Photo Credit - Gene Taylor
Jesse’s first band Qwasi Qwa won top prize in the first annual High School Rock-Off when he was seventeen. Sponsored by Mountain Dew and Belkin Productions, the competition was held at Cleveland’s renowned Odeon Concert Club. The band played all the top regional venues and recorded a debut live CD Shaking Hands with the Governor, receiving critical acclaim. Talent and favorable press won them a showcase at the SXSW international music competition in Austin, Texas in 2000. They were nominated for Best Roots Rock Band sponsored by Scene Magazine and won first place for Best Pop Rock Band in the Cleveland Free Times competition. The band performed with national acts Wilco, Roger McGuinn, Edgar Winter, Raspberries, Leona Naess, and Robert Bradley’s Black Water Surprise. They also placed in the Lucky Strike Band to Band national competition.
Jesse’s seasoned songwriting, vocals, and musical talent bear out his versatility as an artist. He earned performance legs playing solo, duo, and band gigs with many notable musicians. Jesse toured Alaska and Europe and recorded a CD The Story of Gasoline as a member of the band Rosavelt, before venturing on his own. His debut solo effort (with a little help from his dad Wally, hence the Bryson Group band name was the Dry CD, co-produced by father and son. It features 16 songs, mostly penned by Jesse, with Wally co-writing two. Recorded at Suma Recording Studio and engineered and mastered by Paul Hamann, this unique father and son collaboration was a labor of love, trust, and mutual respect. Producer Jimmy Ienner said of the Dry CD, “The harmonies are so good, they’re absurd. The world needs to hear this music”. Jimmy loves Jesse’s lead vocals, commenting, “Jesse’s vocal quality is ‘radio-friendly and believable’…a hard combination to get; you can’t buy that and you can’t teach it”. Jesse currently resides in Brooklyn, New York, writing songs and performing with his new band The Robin Electric.