Beauty in the Broken by Wes Tucker & The Skillets

The latest album from Wes Tucker, and his first with a full band, Beauty in the Broken, is a departure from the mellow vibe of Tucker’s critically acclaimed first release, while furthering his reputation for well-crafted songs. Beauty is an expansion of Tucker’s style into more up-tempo rock arrangements, due largely to the addition of the Skillets. “I never wanted to be up there by myself,” said Tucker. “I’ve always wanted to be a part of a band. Writing songs, I’ve always had full band compositions in mind, but everything we wrote or arranged collectively sounded better than anything I had already imagined.”

The disc, 11 songs written by Tucker and produced by Tucker and Tim Hermes showcases the band’s journey from two guitarists trying to find their footing in a new city to a four-piece D.C. roots rock staple, with Bryan Washam on lead guitar, Dave Rutkowski on drums and Arch Alcantara on bass, in addition to Tucker’s vocals, guitar and harmonica. Beauty in the Broken is an eclectic collection of songs showcasing a talented group of musicians.

Tucker and the Skillets released Beauty and the Broken in December 2005, even as his first album, Tradition, continued to receive praise. Three songs from Tradition received finalist honors at the 2004 21st Annual Mid-Atlantic Songwriting competition, and another song was featured on the Art-o-Matic yearly compilation CD. Two additional songs were chosen for the soundtrack of an upcoming commercial film. College and AAA radio stations as well as NPR affiliates and countless internet radio stations all over the country added songs from Tradition to their playlists, bringing more listeners to the fast-growing fan base.

Wes Tucker & the Skillets played over 50 dates in the D.C. and Mid-Atlantic region in 2005, including shows in New York, North Carolina, and Atlanta. Over the course of the year, the band performed at premier venues such as The State Theatre, Iota, The Velvet Lounge, DC9 and Staccato. The band was also selected to play at several popular festivals, including the Steppin’ Out Festival in Blacksburg, Va. and the Cinco De Mayo Fiesta in Richmond, Va., as well as the Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C. At each venue, the band was chosen to perform from literally hundreds of applicants.

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