Ty Elwin
Lexington, Kentucky, United States | SELF
Music
Press
Orlando Nightlife
"I arrived on a recent Thursday night at Underground Bluz to a nice surprise. The owner warned me in an earlier phone call that it would be slow -- the students are still out on holiday break, she said. But there was a decent little crowd for a Thursday. Four or five folks were milling around in the little sidewalk section outside. One had a guitar. A couple of others had instruments too.
"Welcome to Underground Bluz," they said. They were warming up for a set.
"Uh, oh. Thanks," I said, choking off my urge to reply sarcastically to what I'd assumed would be a judgmental greeting by the locals. This was an open-mike night after all. Those can get a little cliquey. Indeed, a group of six or seven friends whooped it up and cheered way too much when one of their own finished each of the songs he performed. And when Emily Stine started her set next, the group's chatter poked holes in Stine's melodic dynamics. But almost everyone in the place eventually responded to Stine's intensity. She's like a raw Ani DiFranco -- she's still working out some kinks on the guitar. She sported the bandana of a biker babe, but she sang through the gullet of a goddess.And she had a slight advantage. She's a pro among amateurs. She hosts her own open-mike night at Central Station Bar downtown on Monday nights.
Then just when I thought I'd seen the one rare gem in a sincere, sensitive, original and talented player at an open-mike night, Ty Elwin took the stage -- literally. He is a big dread- locked guy who looks even more commanding on the tiny Underground Bluz stage. But when soft sounds begin to seep out through his throat and down through his fingers on his guitar, people do double takes. Even the bar regulars -- real regulars who appear to be in their 40s and tired from a day of hard labor -- peeled their attention away from the nature special on the bar TV to tap toes to Ty's tunes."I usually play covers, but I decided to do some originals tonight," said Ty -- he goes by just Ty. Good thing. His gospel-style voice might be wasted mimicking someone else's song. Instead, he showcased a few tunes whose themes were generally love. His guitar playing was outstanding. His voice was dead on. The guy had it together. Most of the artists did at Underground Bluz's open-mike night."
--Tyler Gray, Orlando Sentinel, January 10th, 2003 - Orlando Sentinel
Orlando Nightlife
"I arrived on a recent Thursday night at Underground Bluz to a nice surprise. The owner warned me in an earlier phone call that it would be slow -- the students are still out on holiday break, she said. But there was a decent little crowd for a Thursday. Four or five folks were milling around in the little sidewalk section outside. One had a guitar. A couple of others had instruments too.
"Welcome to Underground Bluz," they said. They were warming up for a set.
"Uh, oh. Thanks," I said, choking off my urge to reply sarcastically to what I'd assumed would be a judgmental greeting by the locals. This was an open-mike night after all. Those can get a little cliquey. Indeed, a group of six or seven friends whooped it up and cheered way too much when one of their own finished each of the songs he performed. And when Emily Stine started her set next, the group's chatter poked holes in Stine's melodic dynamics. But almost everyone in the place eventually responded to Stine's intensity. She's like a raw Ani DiFranco -- she's still working out some kinks on the guitar. She sported the bandana of a biker babe, but she sang through the gullet of a goddess.And she had a slight advantage. She's a pro among amateurs. She hosts her own open-mike night at Central Station Bar downtown on Monday nights.
Then just when I thought I'd seen the one rare gem in a sincere, sensitive, original and talented player at an open-mike night, Ty Elwin took the stage -- literally. He is a big dread- locked guy who looks even more commanding on the tiny Underground Bluz stage. But when soft sounds begin to seep out through his throat and down through his fingers on his guitar, people do double takes. Even the bar regulars -- real regulars who appear to be in their 40s and tired from a day of hard labor -- peeled their attention away from the nature special on the bar TV to tap toes to Ty's tunes."I usually play covers, but I decided to do some originals tonight," said Ty -- he goes by just Ty. Good thing. His gospel-style voice might be wasted mimicking someone else's song. Instead, he showcased a few tunes whose themes were generally love. His guitar playing was outstanding. His voice was dead on. The guy had it together. Most of the artists did at Underground Bluz's open-mike night."
--Tyler Gray, Orlando Sentinel, January 10th, 2003 - Orlando Sentinel
Discography
900 Miles And Falling (Full Length)
Drama Queen (single) Fire and Wine (single)
Singles can be heard on 98.9fm wmmo
Photos
Bio
Ty Elwin A.K.A. Ty Musiq began playing guitar on the front steps of local Friday night parties while living in State College, Pa back in 1993. Not long after playing spring break in Panama City Beach, Ty decided to leave snowy scenery for the sun-drenched sands of Florida. After parking the bus in St. Pete Beach in 1996, Ty hooked up with Dutch and the Masters anchored by accomplished drummer Ted Yarusso, known affectionately in blues circles as “B.D. McGee”. Featuring Ty on rhythm guitar, Dutch and the Masters performed in various venues throughout the gulf coast including legendary joint Janus Landing for Johnny Greene (Led Zeppelin promoter) and at the Green Iguana in Ybor City with Jimmy James (Tommy Tutone). In 1998 Ty relocated to cut his teeth in Clearwater and formed the four piece Black and Tan. Playing a variety of alternative covers mixed with classic rock and catchy originals, Black and Tan slowly burned their way through the local scene picking up loyal followers as well as overseas attention from visiting tourists. After a brief personal hiatus in Y2K, Ty revamped his style going for a more college radio driven sound leaving behind some the alternative edge by picking up drummer Sven and bassist Ken Kuffel to form the retro-sheik Killer Green Batch better known as KGB. Ty stepped outside the friendly confines of lead singer to hone his craft as both lead guitarist and vocalist.
In August of 2002, Ty packed his bags once more, this time for the savvy streets of Central Florida. Determined to find a new path as a solo artist, Ty found a warm welcome at local hang out Underground Bluz and, after forming a bond with local percussionist Ryan Beaver, branched off the Underground Bluz stage and into Friendly Confines where, with the help of “Beav” the name Soapbox Groove was formed. In 2003, after sharing the stage with local artists such as John Frank, Emily Stine, and Big 10-4, Ty received this write up in the Orlando Sentinel:
“…when soft sounds begin to seep out through his throat and down through his fingers on his guitar, people do double takes. His guitar playing was outstanding. His voice was dead on. The guy had it together.”(Tyler Gray Orlando Sentinel).
Later that year Ty and Beav added guitar virtuoso Kris Talrico (formerly of Ariya) to the mix completing Soapbox Groove. Lighting up the local scene Soapbox Groove made a name for themselves at favorite spots such as Adobe Gilas, Lulus, Devaney’s, Friendly Confines, and On Tap, before becoming the house band for 2 years at two of Orlando’s premiere Irish locales Kate O Brien’s and Shanagolden.
Inspired by the success of his cousin, late great saxophonist Leroi Moore (Dave Matthews Band), in 2007 Ty hooked up with guitarist Chris Rohl, session bassist Rick Navarro, and drummer Gnat to form the Ty Elwin Band. In the Spring of 2008 they released 2 tracks, “Fire and Wine” and "Drama Queen",(from their CD “900 Miles and Falling”) which both debuted on May 17th on WMMO, 98.9 FM.
Zigzagging his way across the country, Lexington, KY in 2009, and Las Cruces, NM in 2010, Ty now brings his talents to the Pacific Northwest in 2013. He is currently working on his second album “Asphalt and the Aftersmell of Rain” while moonlighting with various artists and cover projects, most recently Flipt who made their debut on the McMurphy's stage in November or 2013.
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