Sam Lyons

There's no better way to celebrate local than to attend the release party for this young Madison native's third album, the jazzy, pop-oriented "Trance". And if his city residence isn't enough to get you motivated, just check out the seven - count 'em, seven - Madison Area Music Awards Lyons has racked up. He's not just a native; he's a natural. - Isthmus

SAM LYONS – The Light
(2012 Self-Release)

The Lyons family is one remarkably musical one. Phil Lyons has had a long career in Madison music performing with Clyde Stubblefield, Freedy Johnston, Primitive Culture and numerous others. His three sons have forged successful music careers of their own. Eldest son Clay is a saxophonist on full scholarship at Boston’s Berklee School of Music. Middle son Isaac is making a name for himself in hip-hop and alternative music, performing in local band the 21st Century Crew while also releasing a recording as rapper Duke Daeo. Now comes youngest son Sam, who may end up topping them all in his own way; melding pop, R&B and soul into a smooth concoction of aural tastefulness.

Barely legal, Sam Lyons already has an impressive five wins at the Madison Area Music Awards, performing on that stage in 2010. His group Stereocolor stole the show and easily won that year’s Launchpad regionals. The Light is not even his debut. His first album, Some Day, was more acoustic singer/songwriter fare but with plenty of the soulful vocals that mark his musical style (read the review here).

Lyons’ primary instrument is the guitar and he is already a master of chord construction. Complex and jazzy progressions are the foundations of his compositions but his use of passing and leading tones is uncanny. He is equally adept on piano to which the opening title track will testify. Here is everything you need to know about The Light, complete with tasteful horn arrangements (both Phil and Clay getting in on the act as well as Jim Doherty and the incomparable Al Falaschi). Lyons is credited with bass as well and the snappy figure he plays here is another indication of his musical understanding.

World-weary this music is not. In fact, it seems to thrive in a sunny vacuum; romantic yearnings that belie Lyons’ age. The lone cover on The Light is a funkified version of Brian Wilson’s “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” that showcases Lyon’s ability to drift into falsetto. It must be said, too, that the drums (played by Chris Dibernardo and recorded by local icon Ken Keoppler) sound great and the snare sound on this one is awesome.

The apex of the melodies crafted on The Light manifest in “Still on My Mind” with an inescapably catchy chorus and a departure that is sheer mastery. For impressive guitar try “Superficial Girl;” with fat, jazzy chords, a lean and tasty guitar solo in the middle and a fuzzed-out freakout in the final refrain and coda.

If you enjoy music by the likes of John Legend, Jack Johnson or any number of top-notch R&B/soul stylists, you’ll go ape for this album. Lyons, as a mere teenager, already rivals these greats and stands alone at the top of this heap locally. I’ve spoken often of Sam, and I’m sure to speak more of him, but when people ask me about who I feel stands out in Madison music I always reply that, “if I was a gambling man, I’d put my money down on Sam Lyons right now to someday take home a Grammy.” - Local Sounds Inc.

Playing instruments is almost as natural as breathing for Middleton's Sam Lyons. The 18-year-old singer-songwriter, who fronted local bands Stereocolor and Moonjelly, comes from a very tuneful family. His father, Philip, is Primitive Culture's bassist; his oldest brother, Clay, is a jazz saxophonist; and his other brother, Isaac, is a hip-hop artist.

The hard part was finding his voice.

"That was just the culture I grew up with in my home, and I wanted to do it," Lyons says of his decision to pursue music. "I started with piano lessons in first grade, and then moving up to third grade, I got into guitar. That's when I really started playing music, singing and doing songwriting."

As Lyons grew older, he took up the tuba and trumpet, and played guitar for the Isthmus High School Jazz All Stars ensemble. He strengthened his chops as both a solo artist and a band member. He also started getting into punk through bands like Green Day and Blink-182.

Lyons is proud of taking risks, musically speaking. In particular, he has challenged himself to infuse his albums with a diverse array of sounds and textures. Though his 2011 record, Some Day, is chilled out and acoustic, his 2012 release, The Light, is filled with bold pop hooks that beg to be danced to.

Lyons describes The Light as "mostly pop, R&B and soul songs, with a little bit of a rock influence, too." The groovy, piano-driven title track brings to mind the vocal charm of Allen Stone and the spunk of Sara Bareilles. "Superficial Girl" features lively jazz-pop, while "The Way You Make Me Feel" shows how much Lyons likes jangly guitars. Filled with moody funk that seems fit for a spaceship, the closing track, "The Light: Part 2," is a bit more experimental. But the showstopper is Lyons' reimagining of "Wouldn't It Be Nice." Soulful and funky, his take on the Beach Boys classic is reminiscent of a D'Angelo concert. Both this track and The Light won Madison Area Music Awards this year, the former for best cover song and the latter for best youth album.

