It has been five years since Pardon Me brought Jonathan Tyler and his band The Northern Lights to the forefront of the rock scene and found them playing everywhere from ACL to Jimmy Kimmel Live! After years of back and forth, the critically acclaimed singer-songwriter is now free from label constraints and is set to releases his highly anticipated new album Holy Smokes on August 7th. Holy Smokes finds Tyler in the driver's seat, making a record the way he wanted with the songs he wanted. In anticipation of his show in NYC with Butch Walker at The Concert Hall on May 5th, Tyler took the time to talk about creative freedom, the new record and more.

Currently, you’re out with Butch Walker on his 'On Your Mark Get Set, Sad' tour until mid-June. How did that come about? Are you guys friends?

We’re becoming friends! I was asked if I wanted to submit to open for him and I was like “well, hell yeah,” so they sent his camp my new record, which I guess they liked because I was offered the whole tour. It’s been pretty amazing and it really could not have been more perfect timing for where I am with everything, it’s great.

His latest record is very low key & his fan base is rather loyal, how have they been responding to your music?

It’s been really good. I was kinda worried because I’m playing acoustic with just a guitar and harmonica and those shows can either be really good with everyone listening or no one listens and it’s horrible. So far everyone has been super respectful and seems to dig what I’m doing, which is nice. I’m doing it this way because Butch asked me to. He’s performing the same way, so it would have been weird if I came out with a big band and then he got up there by himself.

I’ve done acoustic shows before, like when I was touring with Ray Wylie Hubbard or sometimes I’ll do an acoustic run when I tour Texas. I really like it because it showcases more of the songwriting side of what I do, which is the most important thing to me. It’s kind of nice to do it that way because the songs don’t get overshadowed by the band which happens sometimes. I like playing both ways though, it keeps me energized and doesn’t allow me to get bored.

Going forward after this tour, will the Northern Lights still be with you or will this new record find you as a solo artist?

It’s definitely more of a solo record at this point. I wanted to go in more of a singer-songwriter direction that wasn’t based on a rock band. A couple of guys from the band started a side project and I did this record. I used some of the band and then I used new people as well. When I tour for the new record, I'll take a band that’ll probably be a bulk of the Northern Lights, but a few new guys will be playing too.

Pardon Me, your previous record, was released on Atlantic in 2010. The new record, Holy Smokes, which will be available August 7th, finds you back as an independent artist. I had read that being released from the label was like a burden off your shoulders. It wasn’t the experience you expected?

I think that I just got caught up in the system and basically just did the wrong deal. It’s like, the alchemy of the whole thing has to be right when you sign a record deal. There has to be a real understanding of what both parties are getting into and I don’t know if I was experienced enough to recognize that.  All major labels aren’t necessarily bad; I mean, I have friends who are on labels and friends who work at labels and they do well. But with a certain type of personality, it doesn’t necessarily work and that was what I was running into. I would turn in like 40-50 songs and then I turned in the entire concept for the album and they would tell me they weren’t feeling it or that I should go meet with a certain writer. I felt like I was being propped up, and that what I was doing was being changed into something else. I’m just too much of a Capricorn, a stubborn person, and I just dug my heels into the ground. We went back and forth for two years with me turning in songs and them saying I should try this and we’d be like “no.” Finally we were let out, but it took a lot of waiting which was hard for me because I felt like I wasn’t getting the opportunity to be creative and do what I want to do…which is make music, tour and play. It was kind of a hard time, but I got through it and grew up a lot.

Staying true to yourself and being able to make the type of music you want seems to be very important to you then. 

I’m a creative type. If I have an idea I like to be able to work it out myself, I don’t like to call the committee and have them listen and tell me if it’s good. If I feel it in my gut, I wanna put it out there and share it because I trust my instincts and believe things happen for a reason. The songs that come are a gift from a divine place and I don’t really like to over think it; I like to let the songs come out and be pure. I may never have that sort of major label success but it’s not necessarily what I’m aiming for. Just the fact that I got to put together a record the way I wanted to, with the songs I wanted and can really stand behind it---that feels like a success to me.

A song from the new record, “Everything Was Cool in 2002,” is streaming on your website. It definitely has a groovy, even psychedelic feel. Does that foreshadow the sound of the rest of the record? 

