Everyone has occasionally stumbled upon a new song by an unknown artist and realized they are on the cusp of stardom. Nick Bryant is one such artist. Combining John Mayer’s melodic sense with a Dylan-esque lyricism, Bryant’s music has elements of alt-country, singer-songwriting, classic rock, and pop in tasteful equal measure. Although only 23 years old, Bryant is already a seasoned touring artist with a workhorse tour schedule. On the road Growing up between Atlanta and southeast Florida, Bryant received his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from College of Coastal Georgia while living with his grandmother, Patricia Bryant, a retired French teacher who taught at Camden County High School. “I figured that degree would give me a great foundation to build on as a full-time touring musician and singer-songwriter,” he says. And tour he has. Travel is a key theme running throughout his music. “I’ve been to Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Monaco, Switzerland, the Bahamas, and a good many of the states. Travel has shaped me. It has opened my mind to new cultures, sounds, and foods. I encourage it,” Bryant says. Many of Bryant’s original songs flow directly out of his experiences traveling, and there are many locations in his songs on his first LP. “California” has a ’70s folk sound that was inspired by the view from his aunt’s front yard overlooking the Pacific. ‘Lost Vegas’ grew out of the plentiful options to entertain visitors in Nevada’s City of Lights. Then there’s “St. Augustine.” “I picked up a private party while playing in Fernandina — it was someone’s 21st birthday. Long story short, it was awful, but I got a favorite song out of it!” Bryant says. Finding the right notes Observant and thoughtful, Bryant has always been one to scribble down ideas as they came to him, which has served him well as a songwriter. “I have always kept a journal, but that all changed when my uncle — an accomplished musician and producer — asked if I’d like to record. I was nine when I recorded my first song, but it wasn’t until I was 12 that my uncle showed me Black Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid.’ That was when I knew I had to play guitar,” Bryant reveals. Committing himself to the craft, Bryant picked up the guitar at every opportunity afforded to him, but not for the reasons some might suspect. “I’ve spent thousands of hours practicing, but for me, it’s not about the technical aspects of it all – it’s about getting what I feel out in a way people can connect to,” he says. Full steam ahead Putting in most of his hours honing his skills on the open road rather than the quiet of his room, he can perform as many as nine shows in a week. His work schedule is matched by his ambition. “I’m making a solid living from my music, but I’d like to impact the world with it, being an advocate for peace and social justice — a voice for the people. I’d like to start a couple of music-related nonprofits and impact generations to come,” he says. “The power that music has is incredible. It can get people out of bed. It can influence people who have the power to change everything whether they know it or not. It has a way of saying you’re not alone,” he adds. Bryant’s latest CD, Through the Blue, dropped June 1.