Music supervision | marketing strategy | brand development

Award–winning songwriter Byron Blocker is a veteran of the West Coast music scene: a triple graduate of Musician’s Institute, founder of SoCal Records, and front man for “Hollywood’s Midnight Band” Byron Blocker & The Offbeats. 

After graduating Musician’s Institute (respectively in guitar, music business, & audio engineering) Byron became a sideman in several prominent California bands including The Bleeding Irish, The Wussy’s, and Carbine. After years of touring, Byron moved back to Los Angeles and began releasing his own original songs. The tunes came out all whiskey and spitfire. After putting together Byron Blocker & the Offbeats the band became a staple across Southern California, setting up home base in Hollywood and was a regular act at the world famous Viper Room on Sunset Blvd.

In 2011 the trio appeared for more than 100 shows, playing every gin joint & concert hall from San Francisco to San Diego. The Offbeats knocked ‘em down BIG and small – from House of Blues Sunset’s Halloween Extravaganza all the way down to the back alley speakeasy’s slinging bourbon well past cut off in a cloud of cigarette smoke.

The Offbeats’ first CD was the lovingly titled Pre-Mustard EP, produced by Joseph “Bunny” Holiday at The Bunny Ranch in Hollywood, CA. After receiving excellent reviews the EP was played widely on college radio stations across California, quickly selling out all physical copies, and it continues to sell well digitally. Later that year the band released “A Kick In The Teeth”, a 5 song EP with covers of Johnny Cash, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, and even Lady Gaga. The new EP was a smash, garnering new exposure and opportunities for the band.

Eventually the buzz turned into several songs being licensed for both film & television, featured vocal credits on several movie soundtracks, and enough hubris to launch SoCal Records. The original intention was to sign bands and run a traditional label model but the music licensing continued to pick up and SoCal Records began to work almost strictly in publishing & licensing.  

In 2013 Byron slipped quietly away from LA and began work on a new solo album. He headed up to the quiet rains of Portland, OR and began hammering out new tracks that would eventually become the first full-length album since Art of a Murder Ballad in 2010. While there something changed. And for the first time in EVER… Byron moved out of California. 


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