When I enter a club, and look at the stage, if I see guitarist John Byrne is part of the band, I know it’s gonna be a pretty good night of musical revelry. The longtime guitarist, raised in Indianapolis after moving as a toddler from Long Island, wrings a sound from his guitar equal parts gritty and eloquent. I’ve seen John play dozens of times, with the ’90s regional cover band Mere Mortals, and with Louisville’s Danny Flanigan and the Rain Chorus. I caught a show with Soul Bus, and even some shows when he was with Madison roots/rocker Rusty Bladen.
Here’s what I’m saying: Indianapolis’ John Byrne – never flashy, always finding his musical pocket on stage – has earned a reputation as a guy who can make a band better.
He has added pedal steel playing to his guitar repertoire, and seems to lend a hand, whether for many years (Flanigan) or fleeting (Chevy Downs) to groups that are really good – because he is in them, right? Now he’s started a new band, in addition to other projects. So I wanted to get with John, and find out out what the scoop was.
ROB: What music and bands are keeping you busy?
JOHN BYRNE: I’m playing in a variety of projects these days. Last weekend’s gig was with a pretty nails 6-piece outfit featuring Jes and Vicky Richmond. Our set list is a semi-eclectic mix of great 70s and 80s singer/songwriter rock like Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt, Lyle Lovett, and John Hiatt with a fair amount of blues, hippie rock (like) Traffic and Allman Brothers, and smarter-than-the-average-bear tuneage like Steely Dan. We also do a handful of Jes and Vic’s originals.