I first met Shay Bayliff on a busy night while bartending at Cantina Laredo. To the staff’s happy surprise, the usual monotony of acoustic soft rock covers was broken by the belting voice of a young Shay Bayliff. As any good musician does, he made friends with the bar staff, and I have kept my eye on Shay and his musical journey over the next few years.
Over that time Bayliff took his act from solo acoustic to full on local rockstar. His band Shayliff, in which he is backed by friends Jacob and Michael and twin brother and drummer Grayson, has made waves in this town in unfamiliar ways.
In my ten plus years in the music scene in the SBC, most locally successful bands have come up through the same avenues. Individually, we all run in the same circles, know the same people, and most of us share an ex-girlfriend or -boyfriend. That being said, this is not the route Shayliff has taken to get where they are now.
Years back, a young Shay Bayliff attended school in Korea. The band’s bio claims that Shay went mostly for the Korean girls, but it ended in a Korean pop music career for the young singer. After a few years of that, Bayliff returned to the states to start a new band.
Shayliff’s newest release, Why Don’t You Like Me is a very well put together set of songs. Shay’s voice stands out first. Its a mix of pure vocal purity with just the right amount of southern rock edge that, when matched up to the softer side of his range, sticks you in the side with a sound of passion and the appropriate amount of angst.
Most of the album is an enjoyable type of mid tempo modern rock. Bayliff’s pop roots can be heard throughout the work. Its comparable to Kings of Leon with a bit of early Pearl Jam and at times a Euro rock vibe in the style of The Hives or The Vines. The song placement takes the listener on a journey as the feel of each song changes from sincere to playful, and the tempo varies just enough to keep you on your toes and in the groove. I would like to hear a few more fast paced tracks like the first song, ‘Daddy’s Teeth,” but the lack of energy is made up for by the intensity of the songs. Elegant guitar leads are well placed while the rhythm section is quietly doing their job like pros, sitting in the pocket and creating a well crafted backbone on which the entire album sits.
As an an aside, the production on the album is fantastic. It’s professional quality recording, which is an understated quality for a local album. When I asked Shay about the recording process, he told me it was recorded and produced by Joe Scholl, of Baton Rouge based Startisan, in the bands “shitty trailer.”
Why Don’t You Like Me can be found on iTunes and can be previewed on SoundCloud. It’s a recommended listen. Highlight tracks for me include, “Daddy’s Teeth,” “Friends,” and “Get Ready.”
Follow the band on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Shayliff for show info and updates.
