I caught Nashville guitarist and composer William Tyler sitting in this summer with fellow guitarist (and Scene contributing editor) Jack Silverman and his band at Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge in Madison. Tyler showed off his rock side amid Silverman and company’s jazz-meets-Jerry Garcia improvisations. After moving back to town during the COVID-19 pandemic following a stint in Los Angeles, the former Lambchop and David Berman collaborator has been busy, releasing two full-lengths in 2025 alone. Tyler worked with Four Tet auteur Kieran Hebden on 41 Longfield Street Late ’80s, which features Tyler’s post-New Age guitar on “When It Rains,” a track that moves from contemplative acoustic to scarifying electric guitar in five minutes. 41 Longfield Street and Tyler’s other 2025 album, Time Indefinite, are perfect records to listen to in the late fall, since they’re overtly nostalgic and a bit dark — high-level soundtrack music that only mimics what you might call easy listening. As well, Tyler has always paid tribute to the many tributaries of Nashville music, and I like his ability to, say, reference the 1970s instrumental band Area Code 615 on his krautrock-inspired tune “Area Code 601,” or recontextualize Bobby Charles’ “Tennessee Blues.” Saturday at The Blue Room, he’ll play in full-band mode, with plenty of electric guitar.
8 p.m. at The Blue Room at Third Man Records
623 623 Seventh Ave. S.
