Review: Tyler Ramsey delivers stellar show at the Grey Eagle in Asheville

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By Chall Gray

On Thursday evening Tyler Ramsey played his now customary late-year solo show at the Grey Eagle. Ramsey has enjoyed a well-chronicled rise to stardom in the past couple of years, gaining notice for his solo output, and even more so as the lead guitarist of Band of Horses. 

The Grey Eagle was filled on Thursday evening, and most of the well-known bands in Asheville were represented. If great musicians are appreciated best by other musicians, then the crowd was the first evidence that Tyler is developing into a great musician. Also supporting that assertion was Tyler’s show, which was a stellar performance.

Josh Carpenter (whom this reviewer had previously known only as a drummer and rock guitarist) opened the evening with a short but well-done solo set on acoustic guitar. Then, after a brief intermission Tyler ambled onstage and took his place amidst his array of guitars (there were seven), beginning with “Birdwings,” a stellar instrumental track from his album A Long Dream About Swimming Across the Sea. 

Despite battling a cold, Tyler’s vocals were dead-on throughout the evening, exceeded only by his guitar playing and the constant reminders of how well he has developed as a songwriter. No more obvious than on his affecting rendition of “No One Goes Out,” which captured everyone in the audience, whether they knew the back-story of the song or not. He also played “Evening Kitchen,” a gem from the latest Band of Horses record, in a rendition that was perhaps even better than when he recently sang it as a duet with Ben Bridwell at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium.

“Isn’t it a shame,” he began the first song of his encore with, and yes, it is a shame. It’s a shame that we probably won’t get a chance to see Tyler play again until late next year.

Chall Gray is a freelance writer and producer. He is currently working on opening a cafe/bar/performance house in the River Arts District called The Magnetic Field.