Americana Highways brings you this song premiere of Brad Byrd’s “Vampires” from his upcoming release Phases. Phases is Brad Byrd on acoustic guitar and vocals, John Kimbrough on electric guitar, Jonathan Ahrens on synthesizer and Matt Pendergast on synthesizer, Wurlitzer and omnichord, with Aaron Sterling on drums and percussion and Jonathan Ahrens on bass.
With an intro that’s ominous with its shuffly beat, “Vampires” is a song about those times in the past when things didn’t seem quite right. Brad Byrd has a powerful joyous singing voice in the high registers, and this song captures just exactly the spirit of the poor judgement of youth. Phases is a tonal thriller from the lyrics to its textured synthesizer and all throughout its winding rhythms.
“Vampires” is a song about attracting and being attracted to the wrong people in your life. I wrote it during a dark time in my life, around 2002, when my major influence was drugs and alcohol. I was basically homeless, crashing on couches in LA for three years, and generally just surrounding myself with evil people. I kept playing at The Hotel Cafe and searching for that major label record deal that never happened…it’s a good thing though! If I kept it up, I wouldn’t be here to release the song on Phases. –Brad Byrd
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