MADISON COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) — We met up with Tyler Payne, the Rocket City Trash Pandas Catcher, in the batting cages during batting practice right before the team took on the Tennessee Smokies, his former team, on the penultimate homestand.
Tyler Payne was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2015. On October 3, 2021, he was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his major league debut that day as a pinch hitter.
He signed a contract with the LA Angels in 2023 and has been assigned to the Rocket City Trash Pandas as their starting catcher since then.
Name of record/artist?
Payne tells us ‘What’s Spinning’ for him is Sounds of Madness by Shinedown.
Shinedown is a rock band from Jacksonville, Florida that started in 2001. They have been placed in the genres of hard rock, alternative metal, post-grunge, alternative rock, and pop rock, with the label companies of Atlantic and Roadrunner.
“They are radio popular,” he said.
According to Billboard, Shinedown has the most number-one singles on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts with 19, and all of their released singles have reached the top 5 on the chart.
Additionally, on June 3, 2021, Shinedown was ranked #1 by Billboard on the Greatest of All Time Mainstreams Rock Artists chart released to celebrate the Mainstream Rock Chart’s 40th Anniversary. To date, the band has sold more than 10 million records worldwide.
What emotion does this record invoke for you?
“When I listen to them, I think of gratitude, peace, and happiness,” Payne says. “It’s one of my top three albums,” he tells me.
When asked about the other two top albums, “You mean like my deserted albums?” he asks.
“I’d say, Get Rich or Die Trying by 50 Cent and Led Zeppelin 3,” Payne added.
Describe the album artwork.
When asked to describe the album cover, we had to look it up – “Oh, it’s birds!” Payne says.
The album cover is simple, it’s all white with what looks like sprayed-painted letters saying, Shinedown, and four silhouettes of birds. It isn’t confirmed what type of birds they are, but they look like crows.
Crows have symbolic meaning, and according to Birds and Blooms.com, “While some can’t look past the crow’s harsh call and frequent literary association with death, Native American cultures see the crow’s meaning in a positive light. Native American myths and legends frequently extol the crow’s smarts and position them as symbols of good luck and wisdom.”
RAPID WORD ASSOCIATION – What is the FIRST word that comes to mind?
The first word that comes to mind when Payne sees the album cover is “escape.”
Why should WE listen to this record?
He said we should listen to this because it’s great, has the best producer, Rob Cavallo, and a sick guitar riff.
According to Music Week, Rob Cavallo’s career includes executive roles at Warner Music Group, as well as producing acts including Green Day, Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, Eric Clapton, the Goo Goo Dolls, Dave Matthews Band, Kid Rock, Jawbreaker, Alanis Morissette, Black Sabbath, Phil Collins, Paramore, Lil Peep, Shinedown Meat Loaf and an early incarnation of Maroon 5.
As a producer, he has sold an excess of 160 million records worldwide and won three Grammys. He most recently collaborated with Andrew Lloyd Webber on the Broadway adaptation of School of Rock.”
Cavallo has won three Grammy awards: 1998 Producer of the Year; 2004 Best Rock Album for producing Green Day’s American Idiot; and 200Day’sord of the Year for producing Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken DrDay’s.
Sounds of Madness by Shinedown YouTube video has about 75 million views over the course of 14 years, and a comment that says, “Some old lady in mosh pit on TikTok in 2024 brought me here.”
Tyler Payne is originally from Hurricane, West Virginia, about 20 to 30 miles west of Charleston, the capital. He attended West Virginia State University, which is right outside Charleston, and majored in Chemistry.
“I majored in Chemistry because the plan was to be a pharmacist,” he tells me.
In addition to baseball, Tyler says he likes to play the guitar, go camping, and cook.
Shinedown will be performing at the South Star Music Festival at John Hunt Park in Huntsville on Saturday, September 28.
