![]()
On January 18th, Tyler Hilton will be releasing City on Fire, a 13-track album that’s deemed the most personal yet for the singer-songwriter. Recently, Billboard debuted the title track, which addresses the turmoil resulting from the latest election. And while the song showcases Hilton's folkier side, the album also features synth, acoustic, and island vibes. Ahead of the release, Hilton answered his Essential 8 where he spoke about his uncle, Tommy Hilton, chasing a mood, touring in the RV, and more.
Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you? My uncle Tommy Hilton is an incredible guitar player, was signed by George Harrison to Dark Horse Records, toured with Fleetwood Mac and Donovan. He and our close circle of family friends were always playing, writing, recording when I was growing up. They loomed so large for me growing up, I was a sponge around them. They’d let me sit in with them, sing harmonies, get me on stage. He produced my first record when I was 15, and things he taught me about finding the vibe of a song and getting inside and finding the space in the music still stay with me. I try to make a point of seeing him live any time he’s playing in LA still, I always walk away with something. My co-producer on a lot of the record, Jaco Caraco, grew up close to my uncle as well. We geek out watching him play. A lot of my love of Native American music and traditional American folk comes from him. Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination? I don’t write anything specific consciously. I’m always chasing a mood, I want to surround it with music and a script so you can return to that mood by singing, like a road map back to that moment. When it comes time for specific imagery, there’s more of my reality than anything. But that becomes mixed in with legends and day dreams. Songwriting at its best for me is like dreaming when I sleep, it’s based in reality but can go wherever it needs to. What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician? Listen to the whole song when u play, not just your part. It’s good life advice too. It’s helps to see where you fit in the whole.
Is drinking at gigs a positive or a negative?
It’s a negative for me now. I haven’t had a drop in 5 years. It’s the absolute most fun thing you can do, I always felt like my best self when drinking, it takes away any doubt or fear, which there’s a lot of every night on tour no matter how long you’ve been doing it, and all you want to do is be the center of attention and sing. Booze is the perfect tour buddy. But I spent too many years not being able to control it. For me it was a fire hose I could turn on but not off. I never wanted to be the guy who couldn’t drink anymore, but I learned putting out music for a living was more important then having a good time and doing this thing long term takes more focus then I had as a drunk. Plus I’m making way better music now, didn’t see that one coming. Favorite thing to do on a day off? We’ve been touring in my RV and loving it. We get done with the shows so late we mostly stay at truck stops we find when we can’t drive anymore. On nights off where there’s no show, we treat ourselves to a campground and soak up the quiet. It’s a nice balance to the city and bar life of show nights. When/where do you do your best writing? For this record, pretty much all the songs happened at Jaco’s house. We’re in the middle of such a good vibe up there right now. It’s in the mountains of Woodland Hills on the edge of LA before Malibu. I can’t stop writing when I’m there. We have the next record almost entirely done already too... something about getting up there when it’s just he and I, everything happens very fast. We’re like kids jamming for the first time; he’s cutting a guitar part, I’m writing a second verse, he’s playing bass while I play drums, I start signing a chorus in the middle of playing a piano part. It’s the first time I’ve gotten to record at the pace my brain works which is hodgepodge and totally nonlinear. It’s the most inspired I’ve ever felt. What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out? Don’t stop playing. Play open mics, start 5 bands, have a solo project, be someone’s back up musician, jam along to songs you like, learn covers, write songs, co-write with anyone who wants to try it, have favorite musicians you emulate, then don’t be afraid to get over those musicians and find new ones, watch YouTube video tutorials, learn more than one instrument... just like never stop. The pace will never change, but eventually what you’re playing on and who you’re playing with will be cooler and cooler. But in the beginning you have to do it all to find yourself. With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect? Yea there’s this song “How Long ‘Til I Lose You” I had almost all written except for a bridge section. I’d been moved by a buddy telling me about this year he’d had leading up to his wife asking for a divorce, he was lost and I felt for him. But while we started recording what he had, I got a call that a good friend of mine from high school passed away suddenly. It hit me hard, was a shock. And I’m in the middle of recording a song about wondering when you’re gonna lose someone. I took the bridge in a whole different direction and wrote it for her. The song felt complete then. Tyler Hilton Facebook Tyler Hilton Instagram Tyler Hilton Twitter
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
February 2019
|