Tyler Kinchen & The Right Pieces

The past few months have been good to Tyler Kinchen. The frontman for Ponchatoula-based funk, soul and R&B group Tyler Kinchen and the Right Pieces has seen a type of success he could only have dreamed of just a few years ago.

With a full tour schedule and airplay by hundreds of DJs on radio stations in the UK, continental Europe and South America, people are starting to pay attention.

"And two years ago, I was complaining about not getting in New Orleans," he said, referencing an interview he did with Nola.com|Times-Picayune in 2014.

At the time, he said booking gigs in town was difficult because he hailed from the small town in Tangipahoa Parish. He laughed, saying his "985" area code was a detriment in getting return calls from club owners. Now, the group has no problem booking in the Crescent City, with shows at clubs on Frenchman Street and other parts of New Orleans.

He's also -- quite rationally given the recent radio success -- got his sights set on soon gigging abroad. He and the guys have jammed for actor Morgan Freeman at his Ground Zero Blues Club in the Delta blues epicenter of Clarksdale, Miss. They've been onstage at the famed L.A. nightclub, Whiskey a Go Go. They toured in New York City last year. Plans for 2016, though, are even more ambitious.


"We're trying to align the planets to get over there," he said, of what will be the band's first dates in the UK. As of now, he's hoping to find time for it by the end of summer, when the schedule clears.

The recent interest from overseas radio began with the October release of the band's album, "Acoustic Disdrometer." It's a soulful R&B and funk groove infused with the brassy power of horns, a touch of jazz, and a little dash of bluesman-like understanding. The whole thing is enhanced and delivered by Kinchen's smooth vocals.

The cover for the band's album, "Acoustic Disdrometer," released October, 2015. It was recorded at JT Studios in Mandeville. (Photo provided by Tyler Kinchen and the Right Pieces)
The cover for the band's album, "Acoustic Disdrometer," released October, 2015. It was recorded at JT Studios in Mandeville. (Photo provided by Tyler Kinchen and the Right Pieces)
Since its release, the music has been played on almost two dozen stations in Europe and South America, including BBC (UK), 3FM (The Netherlands), Jazz FM (UK), Funk France (France), Bossa Nova Radio (France), JazzMasters Radio (Brazil), and many more. Additionally, songs have not only been heard but have also charted on lists such as "Jazz/Soul Artists to Watch" of 3FM, "James Torme's Hidden Treasure" of JazzFM, the "Top 20" of Soul Connexion (UK), and more.

Although Tyler Kinchen and the Right Pieces had been offered a record deal by two different labels, they could not come to terms and Kinchen pursued the indie route instead.

"We're still independent, we turned down those two labels," he said. "It just wasn't right for us at this time."


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He decided to instead cut the "Acoustic Disdrometer" tracks at JT Studios, the Mandeville-based recording studio that has gained traction in the past few years as a "go to" resource for serious local musicians. Kinchen said perfecting the album took many months, and he worked closely with the studio's owner and the album's co-producer, Jonathan "JT" Treeby.

"I wrote all of it, I produced it, and JT co-produced it," Kinchen said.

"He was momentous. I don't even have an adjective for how impactful he's been on our sound," Kinchen said of Treeby, who himself has a background as a musician that includes touring stints as keyboardist with The Neville Brothers. "I learned so much from him. He is invaluable to me and any artist on the north shore."

Accompanying the album release was a video for the single "Turn it On (Electricity Bill)," shot in Ponchatoula, Kinchen's hometown and "home base" for the band, comprised of members from Tangipahoa Parish as well as from Slidell, New Orleans, and Baton Rouge.

Although the band's music is played on radio stations in Lafayette and, as he said, "a little here and there," the overseas success was, according to Kinchen, part of a marketing plan to expose European DJs to the music. It was felt there would be more interest, as, according to Kinchen, they tend to play more soul and R&B. More important, DJs in other countries tend to behave more like curators than do their U.S. counterparts, who are often required to spin tunes from a pre-selected playlist.


