Brisbane guitar prodigy JayBird Byrne is ready to spread her wings with the release of her debut EP, 'Dog Tales'.
At just 13, JayBird is already a highly accomplished guitarist possessing an enviable mastery of the fretboard. Working with the good folks at Musicare in Redcliffe, JayBird is on the verge of her first major milestone as a solo artist – releasing her own original music.An avid dog lover, she has lovingly crafted the aptly titled 'Dog Tales' EP to honour all of her favourite fur-ever friends.
"I originally got the idea in that every dog that has affected me greatly in my life and every dog that has made me who I am, I wanted to put them in a song," JayBird explains.
"My goal is to try and make the song one with the dog and I've seen that very much with 'Golden Love', which is my favourite track on the EP which is about my golden retriever Bosco who [recently] passed away.
"My goal was to try and make sure that every song resonates with the dog, and I feel like I've achieved that. Every time I hear songs from the EP I just smile because I think of the amazing memories I have with these dogs."
JayBird started playing guitar at eight years old and is determined to make a name for herself as a virtuosic shredder like her idols Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Polyphia's Tim Henson.
Boasting chops that would make the average guitarist weep (and we do), JayBird professes a profound love for the electric guitar, describing her connection to the instrument as a natural extension of her brain. However, don't dismiss JayBird for another copy-paste YouTube guitarist mimicking the work of others with robotic precision.
Though she can easily play note-for-note renditions of someone else's song, JayBird brings her unique and surprisingly wise creative perspective to writing new original music. "With writing originals, you have to create something new, but the thing about music is nothing is really new," she says.
"Everything I could play on guitar has already been played before, but it's new to this world, it feels like. My approach to writing original music is I capture the idea in my head I want to try and bring to life in song."
JayBird has been cutting her teeth as a live performer on the local circuit, even getting to share the stage with legendary tone-maestro Larry Mitchell at the Gympie Music Muster.
"Larry Mitchell leant me his Pocket GT for a bit, and I stole the patches off that, and I use these patches quite regularly," she cheekily confesses.
Given she's 13 and still has to finish school, it will be a couple years yet before JayBird can take full flight as an international artist, and she surely will. In the meantime, audiences can see JayBird in action live onstage this February at Musicare in Redcliffe.
"I'll be playing with my three-piece band which is Mark Perrett (bass), Damon Joel (drums) and me. It will be a small show and it will be the first time anyone hears 'Golden Love'."
While she still an artist in development, JayBird has all the makings of a certified guitar hero and in years to come will undoubtedly have her name revered alongside the likes of Vai, Satriani, Hendrix and so forth.
"I would mainly like to release my own original music and make a name for myself with that," JayBird says of her long-term career ambitions. "I would like to be able to tour internationally and inspire other people to play guitar.
"In the world of AI and the very scary concept of that, the only thing AI can't replace is human interaction and the one thing it cannot replace at all is performing."
JayBird performs at Musicare (Brisbane) 3 February (from 6pm). She'll be joined by Grace Alexandra.