The record is a mixed bag. That song is not really commercial, but it’s definitely one of my favorite tracks. I don’t really know how to describe the rest of the record, I think you’ll have to hear it. Personally, I wasn’t necessarily making a concerted effort to change my sound or anything. I feel like I have been developing it instead of veering off into new directions. The last album….I didn’t feel like it was me. I felt like it was me edited, changed up and packaged. I wish I could say this record is the first record I’ve ever made because it feels like the first one I’ve made. It feels like me, whereas before it was me learning and figuring it out, if that makes any sense. 

When we made the record, it was like we were in our house without any adults in the room. It was me and the band doing it all. For example, our drummer would hit record in one room then run into the other to sit down and play. Overall, the album is less compressed sonically. We worked to analog, we didn’t fix things, and we didn’t use a lot of the tools that we use to make records slick. It’s way more organic sounding. There’s guitar, rock and softer moments too. The only new thing that I haven’t ever really done before is use some pedal steel. As far as songwriting, I think you’ll hear who I am when you listen; nobody was trying to mold this record or manipulate it. Nobody was saying you guys should talk about trucks and tailgates. I love trucks, but I’m not gonna write a song about one. 

Speaking of writing songs, did you write all of the tracks on the record?

I wrote all of the songs with the exception of "River Bottom," which was written by my guitar player Brandon [Pinckard]. Overall, it’s a mixed group. There are like four or five that are straight mine and there’s another four to five that are co-writes.

There’s a tune on there you co-wrote with Ray Wylie Hubbard called “Hey Mama, My Time Ain’t Long.” How did that song come about? 

It’s a crazy thing. We’re both really into writing and always talking about writing together. I had this riff stuck in my head forever and thought it was perfect for him. When we finally got together he was really into it, so we talked about what the song would be about. We’re both spiritual type people and talked about a person who is spiritual or angel like, but you wouldn’t necessarily know it based upon appearances. It’s like the "don’t judge a book by its cover" sort of idea. It started out with those first few lines of the song and then we left it there. A week later he sent me three really amazing verses and I was like "well, there’s no way I’m gonna change any of these, I can’t touch Ray Wylie Hubbard’s lyrics!" (laughing) 

We both have very different versions of the song on our records, which I think is really cool. When he recorded the song, he changed the order of the lyrics and threw out one verse. For my record, I changed the order too and used the verse he threw out. I was kinda worried when I sent my version to him because I was like what if he thinks “what happened to this song?” It’s not as bluesy and gospel sounding as his; I made it more spiritualized and took it to psychedelic heaven. He sent me a text message like “man, you fucker, that’s cooler than….."[trails off] I can’t remember exactly what he said, I gotta find that text message, but he liked it.

In addition to writing, you also co-produced Holy Smokes along with Thom Monahan. 

That’s a pretty loose term. I basically pulled the team together, and chose the studio and the people who were involved with the record. Really though, the whole group of us would sit around and work on it. We played through things and made decisions based on what we were hearing. But, I definitely paid for the record, so the engineers and mixers would come to me to ask what I want to do instead of going to the label. That’s how it works, whoever is paying for it, kinda has the power.

Tyler said he called the new album ‘Holy Smokes’ for a few different reasons. “Whenever people hear something that knocks them off of their feet, or see something unexpected, they use that saying,” said Tyler. “I kind of felt like that and feeling free again. I felt like it was one of those moments that I couldn’t believe we made it through. I don’t think most bands could make it through what we did.”

I’m always interested in why artists chose the album covers they do. You look really happy on yours, what’s the story behind that?

I went out to the desert in Lancaster, CA with my photographer friend. We were definitely going out to try and get a photo. We tried to find the perfect one, but it all just felt so posed and serious. I was laughing about sneaking around, crossing the street and she just snapped that picture. I felt like the energy was good and I wasn’t taking myself too seriously. It just felt right to use that one.

Lastly, as you travel from place to place, is there one recent release you can’t stop listening to? 

Oh man. I listen to a lot of different types of stuff. I love songwriters, like John Prine and Townes. As for newer acts, I really like the last couple War on Drugs records. I also listen to a lot of ambient, meditational stuff without lyrics. And Spacemen 3. Man, I love that band so much. 

Jonathan Tyler will be at The Concert Hall in NYC with Butch Walker on May 5th. Tickets and information here.

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