"Radio in the states is almost a dying culture," Kinchen said, referencing the changing role of many DJs. "We've lost the curator, and that's what the UK still has."

Tyler Kinchen and the Right Pieces is composed of musicians from Ponchatoula, Slidell, New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Their next north shore performance will be on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 9 p.m. at Ruby's Roadhouse, 840 Lamarque St., Mandeville. (Photo provided by Tyler Kinchen and the Right Pieces)
Tyler Kinchen and the Right Pieces is composed of musicians from Ponchatoula, Slidell, New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Their next north shore performance will be on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 9 p.m. at Ruby's Roadhouse, 840 Lamarque St., Mandeville. (Photo provided by Tyler Kinchen and the Right Pieces)
Kinchen didn't, however, want to make any blanket statements; he stressed he critiques not individual stations, but trends in radio overall.

The next few months will take Tyler Kinchen and the Right Pieces across the south, where they have show dates scheduled in Arkansas, Georgia, Texas and Louisiana. They will perform next in St. Tammany on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 9 p.m. at Ruby's Roadhouse, 840 Lamarque St., Mandeville.

"We love that place," Kinchen said, about the historic roadhouse in Old Mandeville.

For more information on the band, including links to videos, links to purchase "Acoustic Disdrometer" and a list of upcoming show dates, visit the website Tkandtherightpieces.com. - NOLA.com

While listening to Acoustic Disdrometer, the new studio album by jazzy soul band Tyler Kinchen & The Right Pieces, I got the impression a lot of care and meticulous attention went into the creation of this lovely 12-song LP.

I had to look up the definition of “acoustic disdrometer”—a device that listens to rain and calculates its rate from the acoustic signal. I’d have to assume the set’s producer and lead vocalist, Tyler Kinchen, is a persistent, calculating perfectionist, and maybe a bit of an musical scientist.

Whether listening through my Beats headphones, home or car stereo, it was as though I was surrounded by the dozen skilled musicians who performed here. The band’s audio is superbly pronounced thanks to an exceptional mix by Jonathan Treeby, who also serves as Tyler’s co-producer.

Also impressive was how well-placed Tyler’s smooth-yet-thick vocals were within each song; they felt like a part of the instrumentation, not just a vocalist singing the songs’ lyrics with the music. What’s more, stylistically each song is so very different from the others which gives this album character.

The upbeat party vibe of “Turn It On (Electricity Bill)” starts things off, putting you immediately in the pocket of a full-on funky groove. It also serves as a prime example of the quality one should expect going forward.

“Rain,” with its incredible jazz guitar-centric lead and Hall & Oats vibe throughout, finds Tyler singing, “Oh the wind is blowing, oh the clouds are growing dark everywhere/We don’t need to leave, my baby, we can just stay right here.”

Disdrometer is danceable through its first 4 songs before slowing down with “Plant a Garden,” a beautiful lounge tune elegantly heavy on piano and upright bass. The poetic subject matter of this cool jam is adding children to an established relationship.

The album’s jazziness assumes many flavors, like the Spanish licks of “A Thousand Nights Abroad” and southern Americana sounds on “Wild Men.” However, “Gift of Devotion” is purely soulful, real baby-making music.

Tyler Kinchen & The Right Pieces’ Acoustic Disdrometer is an album you’ll thoroughly enjoy experimenting with.

—Mr. Joe Walker

Mr. Joe Walker is an urban and pop culture enthusiast. Known as “The Word Heavyweight Champion”, the biographer, author, entertainment and celebrity journalist, and columnist is currently a senior writer for SoulTrain.com, staff writer for Muskegon Tribune Newspaper, and writer of weekly classic hip-hop reviews for Concrete Magazine’s Concrete615.com. Also co-creator of TheGrooveSpot.com, Walker’s acclaimed, award-winning work has been published thousands of times regionally, nationally, internationally, and online. He is also working on a book project with Liquid Arts & Entertainment. Follow him on Twitter @mrjoewalker, connect with him on Facebook, and also visit his blog MrJoeWalker.blogspot.com. - Soul Train