Infusing the soulful roots of folk and blues into the energetic spirit of indie rock and psychedelia, Tyler Mast's uplifting style sounds as fresh as it does timeless. Mast uses passion and versatility to conjure up a spellbinding mix of keyboard-driven melodies, and delivers them with relentless honesty. Pairing grace and groove in equal measure, Tyler Mast and his band will make your feet move and your heart sing.
The 2024 release "Pegasus" takes Mast's sound in a new and intriguing direction. While past releases have included grand piano and acoustic guitars, the five tracks on "Pegasus" instead feature Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ, a horn section and auxiliary percussion. The resulting work is a vast contrast to the 2022 release "In the Company of a Friend", and yet somehow remains on-brand for Mast and his band's ever-evolving journey of sound. "All the tunes on "In the Company of a Friend" are about loss, heartache, and loneliness. I'm at a different place in my life now- a brighter, happier place. I think the music on "Pegasus" reflects that- it's all about love, fun, and groove." -Tyler Mast
Specializing on piano and Hammond organ, Mast is widely recognized as an “all-around keyboard badass” (Seven Days VT). As a performer, he has shared the stage with members of Trey Anastasio Band, Goose, Mike Gordon, Derek Trucks Band, moe., Melvin Seals and JGB, and many other iconic names in the jam-rock scene. His 2022 album “In the Company of a Friend” was nominated for Album of the Year by IndieShark magazine.
"When I'm writing a tune, I try not to think in terms of genre. That tends to stifle my creativity and puts the whole thing into a box before it's even a thing. I aim to write from the heart, and allow whatever emotions and stylistic influences that happen to be swimming in my brain at that moment come to the surface. If you don't give yourself permission to be unfiltered and raw, the music suffers. And you know, I grew up playing classical piano until my teen years when I discovered classic rock and jam band tunes. Then I got hip to jazz, fusion, funk, blues and all that. But I've also always had a thing for acoustic music- folk, Americana, bluegrass. And then there's pop music from pretty much every decade... say what you will about mainstream pop, but that music is catchy as hell and there's something to admire about that. All these genres make up the soundtrack to my life, so when I try to capture my lived experiences through songwriting, those influences are just there to draw from. And I love that. I'm a proponent of the belief that all music has value, so from a songwriting and performing perspective, why wouldn't I let all of that through the door?" - Tyler Mast
