The band's name is Tyler Read. There is no one in the Louisiana-based band with that name, but as Josh Johnson explains, it was named after someone close to the band.
"The drummer and I are brothers," Johnson said by phone on the road between Louisiana and Arkansas. "And we decided to name the band after our cousin. It sounded nice and we thought it was cool. Although it has caused some confusion. Some people think the band is a singer/songwriter guy. Others think we're like the Dave Matthews Band.
"But it's just named after our cousin, and he's never been in the band and will probably never be. But it's kind of like the Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pink Floyd thing."
So, what type of music does Tyler Read play, with guitarist/vocalist Josh Johnson, drummer Jordan Johnson, guitarist/keyboardist Brent Skinner, bassist Chris Rimmer and guitarist Chris McPeter? "When Jordan and I started the band, we looked back to old stuff," said Josh Johnson. "Things like the Rolling Stones and Queen. And we tried to find out why we still like to listen to those bands and put that into a modern context.
"There is a lot of heavy stuff happening in the world, but the music they played was fun, and that's what we wanted to do. We wanted to make music that was fun. You know, to forget the troubles in the world for a bit. We try to write good songs that will stand the test of time. There are so many bands out there now that are playing just for today. And we wanted to go deeper than that."
Back in April, Tyler Read released its debut album, fittingly titled "Only Rock and Roll Can Save Us," on Immortal Records. "We're on a small label and don't have much exposure to people, so we have to make sure our music is good."
During the summer someone took notice and asked the band to play three dates on the Vans Warped Tour. "That was cool for us because the Warped Tour audience is more or less a young crowd, and we were fortunate that some of the kids watched our sets."
A few weeks later, Tyler Read found itself opening for Shinedown, an older-sounding rock band with an older following. "That was good exposure for us as well, but our philosophy is, if you like it, come and get it, no matter what age you are."
If you go
What: Sound the Alarm, Tyler Read, Meriwether
Where: Burts Tiki Lounge, 726 S. State
When: Tuesday, 9 p.m.
How much: $8
Phone: 467-8499, 800-888-8499
Web: www.smithstix.com
E-mail: scott@desnews.com