Tyler Ramsey took the stage at the 9:30 Club solo for a recent early show to a packed crowd. On the fourth date of his tour with UK band Palace, Ramsey has been highlighting songs from his most recent album, New Lost Ages. It’s his fifth solo album, and it’s an eclectic mix of introspective melodies and driving rock numbers.
Ramsey has a way with words and a sense for melody that you can get lost in. On his new record the Asheville, North Carolina-based singer-songwriter weaves tales that touch on topics like depression on “Dark Dark Dark” and “Flare (For Neal Casal),” navigating a changing world on “New Lost Ages,” and looking back on life on “We Were A Small Town.”
Phil Ek, who produced the first two records for Band of Horses — Ramsey’s former band — produced New Lost Ages. Maybe that familiarity helped to guide the record, because the album has this easy going, lived in feel. And that laid back mood was present at 9:30 Club on March 8 as Tyler Ramsey and his band — Kevin Williams on bass/vocals and Danni Iosello on drums — walked on stage.
As Ramsey told the crowd, he ended up starting this tour with Palace after meeting while on tour in Germany. “We met Palace in a laundromat in Berlin,” he started. “We walked in and saw these dudes who looked like they were in a band and, it turns out, they were in a band.”
Most of the shortened set — six songs in total — came from the recent release, but there were a couple of surprises like “Time Is a Changing Line” from 2011’s Valley Wind and “Your Whole Life” from 2019’s For The Morning.
Watch the official music video for “These Ghosts” by Tyler Ramsey on YouTube:
Ramsey’s voice has a quality that can be disarming. It’s calm and clear, and you can find yourself being drawn into the narrative. “You’d better get yourself familiar with suffering,” he sings on the title track. “Because we’re living in a world that we can’t understand.” And you believe it.
As Ramsey and company wrapped up their all too short set, the sound of crickets chirping filled the club as the band went into probably the most immediately grabbing tune, their last song, “These Ghosts.”
Tyler Ramsey continues his tour with Palace through March, and here to hoping he returns to the DC area soon.
The setlist included:
Flare (For Neal Casal)
Time Is A Changing Line
Your Whole Life
Where Were You
New Lost Ages
These Ghosts
Here are more photos of Tyler Ramsey performing at the 9:30 Club on March 8, 2025. All photos copyright and courtesy of David LaMason.
