portland, OR | GET TICKETS

9/21: Mandolin Cafe
Tacoma, WA

9/22: Mill Creek McMenamins
Mill Creek, WA

9/23: VENUE TBA
Seattle, WA

9/29: Alberta Rose Theater w/ Sam Wegman and Safire Band
Portland, OR | GET TICKETS

A full list of dates and times can be found on my website: www.tylerstenson.com

Five months after having experienced one of the greatest moments of my musical life, I bring you documented proof. Below are a few select videos from the Alberta Rose Theater in Portland, OR. If you can’t see it on my face, I assure you, this was a very special evening. Enjoy.

OFTEN & MUCH

BEST LAID PLANS

CANNONBALL

Download the studio version of Cannonball

ROME TOMORROW

Download the studio version of Rome Tomorrow

RADIATE

Download the studio version of Radiate

Please join me today for the Kink.fm Noon Tunes in Pioneer Square, PDX. Noon sharp.

Yep, for one hour, Tyler Stenson and the Elegant Folk, will be filling the downtown air with roughly the same set list as Alberta Rose Theater and although this won’t be an intimately seated auditorium, it will be a sunlit outdoor amphitheater swarming with Oregonians enjoying the rare, 80-degree day.

Kink.fm Noon Tunes w/ Tyler Stenson
@ Pioneer Square PDX
Tuesday August 2nd, 2011

If you work downtown or are simply passing through the city, I hope you’ll join me and the Elegant Folk for your lunch break. After all, this is a rare opportunity to soak up the sun and catch a full band performance.

See you soon.

I will be opening for Chris Isaak TONIGHT at the Oregon Zoo so consider this last call for Chris Isaak tickets! Grab a friend and join me for this.

Tyler Stenson & Chris Isaak
@ the Oregon Zoo
Friday July 29th
7pm

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE

I will be playing a solo set from 7 to 7:30 and then Mr. Chris Isaak himself will be taking stage shortly after at 8pm. Please join us for a very special evening of music and maiden voyages.

See you soon!

March 11th of 2011 was one of the most special moments of my musical life.

Having just turned 30, it dawned on me that I had been playing music for a full decade — 10 years of writing, recording and grinding. It hasn’t been easy, but it has certainly been worth it.

To celebrate this milestone marker, I hosted a self-indulgent “Greatest Hits” concert at the Alberta Rose Theater in Portland that showcased my absolute favorite songs, and fan favorites, from across the decade (2001 to 2011). In all, roughly 300 fans and friends crowded into the rows of the Alberta Rose Theater and showed their beaming support for my 10-year journey.

After many months of waiting patiently, I finally got my hands on these three recordings from that special Spring evening. Enjoy Tyler Stenson and the Elegant Folk live from the Alberta Rose Theater!!

OFTEN & MUCH

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.

CANNONBALL

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.

BEST LAID PLANS

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VIDEO IS COMING SOON!!

I just received word that I will be opening for the one-and-only Chris Isaak at the Oregon Zoo. Yes please.

Chris Isaak w/ Tyler Stenson
Friday July 29, 2011
@ the Oregon Zoo
7:00pm

If you’ve been living under a rock and need a refresher on who exactly this is, Chris Isaak is one of the most famous singers from the 90s that there is. Known for his ultra smooth signature vocals and radio hits such as Wicked Game, Only the Lonely, Blue Hotel and Somebody’s Crying, Isaak is a legend. Read the full Wikipedia article on Chris Isaak.

I’m looking forward to the evening in a big kind of way and can’t wait to play for Chris’ loyal fans and the many animals at the Oregon Zoo. See you all very soon!!

Here’s what the Zoo website had to say about Chris Isaak:

With the ability to croon ballads and dig deep to sing infectious rock ‘n’ roll, this singer–songwriter is a Grammy nominee, accomplished television and movie actor, and platinum–selling artist with 12 hit songs, including “Wicked Game.” He was the host of “The Chris Isaak Hour” on the Biography Channel, working with Stevie Nicks, Michael Buble and Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens). He most recently released “Mr. Lucky” in 2009. Getting lucky has rarely sounded so good. “Mr. Lucky” perfectly balances the ecstasy of great romance with the agony of pure heartbreak. The album offers passionate music that feels decidedly lived–in. Like some rocking Sinatra album for the 21st century, “Mr. Lucky” is a song cycle about the good luck we earn and the bad luck we just can’t seem to shake. Right from its killer opener — the wonderfully tortured “Cheater’s Town” — to the concluding and uplifting “Big, Wide Wonderful World,” Isaak takes us all on a dark but beautiful ride — one you will likely recognize as your own. “I have my dream job, and I’m still working,” Isaak says. “And you just can’t get any luckier than that.”

I’ve played many gigs in my life — both large and small — but I was truly honored to be invited to play at the Weiden+Kennedy Lunch Box Concert Series at their home base offices in Portland, OR. Oh, what fun we had.

Because Wieden+Kennedy is a world-class ad agency, they thrive on good vibes and care very much about the morale of their workforce. Therefore, in short, the Lunch Box is a showcase designed to entertain Wieden+Kennedy employees on their lunch break — to keep things fresh and spirits high.

I played an hour of music as workers came and went — some stayed for the duration of my set and some simply poked their head around the corner between meetings. Regardless, I had fun and feel my sound was well received. Check out this video that someone snagged of me playing The Road from my album Bittersweet Parade!

Thank you to the folks at Wieden+Kennedy, you were wonderful and I sincerely thank you for your energy, your hospitality and your approving applause. Can’t wait to be invited back!

READ THE FULL W+K POST ON THE WIEDEN+KENNEDY BLOG