Today we’d like to introduce you to Kier Byrnes.
Hi Kier, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I lost my mom when she was giving birth to me and never knew my dad, so my older brother and I bounced around various adoption agencies. We eventually got taken in by a high functioning meth head couple. There were problems starting day one. My brother (technically half-brother, as we had different dads, but he was and always will be a brother to me) would often disapear for days at a time. One day, when I was in my teens, he left and never came back. Turned up at the city morgue a week later. It was a stressful time, and I almost forgive how my so called foster parents started treating me. My world was caving in and thats when I decided I had enough. I had to get out of there and go out on my own. I passed for old enough so I start playing music, a skill which my deceasased brother taught me, in some of the shadier bars and bascially havent stopped since. When I play, especially any of my songs about whiskey and women, I can still hear him singing along.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I was quick to make friends, so I slept on a lot of couches over the years when it was too cold outside. Otherwise, I’d harbor in an shut down mill; and abandoned factory had been locked up and closed for 80 years and as long as you knew what floorboards to avoid, it was an ok place to call home. Other than avoiding child services, and occasional crack head, it was a calm time. I knew where to go to get some food and there was a nearby close donation bin that would spill over, allowing me access to extra blankets and all the clothers that the rich kids in town had outgrown.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I think playing music has kept the soul of my brother with me. He was a wild one and I try and his spirit when I play. If I can tap into even a sliver it, I call it a success. My band, Kier Byrnes & The Kettle Burners, have won a Boston Music Awatd and a New England Music Award. My songs have been rcognized by several industry publications; Twangville’s “Album of the Year” – Reader’s Choice and AmericanaUK’s top 10 releases of 2025.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I suppose my mom, as she brought me into this world and I was her demise. I don’t like to talk about it, as she had a hard life as it was, on account with my father, whomever he was, vanished long before I got on the scene.
Also, my brother, for sure. He gave me the gift of music and taught me how to get lost in strumming chords and picking out melodies, when there was chaos all around, tuning it out and looking inward.
Lastly, the girl form the train. I don’t know her name, but she was so pretty and left a very generous amount of cash in my hat one day as I was busking. It wasnt about the money though, though it came at a time where it was super helpful to have, as the soles of my shoes were so thin, I could feel the cracks of the sidewalk. Now, it was the way she looked. Her eyes. I’m not sure i’ll ever know love or affection in a pure, unspoiled way, but that one short glance she gave me is inspiration to write a thousand ballads about love and loss.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kierbyrnes.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kettleburners
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peuJlrFb8yU
