Standard Transmission

Standard Transmission is a nine-piece band fusing the roots of Texas and Delta style blues with funk and classic rock, creating a style of contemporary blues all their own. Together since 2003 and calling themselves Trouble in Mind, they began as an acoustic four-piece group paying tribute to such greats as Robert Johnson, Eric Clapton, Etta James and Bonnie Raitt. Since then they have doubled in size, sound, and talent.

Myles and Bree Hayes have been singing side by side since the band began. Bree, originally from Tyler, TX, began singing gospel at an early age, continued singing while attending TCU, and now performs regularly in Chicago at the world famous venue "Buddy Guy's Legends". Myles started singing jazz in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, until he moved to Fort Worth and received a minor in vocal performance at TCU. He now also co-fronts the Fort Worth group The Moon Devil Jazz Band and the Chicago-based Flatlander Jazz Band. Keyboard player James Norris attended the UNT School of Music. He co-fronts The Moon Devil Jazz Band with Myles and has played with numerous Fort Worth groups over the years - Sleeplab, Top Secret, Barber Mack. Bassist Chuck Brown and violinist Tamara Cauble also attended the TCU School of Music, and today they are members of alt-country band Telegraph Canyon. Tamara also plays/tours with Denton based world renowned band The Polyphonic Spree. Both harmonica player “Uncle Charlie” Jetton and drummer Willis Bailey have performed in the DFW blues scene for over thirty years, and in that time have jammed with such legends as Robert Ealey, Delbert McClinton, Carl Perkins, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

After recording a four-track demo entitled "No Longer Tim" with Lucas White of Third Room Studios in early 2006, Standard Transmission realized their potential for their studio sound. They contacted Bart Rose of First Street Audio (now Fort Worth Sound) in Fort Worth, Texas in May of 2006, and recorded their first ten track album entitled “Water’s Edge”. Described by Fort Worth Weekly’s Hear Say as “pop blues”, “the rhythms skip, jive, and funk-out, the guitar pings and pongs a la Jerry Garcia, and the harmonica can be downright scary.” (FW Weekly) Nominated for the Fort Worth Weekly's Music Awards for the "Best Texas Music" catagory of 2007, the album features seven original tracks. Joining them in the studio were renowned Nashville country & blues singer, Robert Jetton, and trumpet player Daniel Hardaway of the Dallas jam band FTL.

Some of the venues that Standard Transmission has played in the DFW area include The Moon, The Flying Saucer, 6th Street Live (now Lola's), Muddy Water’s Blues Bar, Key's Lounge, Fred’s, The Wreck Room, The Black Dog, The Bronx Zoo, J&J's Blues Bar, The Aardvark, Stumpy's Blues Bar, The Ridglea and Vine Wine Room, and Mambo's. They have also played such events as the Main Street Arts Festival, Fred’s Fest, the Blue Bonnet Fall and Spring Festivals, and at Fort Worth Cats baseball games.
Currently the band is getting together when they can for great reunion gigs - 2009 played at the White Sox Ballpark U.S. Cellular field in Chicago, Cafe Centraal in Milwaukee, and the North Branch Music Festival in Wabeno, WI. Standard Transmission is available for hire for any party, festiva,l or event. Keep an eye on the calender to see when and where they play next. Through performances showcasing their unique sound, energy, and passionate stage presence, Standard Transmission adds their own style to the proud and rich history of Texas blues.