Tyler Bryant gave a diehard fan the chance to shred on stage in Albany and he did not disappoint – and neither did the silky smooth mid-song electric guitar transfer it took to get him rolling.
It’s the kind of narrative that usually only plays out in the dreams of fans, but for one Buffalo resident, his nearly 300-mile trip proved well worth it as he showed some serious chops in front of his hero and an electric crowd.
Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown were playing Albany's Empire Live venue a few weeks ago (June 15) when the hotshot superfan added a fresh layer to the night's entertainment.
Matt Levulis is, as per his Instagram profile, a hat and Strat enthusiast who burns fretboards in the rock ’n’ roll outfit Little Liar. He’d made the journey to watch the show but got far more than he bargained for.
“I was walking back from dinner and met this guy standing in line for the gig,” Bryant explained in an Instagram post. “He said he’d driven four hours from Buffalo to Albany with his homies to hear the Shakedown.
“[He] looked like a ripper to me. I subtly asked him if he wanted to play during Drive Me Mad. He didn’t hesitate to climb over the barricade. Ripper indeed.”
He echoed that sentiment on stage just before the player’s spot, saying how “he looked like a badass guitar player, but I don’t know how this is gonna go.” He needn't have worried.
Bryant kicked off the foot-stomping track with some low E riffage before a guitar transfer that was arguably even more impressive than the imperious shredding on display. As the drum fill rumbled into life, giving Bryant a full bar to make his move, he quickly took off the guitar and looped Levulis through the strap.
He then played without a guitar pick for the best part of another bar before, as Levulis held a wonderful vibrato, Bryant realized, and swiftly and expertly handed his over, allowing the fan-turned-star of the show to let fly. And he shreds.
There was not an ounce of fear in his playing; his fast fingers flow like a man grabbing his dreams by the scruff of the neck, hellbent on never letting them go.
“Thank you Tyler Bryant for the best night of my life,” he says on Instagram. I'm sure plenty of fans in the crowd will be thanking him.
Last Summer, Pearl Jam brought a fan on stage to play Yellow Leadbetter after completing a tireless 7,000-mile trip to see the Seattle legends perform. That was a heartwarming story, and he more than held his own in the 18,000-capacity Paula Sant Jordi arena in Barcelona. But Levulis' playing is on another level.
It's been a busy past 12 months or so for Tyler Bryant. After calling out a guitar company for photoshopping its LP replica onto an image of him to promote the brand, he's officially endorsed Supro amps with a super-charged signature combo.
He and Larkin Poe's Rebecca Lovell held a Strat-themed gender reveal party and the guitarist has also spoken about the storied history of his pink Strat. It's been played by Jeff Beck, inscribed by Steven Tyler, stolen from him, and miraculously returned five years later.
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