Sovereignty Records
Sovereignty Records
P.O. Box 762
Bernardston, MA 01337
(413) 648-9595
First Light (1916)
From Alehouse Insurrections
Do-it-yourself music making
Bernardston musician releases first album on label he and his wife started
By Sheryl Hunter
Special to The Recorder
From the Greenfield (MA) Recorder

“Our timing has never been particularly good, but we feel our timing on this one is perfect,” said
songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tommy Byrnes.  “We hit it right at the right time”.

What Byrnes is referring to is his introduction into the new world of DIY (do it yourself) music making and
marketing, a world he entered an Aug. 31 with the release of his Cd, “Alehouse Insurrections”.  This is
Byrnes’ first solo recording as well as the first release on Sovereignty Records, a label the he and his
wife and business partner, Jessica have just established in Bernardston, MA.

It is a big achievement and one that was a long time in coming.

In 2001, after 12 years with the popular Celtic band Ockham’s Razor, Byrnes decided to leave the band,
taking the artistic leap of pursuing a solo career.  Actually, it wasn’t so much a leap as it was a
headfirst dive into a whole new world of musical creativity and production.  Inspired by the new digital
revolution and the freedom home computers and new music software offered artists, Byrnes was also intrigued
by the networking options available through the Internet.  Byrnes decided that he would handle all aspects
of his new career on his own.

Byrnes decided that not only would he build his own studio where he would write and record his own music;
he would take on the responsibility of marketing the music as well.  

Byrnes’ decision to go independent was the beginning of an exciting new endeavor where he and Jessica would
“learn something new every day.”

A visit to the couple’s Bernardston home, which they share with a son and two large dogs, reveals his home
recording studio and the business office of Sovereignty Records.  With only days to prepare the disc’s
official release, the couple is busy wrapping up a variety of last-minute details.

Jessica handles the marketing side of the business, frantically checking the status of “Alehouse
Insurrections” on CDBaby and Amazon.com, getting the CD in stores, making Internet radio contacts, even
stirring up interest in the disc through online music forums.

Byrnes is also involved with the business end of things, manufacturing, designing the cover artwork, and
his Web site himself.

Byrnes calls Jessica “the perfect partner,” and it is easy to see that they complement each other in the
way they work together.  Jessica is soft spoken and chooses her words carefully, while he is an
enthusiastic, rapid talker.  They met seven years ago when they were neighbors in Greenfield.

After three years of working on the CD, Byrnes and Jessica are ready to see this new child into the world.

“The studio is a very insular environment and it’s hard to know if what you’re doing is OK, so I’m ready
for feedback,” said Byrnes.

I would leave him for hours and then come in and let him know what I think, and sometimes I think it was
tough for him, but other times really helpful,” added Jessica, who admits that she has no formal musical
training and can only go by what she hears.

That the disc took so long to complete is, in part, due to the fact that Byrnes was building the studio and
learning to operate the new digital recording equipment at the same time.  “When it came time to put the
studio together, the music industry and the technology had gotten to the point that it is phenomenal,” says
Byrnes.  “It puts the possibility of someone recording and releasing their own music in anybody’s hand.”

Byrnes was thrilled when he was finally done installing the new studio and able to start recording with an
entirely new arsenal of digital music equipment.

“The advent of digital equipment allowed me to try anything that I wanted to in the studio and that was
really liberating.  At times I got a little carried away-like, ‘let’s put nine mandolin tracks on this
song’ just because I can,” Byrnes said with a laugh.

On “Alehouse Insurrection” Byrnes combines his love of traditional Irish music with rock ‘n’ roll-
particularly the ‘70s progressive rock sounds of bands like Yes and Genesis.  Tin whistles were paired with
electric guitars on instrumental tracks, while strings were blended in the mix on the song “First Born
Son”, a song written for Byrnes’ son Iain.

While Byrnes plays most of the instruments on “Alehouse Insurrections”, he employed the talents of vocalist
Carrie Ferguson, bassist Sean Cowhig, and fiddle player John Reynolds on “Open Your Eyes” and “Lullaby”.

While listening to the CD it is amazing to realize that such a lush sounding recording originated in a tiny
home studio in Bernardston.

Byrnes’ lyrical content mainly concerns the time he has spent in Ireland, from the song “First Light”,
which is about the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, and “Contrary By Nature”, about a woman Byrnes met while
traveling the Emerald Isle.  Traditional tunes include “Crowley’s Reel” and "The Lass of Roch Royal”.

Byrnes, a native of Danbury, CT, took up the guitar at age 10 and knew soon after that he wanted to make
music his life.  In high school, he fell in love with Celtic music and after graduation, made his way to
Ireland.  Spending nearly every night playing in the pubs and streets of Dublin, Byrnes gained a musical
education far more valuable than anything he could have learned in school.

Byrnes remained in Ireland for almost two years, returning to the US in 1989 and shortly thereafter formed
Ockham’s Razor with bassist Sean Cowhig, Brad Hurley on flute and Fraser Stowe on drums. Ockham’s Razor was
a Celtic music favorite in New England, playing in such places as the Lion’s Den in Stockbridge, The
Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland, RI and the Moedown Music Festival in New York.  But after 12 years
with the band, Byrnes decided to make music under his own name.

When it came time to think about how to release “Alehouse Insurrections”, Byrnes originally considered
trying to find a label for distribution.  He eventually decided to just start his won.  Little did he know
how much work was involved with a project of this magnitude.  Seeing her husband strapped with tasks,
Jessica offered to help out, and before she knew it, was knee-deep in the music business.  A recent UMass
graduate with a degree in environmental science, Jessica knew nothing about launching a music career via
the Internet, but she is fast becoming an expert and over time, absorbed her husband’s enthusiasm for the
new digital music revolution.

“This is completely new for me, but so challenging.  It’s constantly evolving and every day we come across
new avenues and opportunities for getting the record out,” Jessica said.

“What’s going on in the music industry with a few labels controlling everything isn’t good for musicians
and it isn’t good for music,” says Byrnes.  “The major labels are in the position where unless they know
they are going to make an enormous return, they don’t make and investment.  But the revolution is coming.”

Adds Byrnes: “The labels have opened the door for an underground movement and that underground movement is
going to shake the industry to its knees.  And that is really cool.  I guess it’s the rebel in me, but I
feel really neat about being involved with it in some way.”

Despite being very busy with the release of “Alehouse Insurrections”, the couple hopes to sign other
artists to Sovereignty Records in the future.  Currently all of Byrnes’ energy is being spent of getting
“Alehouse Insurrections” to listeners-hopefully all around the world.  

It is no wonder that Byrnes describes his life as very interesting at the moment.  “You know, from the
minute I wake up to the minute I go to bed, I get to do music all day.  It is what I’ve always wanted to
do.  I’m pretty damn lucky that I get to do what I always wanted to do.”