Give the man some Southern fried chicken, black-eyed peas, corn bread and a record contract and he will love you for life. Unlike many college students who flirt with the idea of pursuing a musical career but instead opt to focus on academics for a stable income and a sense of security, 22-year-old Mississippi State student Josh Byrd has managed to master the courtship of both academics and his extreme love for music. Giving birth to his debut album, Coming Around, Byrd will still manage to graduate on time this May.
Performing since the age of 10, Byrd, a Jackson native, got his real start in the church singing a major solo for an audience of over 3,000 people. By the time Byrd started junior high, he, along with friends Paul Moak and Tripp Ethridge, formed a rock ‘n’ roll cover band called Granite.
With a Gin Blossoms, Better Than Ezra and Hootie and the Blowfish persona, Granite played for a wide range of audiences, from high school proms to college fraternity parties and at several church functions across Mississippi.
During his Granite days, Byrd played mostly guitar and sang a few harmonies. The exposure that Byrd received as a member of Granite allowed him to develop his love of performing.
After coming to college, Byrd did not tuck the guitar away behind a pile of dirty laundry. He jumped right back into the music as a solo artist performing at various bars and different functions.
His style and influence have been compared to that of Toad The Wet Sprocket, Radio Head and Jeff Buckley, to name a few.
Staying true to his musical upbringing in the church, Byrd incorporates praise and worship into his music that he best describes as modern rock. Now teamed up with Moak, his former Granite band member, Byrd has recorded his first CD, Coming Around, that was released earlier this month.
Leaning back comfortably in a chair with both feet propped up on the chairs next to him, Byrd looks over a tall latte with whipped cream and caramel and chats with The Reflector about lessons learned, obeying the heart and the beauty of stroking strings to make the human connection.
Reflector: I must say, you have a really cool Web site (www.Joshbyrd.com).
Byrd: (After taking a huge swig from his latte) Thank you. That’s going to sound funny on there (recorder) because I had a mouth full of whipped cream.
Reflector: Had you always known you had it in you to produce your own album?
Byrd: It wasn’t a question of was I going to do it; it was a question of when I was going to do it. I could have done this years ago, but had I pushed it, the songs wouldn’t have been ready, and I wouldn’t have known the people in the music industry that I know now. People are excited about what I’m doing, and people in the industry are diggin’ the idea of what I’m about.
Reflector: Speaking of what you are about, other than the Christian element of your music, what else sets you apart from other local bands?
Byrd: If you catch me live, most likely it’s going to be my acoustic guitar and me. It’s going to be a pretty intimate show. From a musical standpoint, I think that that sets me apart and it has taken years to get to where I can entertain with just me and a guitar.
Reflector: Anything else that singles you out?
Byrd: I have high hopes and ambitions to take my music a lot further than Starkville. Whether that sets me apart from other local acts, I don’t know, but I do know that I want to do this for the rest of my life on a big, big scale.
Reflector: As you and Paul (Moak) worked on Coming Around over the last few months, you guys ran into several obstacles. What is the biggest lesson you have learned from it all?
Byrd: Timing is everything. I’ve wanted to do this for years, and it just didn’t work out. The songs weren’t right; I couldn’t get into a studio. For me, it took prayer and waiting for the right opportunity. The lesson I’ve learned is, when an opportunity presents itself, take it.
Reflector: Let’s talk more about the album. On it you only have three tracks. Why is that?
Byrd: That’s a really good question. Considering that labels will only listen to only three songs when trying to get a deal, we decided to produce three songs we thought were the best as record industry demos and for the public to enjoy.
Reflector: On “Alone,” Toney Lacedo, a.k.a Bone of DC Talk, plays bass for you. How wild is that and what is that song about?
Byrd: At first I was like holy cow! Those were my exact words. On an independent level, “Alone” is about a girl who gets pregnant and feels alone but there’s a person in her life that is there at all times. It’s about struggles and how people feel alone in their struggles. There is always somebody there. For me, that person is God. For others, it may be their mother or best friend, but you’re not alone in anything that happens to you, and that’s the truth.
Reflector: What motivates you?
Byrd: This is what I love; it’s what I dream. One of my favorite quotes is “Your heat is free, have the courage to follow it.” I live by that. I can dream as big as I want to, but if I never reach out to achieve that, I’ll never know. Seeing dreams whether big or small come true is awesome. That’s what drives me, the love of the music and my dreams.
Reflector: Is music beautiful or what?
Byrd: Music is an amazing thing. It amazes me that I can be up on stage singing about something that’s going on in my life and touches me on a personal level, and you can look out and see somebody laugh, somebody cry, somebody smile and you don’t even know them but you realize you’ve made a connection with that person.
Reflector: When Josh Byrd graces the covers of posters and CD jackets, what is it that you want people to think?
Byrd: I want to be taken seriously as a musician, a moral clean-cut guy who doesn’t condemn others, and I want people to see me in how I compose my lyrics through music. My faith sets me apart, and I want people to see that through my actions, leading by example.
“Josh has played several times at the Delta Gamma house for Parent’s Day, homecoming brunches and that kind of thing. Every time he’s played, he has been exceptional,” senior Susanna King said. “He plays a very good variety of things, and it’s obvious he takes pride in his work. He’s so talented and nice. I’m sure he’ll be big and I hope he remembers me.”
Byrd has led many on-campus worship and praise groups and performed Thursday night at the amphitheater and will perform at a youth conference Sunday at Christ United Methodist Church in Jackson at 7 p.m.
For more information on performance dates and to purchase Coming Around, log on to www.Joshbyrd.com.