Vine(yl) Club #11 - Tyler Ramsey

I get so much joy in sharing music with you all. And on the flip side of that, I love it when my friends share music with me. I can’t tell you how many albums that I’ve purchased based off recommendations by friends. I came across a quote the other day that I shared on my socials. It simply said, “It’s amazing the number of great people in my life that I wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t for music.” How true!! That statement is a direct lead into the album that you now have in your hands… Tyler Ramsey’s beautiful new release “New Lost Ages”.

Take a quick trip with me, back to 2005. I went to see Pearl Jam at The Gorge with Mark McNeilly and Eric Dunham, 2 amazing friends and fellow winemakers. We were tailgating “Winemaker Style”, Riedel wine glasses in tow, a bottle of J.J. Prüm Riesling and Dunham Cabernet to quench our thirst before the show. As any good tailgater would do, we shared our treasures with the folks who were parked beside us. Lucky for me, that included Matt Gobeille, someone who I consider today not only one of my best friends but my brother from another mother. We bonded over our mutual love of Pearl Jam that evening, and thus begun a long and wonderful relationship that has only been strengthened by our love of sharing music with each other.

I'm pretty excited every time I open a text message from Matt, knowing that it’s most likely an album that he’s sharing with me. In July 2019, I opened my phone to a slew of albums that Matt had sent me. One of those was Tyler Ramsey’s “For The Morning”, which had just been released. I wasn’t familiar with Tyler by name, but the second I heard his voice and his guitar, it hit me… “He sounds a bit like Band of Horses”, I said to Matt. “That’s because he was in Band of Horses”, was his reply. By the end of 2019, “For The Morning” was my most played album on Spotify, and by a large margin.

What I love about Tyler is that his songwriting is second to none, his voice is familiar and warm, and musically, his songs take you on a soulful journey, like you’re walking with him through the forests near his home outside of Asheville, North Carolina. Luck would have it that Tyler actually answers his messages on Instagram. I sent him my year-end recap by Spotify and a nice note to tell him how much I enjoyed his music, along with a note that said, “Come to Seattle for a show, I’ve got a great venue for you!”.  And then Covid came along, and, well everything, everywhere, was put on hold. As things opened back up, Tyler messaged me and mentioned that he was not only recording a new album but was actually doing it in Seattle! The wheels were set in motion! I told Tyler about our awesome “VINE(YL) Club” that we have here at Sleight of Hand, and that we work with artists to press variant colors of new releases and re-releases just for our club members. He was on board right away. 2 years after the recording process began, “New Lost Ages” was born!

So, why are you holding this album in your hand, you ask? You most likely ARE NOT in our “VINE(YL) Club” (and for those of you who ARE, thank you so much!). Simply stated, it’s a gift from Sleight of Hand Cellars to you! If you’re a music lover who has a turntable, you’re going to be blown away at how good this album sounds. And if you aren’t a vinyl person, you now have the distinct honor of “sharing music” with someone. It’s a privilege not to be taken lightly…you never know, it may change someone’s life, the same way music has changed mine. To find out how to join our “VINE(YL) Club” click on the QR code above! It makes a great gift too!

VIVA VINE(YL)!

Trey and the entire team at Sleight of Hand