Bryant Tench calls himself a late bloomer of sorts because he didn’t begin writing and performing until his mid-thirties;Â however, it is easy to see that his songs have always been within him. They just needed an avenue to come out.
Tench describes several pivotal moments in his life when the encouragement and guidance of a trusted friend propelled him forward. “The best things in my life, I didn’t plan,” Tench said. “I’m blessed to have friends I can trust. Friends who will give me the push in the right direction.”
A triple life
At 46, Tench leads a triple life, English teacher by day at Rabun County High School, singer/songwriter/performer by night, and 24/7 husband and father.
While working as a waiter at Glen-Ella Springs Inn & Restaurant, Tench met his wife Jennifer. “I saw this beautiful blonde, newly graduate of Georgia Tech, and I married her 10 months later.”
Now together for twenty-one years, the couple has two children, Katherine, 19, and Andrew, 16, and a lot of experiences. “Jennifer is incredibly honest. I always say people need that friend who will tell you there is spinach in your teeth, that’s Jennifer for me. I value her criticism about my music.”
Tench graduated from Central Heights High School, attended Truett-McConnell, and graduated from Piedmont University with a B.A. in English. He has been teaching English for close to 20 years. “I wanted to be a writer but music continued to show up in my life.”
New song release
Carolina Life is Tench’s latest single which will be released on July 4th. It is his sixth song to be released in under a year. The song describes the life of a man Tench met living in the Carolina mountains. He met the song’s central character while up at his father-in-law’s cabin. “Jack was sick with cancer when I met him and his wife Malissa. As I was driving home, the song just came to me.”
It’s a song about the virtues of living in a community one’s whole life and the connectedness of it. “I know there’s lots of places that I ain’t never seen/And I’ve only loved this one girl all my life,” the lyrics tell the story. “But I know my faith. I know my friends. Seen the mountains and the trees/ And this Carolina life, it’s been all right.”
His lyrics mimic his expectations of life, living in Clarkesville, raising a family, teaching high school students, but dreaming of a bigger stage for his music.
Ironically, he wrote the song over ten years ago. Recently, while preparing to teach a class about the traditional ballad form, Tench pulled the song out because it nearly matched all the requirements of a ballad. Reluctantly, he played it for his English class. The students loved it. Carolina Life is one of his first songs written.
Where it all started
For Tench, it all started at a backyard party. He played a few of the songs he had written at the party for a good friend, and the next day, the friend called to tell Tench he had bought a bass, and they should start a band. The band, Drunk on the Wind, is still going to this day with Tench as rhythm guitar/vocals, Jeff Mann on bass, Shane Smith as lead guitar, and Steve Heimberger on drums.
The name came from the poem Cherrylog Road by James Dickey conjuring up the image of a biker driving down the road on his motorcycle, the wind blowing in his face.
His songs journey listeners through various walks of life, adding perspective and strength to keep making it. Tench sounds much like a warrior himself with the grit and belief to make it all work. “Some days I do it poorly, wisely choosing what I’m going to be bad at on any given day,” he said with a chuckle. But his words are filled with wisdom and mantras to encourage the best of us and such is the feeling in his music.
Audiences from all over enjoy the rhythm and honesty of his lyrics. “I never play a song I don’t like,” Tench added.
“I am blessed with much more than I deserve. I’d love to open for one of my heroes- and have someone really respect something I created.”
The beauty of Tench resonates in the fact that he is still dreaming, reaching, and moving toward the best of his “unplanned” life.
Fender’s Alley in Cornelia
On July 5th, Tench will be playing with Shane Smith, lead guitarist, at Fender’s Alley in Cornelia at 6:30 p.m. You will want to get there early for a good seat and the chance to hear the unique sounds of his heart and soul.
Follow Tench on Instagram and Facebook.
