A lot has happened for Tyler Ballgame in a short time.
The Rhode Island native’s been on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show and CBS Saturday Morning. He was at the center of a reported label bidding war won by Rough Trade. He’s played the prestigious Newport Folk Festival in his home state. And he’s collaborated with an impressive list of artists, including Vulfmon last fall and, more recently, Belle & Sebastian.
Taking a name that he made up one night on the spot and making it known far and wide, he’s broken out with his crooning abilities and his impassioned delivery. But for all he’s accomplished, he’s still making his way through small venues across the country as part of his current tour.
The LA-based vocalist brought his band to the nation’s capital last week, jamming a set full of his most soulful tunes and treating a packed DC9 audience to a beautiful night of music.
Born Tyler Perry, the artist’s stage name is a nod to one of his non-musical heroes, baseball legend Ted Williams, known loosely as “Teddy Ballgame.” But his voice is a tribute to some of the greatest singers of all time — Roy Orbison being the most obvious influence.
Ballgame wields his sound powerfully, and every tune performed the night of Sept. 16 overflowed with emotion, including the opening track, “Live It Down,” a single released in July. He’d grab ahold of the mic and let himself go only to see everyone in the room glowing, smiling wide back at him in delight. He has, after all, a rare expression.
By his own admission, he’s playing a role, living out a bit of a dream he might have had as a kid or later at the Berklee College of Music. As he told the UK’s Uncut: “It just became fun to create this character. It goes back to being a theatre actor – you occupy the space, and for this, I’m occupying the space of my idealized frontman from the ’60s and ’70s.”
Listen to the first full-length album from Tyler Ballgame: For The First Time, Again:
At DC9, Ballgame was joined by Clay Fuller on acoustic guitar and backup vocals, Sam Small on electric guitar, Wayne Wittaker on bass, Max Cominos on piano and Amy Wood on drums. This crew treated the second-floor space to some of the most potent tunes released by the band leader so far, like “Help Me Out,” the single that started it all, and “Gloves Off,” the track released with Vulpeck’s Jack Stratton.
Eventually, Grace Cummings, an Australian singer-songwriter currently on tour with Ballgame, was invited up for a gorgeous duet take on “In Dreams,” written and recorded by none other than Orbison himself. Later, “Matter of Taste”, a bursting tune from his only full-length album, For the First Time, Again, landed as a highlight of the set.
When all was said and done, Ballgame had most certainly impressed everyone, and he walked off the stage to an extended, warm ovation — very warm. On his way to the green room, one excited woman stopped him, grabbed him by the chin and planted a kiss right on his lips.
Setlist
Live It Down
Help Me Out
First Time Again
Sing How I Feel
New Car
Forget About Love
Gloves Off
Let You Down
I Believe In Love
OOW
Anywhere You Are (Demo)
In Dreams (with Grace Cummings)
Refinery
Matter of Taste
Waiting So Long
Without You
Below are digital photos of Tyler Ballgame performing at DC9 on Sept. 16, 2026. All photos copyright and courtesy of Casey Ryan Vock.