Though Lyons has collected seven MAMAs in recent years, he says that simply making The Light was rewarding.

"I respect that I won those awards, and I respect the event, but that doesn't mean as much to me as the album itself," he admits.

Lyons is about to join another elite group of Madison-area musicians: those who've gone on to study at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. (Others studying at the prestigious institution include Caitlin Timmins, Mary Kate Wall and Molly Lins.) He'll begin this fall, on a partial scholarship.

Lyons says he hopes the move will help him connect with people who can help him gain a foothold in the music industry.

"I'm going to try my best when studying music theory and preparing for tests, but I'm also excited about the networking side of things," he says. "It's really hard to get your name out [beyond Madison] while you're still planted [here], so that's another reason I'm excited to go to Boston."

Making catchy music that's "educated and real" is one of his goals. Using songs to lower social barriers is another. The wider the audience, the more likely it is for people from different walks of life to find common ground. By listening to the same artist, people may get better at listening to one another.

"When Stevie Wonder came up, his music appealed to a broad swath of society," Lyons explains. "I'm trying to do something similar." - The Isthmus

SAM LYONS – Some Day

(2011 Self-Release)

I try to think back on what I was doing when I was fifteen and, in comparison to Sam Lyons, it seems the answer is not much. There are lots of standout youths in today’s musical landscape as I’m reminded of every year during the Launchpad competition (one that Lyons’ two bands – Stereocolor and Moon Jelly – have dominated for the last few years). It’s probably some combination of better instructional materials (video, especially), better gear, more accumulated knowledge and better instructors that make the younger generation so much more developed at an early age. Whereas I was barely beyond bar chords and learning how to roll a joint – or possibly even make a fist, Lyons is using close harmonies, complex jazz chord progressions and multi-instrumentalist capabilities to compose and record some impressive music.

It’s a little curious why Lyons would release a solo collection before either of his bands produced a real album. As a solo artist he fits squarely into the Jack Johnson mode of jazzy, confessional pop music with an emphasis on vocals. In his bands, the music becomes something more than that and differentiates itself a bit more. Lyons is also a skilled band leader and has a natural ability to interact with and command attention from an audience. Perhaps guided by the surely immense knowledge and experience his father Phil has had in the music business, Lyons chose to push his songwriting and other remarkable skills beyond the local boundaries before coming back to focus on his bands.

At any rate the level of sophistication in the writing is truly remarkable. Lyons also seems to have accumulated an unusual perspective on his life and the music business in particular. It’s one thing to hear a fifteen-year-old muse over the disintegration of a romantic relationship but it’s another thing to hear a somewhat skeptical outlook on the music business itself, before he’s even had a chance to really savor either.

Music is surely at the core of this young person’s being as he intones on “Takin’ It Easy”: Writing songs and recording every night / It’s just a routine of my daily life. But Lyons also understands what a privilege this is for him and one can sense his trepidation at the thought that this could all be taken away from him, either by virtue of life’s fundamental evolution or by outright rejection. “Catastrophe” is a telling recount of these fears, where people end up on the street, victims of a music business that throws artists away on a regular basis. It will be interesting to follow Lyons’ own personal trajectory as well as his music as he grows, coming to terms with life’s realities and the harsh nature of capitalism and reconciling those with the vision and drive of the artist.

Some Day is primarly Lyons on vocals and guitar. “Takin’ it Easy” changes that up with piano and there are a couple appearances of trumpet and violin along with scattered keyboards. “The Way You make Me Feel” is given a remix treatment as the album’s closer where auto-tune and programming sound almost out of character after eleven songs of solo pop excursions. The music does start to become repetitious but guitar players will surely recognize the talent Lyons possesses as a guitarist with a finely-tuned sense of rhythm and phrasing. The title track is a standout with a complex right-hand pattern, jazzy chording and some really tasty playing on the fade-out. “Stay With Me” also breaks the mold a bit. A song penned to a pet (probably a dog), it’s delivered with a poignant, childlike charm.

There is little doubt that Some Day is just Lyons barely getting his feet wet in terms of what he is capable of. My money is on him to win a Grammy in his life – some day. – Rick Tvedt - Local Sounds Inc.