Newfound confidence: Kristopher James finds his voice

Kris Byerly has never considered himself a songwriter. He'd played drums and guitar in different bands throughout high school and college, but it wasn't until recently that he decided to make the leap into writing music completely on his own. A little more than a year ago, after his son, Kieran, was born, Byerly says he felt moved to pick up the guitar again under the stage name, Kristopher James.

"I guess everything had kind of hit the brakes," says Byerly of his music.  "I had started focusing on working and providing for a family, so everything got put on hold. About the time Kieran was three months old, I started playing music again. I think any musician is relatively insecure about themselves, but there was this confidence that came after he came — I needed to tell him how I felt. It was just what my heart was saying."

Since then, Byerly says he's found the confidence to begin playing his music — best described as acoustic Americana — out in clubs in the Sarasota and Bradenton areas, and he's recorded an EP, titled "Movement." He's currently writing and recording material for a followup to be released in the near future.

Although he says that, like many musicians, he's constantly questioning himself ("Am I doing this right?" "Is this a cheesy lyric?"), Byerly says he just hopes people can find something to take away from his music.

"Maybe just a part of me" he says. "Like they might know me a little better."