About Corty

At 27 years old, guitarist/vocalist/songwriter, Corty Byron has been active as a musician for over a decade. He released two solo projects (2011‘s "Histrionic EP" & 2010's "Endless North"), opened for / performed with artists like Gregg Allman, The Doobie Brothers, Dave Mason, Bruce Hornsby, The Gin Blossoms, Hot Tuna, Jimmy Vivino... and has become a fixture of his hometown Central Pennsylvania music scene, as well as being a seasoned road hound, gigging his way from Manhattan to Memphis, Austin to Vegas and all points in between. In late 2011 Corty relocated to Venice, CA and spent the following year performing up and down the coast and across the state, including venues such as The Viper Room, House Of Blues and Saint Rocke. His style has shifted from swampy vintage rock and soulful acoustic based Americana to song driven psychedelic indie pop/rock. Work has already begun on an upcoming full length album, that will feature all new original material written in the past year while on the road and living in California.

Cortlan "Corty" Alan Byron II started his life in music at a very early age. While most of his High School classmates were gearing up for a driver's license, Corty was busy writing songs and trying to figure out Hendrix licks on his guitar. His father, Cortlan Byron Sr. (a veteran musician in his own right) laid the foundation for his son's music growth and can still be seen performing with him today. Byron's self education of classic rock set him apart from many of the younger musicians cropping up around him. By age 16 he had formed a band called, The Green Onions. Over the next few years, the group gained popularity in the local music scene, made two full length original albums ("The Green Onions" in 2005 and "Down The Drain" in 2007) and could be seen performing with many national artists.

As time passed, Byron's songwriting abilities became more refined, mature and introspective. In the summer of 2009 he demoed much of the material that would make up his first solo album, "Endless North" (released April 2010 ) at Sun Studios in Memphis, TN. The album flows with delicate lyrical precision, refreshing guitar tones, eerie imagery and intense raunchy 70’s based rock.

In October 2001, Corty released a three song EP titled, "Histrionic" and set out on a 40 day cross country gigging trip, finally basing him in Venice, CA. Over the following year, Corty quickly became a familiar face in various live music venues throughout the Los Angeles area. Whether he was fronting a 7 piece blues band, roaring with a heavy power trio, or making his mark as a dynamic solo acoustic artist, his time in Southern California proved to be an experience unparalleled before, in the wealth of musical knowledge and creativity gained while living and performing there.

Corty is currently working on his most anticipated and ambitious original project to date. An abundant amount of new material written during the cross country road trip and year on the beach has already been demoed and selected for release. Studio sessions are set to begin in Lancaster, PA in early 2013.