Guy Forsyth

by Richard Skelly
Austin, Texas-based guitarist, singer, interpreter and songwriter Guy Forsyth is like a lot of Austin musicians. He leads his own band, as well as a group called the Asylum Street Spankers; when he's not performing with either of these groups locally, you can find Forsyth sitting in with someone else just for kicks. Forsyth is a rare combination: he's a talented guitarist, singer and songwriter, but also a diligent, conscientious student of blues, blues-rock and other indigenous folk musics.
The Guy Forsyth Band issued their Discovery/Warner Bros. label debut Needle Gun in 1995. On it, his quartet reinvigorates the blues-rock form, taking the music into uncharted waters. Forsyth is accompanied in his band on Needle Gun by Gil T. on bass, Keith Bradley on guitar and Rich Chilleri on drums. The music on their debut is equal parts blues, rock & roll and Americana. Forsyth sings with conviction and plays harmonica and some smoldering guitar. Live, the band is what you'd expect from any good blues-rock conglomeration: loud, raw and raucous. Can You Live Without followed in 1999 and Steak a year later.