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!!

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&

I recently got the opportunity to perform on Live Wire! Radio Episode 163 — a stellar variety show that is recorded live in Portland, OR and broadcast on OPB radio for the masses.

In addition to being the featured musical guest, also on the show was acclaimed author, David Guterson, and actors Silas Weir Mitchell and Bitsie Tulloch from the new NBC television show GRIMM. In all, it was a fantastic evening of fine spirits and entertainment and it’s now posted as a podcast for your listening enjoyment.

NOTE: My performance of Great Man’s Funeral can be heard at minute-mark 7:30 and my performance of Better Be Us All can be heard at minute-mark 50:50. Spread the word!

LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE HERE

LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE HERE

DOWNLOAD GREAT MAN’S FUNERAL HERE: www.cdbaby.com/tylerstenson2
DOWNLOAD BETTER BE US ALL HERE: www.cdbaby.com/tylerstenson4

As mentioned before, I will be performing TOMORROW at the Live Wire! Radio variety show at the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland, OR. It is quite an honor to be invited to perform at this renowned production and live broadcast, so I’ll aim to do my part in making it as stellar as its reputation demands.

Because it’s a variety show, I am simply a part of the whole and therefore only get two songs. Best foot forward, right? That said, I’ll be playing Great Man’s Funeral and Better Be Us All.

It’s always hard to chose which few of my many songs to play (when limited) but I think this will be a nice mix for the Live Wire! folks. Please join us for this fine event.

Live Wire! Radio Variety Show
@ The Alberta Rose Theatre
Saturday October 22, 2011 at 7:30 PM
3000 NE Alberta St.
Portland, OR 97211
Minors OK when accompanied by a parent or guardian

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!!

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!!

This is an original song that I wrote in 2010 but I wanted to post it today, with lyrics, because I’m often told by my fans that reading along with the fast-paced lyrics helped them to appreciate this tale to the fullest. A detailed story about a full-moon hike through Poly Canyon in San Luis Obispo, CA, That Moon was one of my favorite songs to write and absolutely one of my favorite songs to perform.

DOWNLOAD ON CD BABY: www.cdbaby.com/tylerstenson3
DOWNLOAD ON iTUNES: http://bit.ly/cZFbma