The Georgia Thunderbolts

Lancaster Roots & Blues RETURNS - Friday, Saturday & Sunday, Sept 27, 28 & 29

Performance Times

Venue Day Start
Grande Ballroom @ Holiday Inn Lancaster Sun 1:30 PM

The Georgia Thunderbolts Biography

This is one of those bands you will be able to say, I saw them when…

The road to being hailed as the new torchbearers of Southern rock hasn’t been as glamorous as you might imagine for The Georgia Thunderbolts. It wasn’t many years ago that the guys busked at gas stations, fumbled through covers, and drove four hours to Alabama to play to a bartender and a three-legged dog sitting on a barstool.

These days, however, the Rome, Georgia-based quintet is a critically acclaimed and internationally touring band fending off the sophomore slump with its latest album, Rise Above It All, out on Mascot Records. The 13-track record is an artistically assured collection of hard-hitting Southern rock, blues, and heartfelt Americana.

“When you cut back on being a tough guy, more emotions can come through, and you hear that on this record,” says TJ Lyle, lead vocals, harmonica, and keyboards. “This album travels all musical genres.”

The Georgia Thunderbolts are rounded out by Zach Everett, bass, classical guitar, harmony vocals; Bristol Perry, drums; Logan Tolbert, guitar; and Riley Couzzourt, guitar. The quintet’s earthy and emotive aesthetic spans late 1960s singer-songwriter intimacy, the yearning of the blues, the mythological stories of country, and a bracing dose of arena-ready classic hard rock.

“I was raised by my dad and my grandma. He loved 1980s rock, and my grandma loved classic country, like Hank Williams Jr., Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard,” Riley says. “As soon as TJ opens his mouth you know we’re from the South.”

Previously, the band released it’s debut album, Can We Get A Witness, smack in the middle of the pandemic. Despite not having the opportunity to tour, the album amassed over 6 million streams across digital platforms, and earned critical acclaim from No Depression, Rolling Stone, Classic Rock, American Songwriter, Loudwire, Paste Magazine, and many others.

Raring out of lockdown, the guys made up for lost time, performing alongside a who’s who of rock icons. Select live performance highlights include sharing stages with Black Stone Cherry, Deep Purple, The Marshall Tucker Band, Blackberry Smoke, The Kentucky Headhunters, The Steel Woods and The Outlaws.

“We’ve learned a lot from our heroes. Playing with these bands made us better musicians,” TJ says. “Also, seeing the world opens up your perspective as a songwriter—you encounter people from all walks of life.”

Recently, The Georgia Thunderbolts have earned a sync placement on the Paramount+ crime drama Mayor of Kingstown. This year, the band played Chris Jericho’s Rock & Wrestling Rager at Sea.

However, the most transformative experience for the band has been the month back in 2022, The Georgia Thunderbolts spent touring Europe with Black Stone Cherry. None of them had been across the pond before, and it was the longest they had been away from home.

Playing historical European theaters and seeing firsthand how their music translated overseas was eye opening. “Hearing people sing our songs back to us felt like we were in the Twilight Zone. We never thought this was possible—it’s a long way from getting beer bottles thrown at us,” TJ says laughing.

All the growth and maturation over the past two and half years can be heard on Rise Above It All. The 13-song collection is a flag-planting album. The brawny blues-rocker, “Stand Up,” boasts slithering guitar riffs, slow-burn guitar leads, powerful dynamics, and huge modern rock hooks replete with TJ’s soaring vocals. “That song is about asking for help instead of feeling alone,” TJ says.

The Americana, blues-based ballad, “Crawling My Way Back To You,” showcases a sophisticated musicality. With a fat-back drumbeat, Motown bass guitar, a bluesy rhythm shuffle and a baritone guitar reminiscent of Aretha Franklin and other soul music greats Muscle Shoals recordings. The song has a hard-luck poetic sentimentality that invites comparisons to Frankie Miller, and the late Chris Cornell as well as newcomers Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell and Tyler Childers. “That one is pretty emotional—it could be about a breakup, or maybe it’s about losing yourself,” TJ shares. It features some of TJ’s most achingly beautiful lyrics. One choice passage is: “Won’t you make it easy, and tell me how you feel. Don’t take the long road, play around, play around, too long cause it kills.”

The Georgia Thunderbolts effortlessly ease into modern country on “Wait.” Here, harmony vocals, glistening acoustic guitar, sweetly sorrowful steel guitar, and the tuneful song-craft showcase crossover potential. “We were raised around country, and wanted to do our thing with it,” Riley notes.

Rise Above It All also features its share of feel-good rockers. The album opener, “Gonna Shine,” is crunching Bad Company-styled classic rock. The title track effortlessly melds burly blues-rock riffage in the verses with a sleek modern rock chorus. The boys kick up some frisky hard rock on “She’s Gonna Get It.” Up next, the road beckons for The Georgia Thunderbolts. “We’re blessed. We have a great label, a great manager, and great booking agents. Now, we just want to get out there and have a good time with the fans,” Riley says.