Few musical partnerships are as lucky as Bobbo and Tracy Byrnes. Happily married for over a decade, they’ve been writing and performing music together for just as long. In the autumn of 2000 they moved from Boston, Massachusetts to Southern California and shortly thereafter founded one of Orange County’s leading Americana Rock bands, The Fallen Stars. Blending rock and roll energy, country-flavored instrumentation and folk-inspired story-telling, The Fallen Stars have carved out a niche in the Southern California scene all their own.
Their fourth album, Heart Like Mine, features sixteen tracks of "stellar country roots rock" according to Vintage Guitar Player Magazine. "With a tight rhythm section backing him, Byrnes unreels hot licks with thick tone, laying down an album of originals that are catchy and cool." The album includes contributions from a handful of talented musicians, including Rami Jaffee (Foo Fighters, Wallflowers) on Hammond B3, Caitlin Cary (Whiskeytown) on violin and Danny Ott (Chris Gaffney, Dave Alvin) on guitar and lap steel. The album has garnered critical praise, including nominations at the Orange County Music Awards for "Best
Country/Americana Band," and being named "Top Ten Indie/Unsigned Album of the Year" by LA Music Examiner. Their last album “Where the Road Bends” was nominated for “Album of the Year” and “Song of the Year” in the Orange County Music Awards as well as the song “One, two, three (thousand miles back to you)” reached #43 on the German radio charts while on tour there.
The band played over 300 shows in the past two years, playing in 14 different states and 6 different countries entertaining crowds in clubs, bars, outdoor festivals, house concerts – anywhere with a stage and few places without a stage! One of the key qualities that make the Fallen Stars performances stand out from the crowd is their adaptability. Bobbo and Tracy often perform as an acoustic duo, him on guitar, her on bass, and both sharing lead and harmony vocals. These performances are rich with warm intimacy, shining on the sparse and spacey "Dam" or personal stories like “Valentine's Day.”
Add drummer Brandon Allen into the mix and they are transformed into a dynamic three-piece band. This powerhouse lineup bursts with energy, soaring through the big-hearted “Glad” and connecting with the audience on the swaggering “Welfare Cadillac,” before leading them on a wild ride through the dusty back roads of rock with “One, Two, Three.” With their Cowboy Junkies inspired cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" and a Springsteen-meets-the-Clash "Cadillac Medley," the Fallen Stars both reveal their influences and put a fresh spin on some great classics.
The Fallen Stars have honed their live show over the years, sharing the bill with bands as diverse as The Church, The Blasters, The Tubes, Ian Hunter, Matthew Sweet, The Motels, Dave Alvin, The Gin Blossoms and Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers. “It’s such a gift,” says Bobbo, “to have the chance to play with these great bands. We always learn something new.”
In the words of one Fallen Stars fan, “Their music is Americana with an edge, it feels like driving on Route 66 with the radio on full blast. Every song has a story, every story has a meaning. The more you listen to it, the more it becomes a part of you.”