The Crud Report: March 2022

New Video / Jonathan Tyler / "Moon & Stars"

Jeremy Pinnell: The Farce the Music Interview

By Kevin Broughton

 

When Jeremy Pinnell released OH/KY in the summer of 2015 to stunned acclaim, it felt like an entire career compressed into one knockout album. Hailed as a “Mind-blowingly good” (GregVandy/KEXP) and a ”tutorial on classic country music” (Popmatters), Pinnell’s debut immediately differentiated as authentic and unflinching. 

 

Dogged touring through Europe and the States and celebrated radio sessions followed, cementing Pinnell’s position as a no-fuss master of his craft. His 2017 album, Ties of Blood and Affection, presented a canny lateral move. Instead of doubling down on the stark themes and values of his debut, the sophomore album saw Pinnell finding comfort in his own skin, achieving the redemption only hinted at in his previous batch of haunting songs. 

 

If the third time’s a charm, Pinnell is all shine and sparkle on the Goodbye L.A. Produced by noted QAnon adherent and Texan Jonathan Tyler, the tunes buff the wax and polish the chrome on country music’s deeper roots. Rooted in his steady acoustic guitar, Pinnell’s songs are shot through with honest and classic elements. The rhythm section, all snap and shuffle, finds purpose in well-worn paths. The pedal steel and Telecaster stingers arrive perfectly on cue, winking at JP’s world-wise couplets. Here slippery organ insinuates gospel into the conversation. You can feel the room breathe and get a sense of these musicians eyeballing each other as their performances are committed to tape. And through it all comes this oaken identity, the centerpiece of his work. Honest and careworn, Jeremy’s voice can touch on wry, jubilant, and debauched -- all in a single line. At his best,  Pinnell chronicles the joy and sorrow of being human, which is the best that anyone could do. Goodbye L.A., nearly two years in the making, is a triumph. 

 

It was a pleasure to visit with Pinnell to talk songwriting, touring, sobriety and…mixed martial arts. 

 

This album has been in the can a while. Y’all recorded in February 2020, played a few gigs, and then the bottom fell out. What was the long layoff like, and did you use some of that time to tweak the mix or anything like that? 

Yeah, we recorded it and got it done just under the wire. This is probably a made-up story, but this is the way I remember it, anyway. We recorded the record and came home, and a week later I flew down to see Jonathan again and we recorded the vocals. I came back that Saturday, and I think the next Monday they started telling people to stay home.  But as terrible as this thing’s been for the last – almost two years now – we did have a little free time to do everything right, you know? 

 

Your producer said of you, before going into the studio, “He’s just out there grinding, playing three or four shows a week, driving from town to town. Jeremy’s really putting in the hard work, and his band has gotten so tight.” How long have you and this version of your band been together?

 

We’ve been going at it about two and a half, almost three years with this group of guys. Junior Tutwiler is on guitar and Charles Alley is on drums. And we switch out a bass player…kind of like the drummer for…

 

Spinal Tap?

 

…(Laughs) Yeah, Spinal Tap! Except in our case it’s the bass player, so you never know who you’ll end up with. But yeah, Junior – obviously, Kevin, if you’ve heard the record – you can hear how talented he is. And Charles on drums, he’s so good and has a real knack for just finding the pocket, you know? 

 

This is such a country album to me, and I guess that’s a tautology. But it reminds me of some of the “neo-traditionalists” of the mid 1980s like Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakum and Lyle Lovett, just in its authenticity. Who are some of the artists who’ve impacted you the most? 

 

For this record, I found myself listening to a lot of ZZ Top, like that “Legs” stuff…and there’s a Waylon record, Never Could Toe the Mark with that song “The Entertainer,” from the mid 1980s. There are lots of great songs on there like “Sparkling Brown Eyes,” and I just wanted a feel-good record. So many of those 80s albums were just fun records; people just wanted to have fun. And I wanted to try to bring that back. 

 

Normally I wouldn’t broach this, but the first sentence of the liner notes reads, “Jeremy Pinnell tried dying once.” Your past struggles with addiction are also mentioned. So, would you mind fleshing that out a little? How has your journey to sobriety affected your craft? 

 

Yeah, so…I didn’t play music for a couple of years. There was a time when I…Kevin, I normally don’t talk about it much, but I don’t mind talking about it a little bit. Yeah, there was a time when I was broke and homeless, really with nowhere to go, just going from detox to detox, to homeless shelter. It’s funny, while we were recording with Jonathan, he mentioned being on Jimmy Kimmell’s show in 2010, and I laughed and said, “I was in a homeless shelter in 2010!” 

 

But for a guy like me, sobriety has been really good; a lot better than I’ve been to sobriety. It’s been a positive thing. 

 

Tell me about the guy in “Never Thought of No One.” Is he taking the first look in the mirror for a long time?

 

The way I wrote that song, I just imagined this character – I had the chorus and a piece of the verse – but I tried to picture a character who just couldn’t turn the corner. Because we’ve all been there, and felt like we can’t find our part for a given situation. Or we’ve known someone like that, who could turn the corner if they could just see their own part. It’s about being in denial without knowing you’re in it. Maybe I’m getting too far off track; but it’s about not being able to see your own faults. Somebody with just a blind spot, really. 

 

In the title cut, there’s an ear-catching line – “Hello L.A., you got some pretty ladies, but they don’t want babies and I do” – that makes me wonder if you ever spent time in Southern California. 

 

(Laughs) Yeah, so we were in L.A. and had just played a concert and were loading in the van. Just me and my buddies hanging out, and there are beautiful women everywhere. And I made the remark – or our drummer made the remark – that, “yeah, but they don’t want to have babies.” Sort of the most ridiculous thing, right? But I thought, “Maybe the girls back in Kentucky will want to have babies.” And I thought about it and, yeah, I’m gonna use that, because it just struck me as hilarious. And it’s kinda cool, so that’s how I came up with it. 

 

Tell me about recording under the conspiratorial eye of Jonathan Tyler….

 

(Laughs) I love it!

 

 …I’ll grudgingly acknowledge that he seems to have done some good work here. 

 

Yeah, working with Jon is such a positive, just being able to take his direction. And he has such an eye – or ear, I guess – for music, you know? It was really nice to be in the studio…you know, we came in with the songs, and he would listen and say, “Why don’t we try it this way?” It was just a positive atmosphere. If you know Jon, you know you’re gonna have fun. 

 

I’ve interviewed one artist who’s a Thai boxer, but I’m pretty sure you’re the first jiu-jitsu practitioner. How long has that been a thing for you?

 

It started at the beginning of the pandemic. I didn’t have anything to do, and the government was giving me money, and I always wanted to know how to fight. You know, you grow up getting beaten up, or maybe get in the random bar fight here or there, but that’s different than understanding your own body and how to interact with another human being. 

 

But yeah, I started at the beginning of the pandemic. It’s been about a year and a half. And I wish I had started at a younger age; I had no idea of the power of martial arts. It’s been amazing. I wish I could do it all the time, but I’ve got a six-year-old. You can kinda get carried away with it. There are a lot of times where I’d rather be in the gym training than playing music. 

 

Do you follow the UFC? Care to give a pick for Volkonovski-Ortega this weekend?

 

I am a big fan, and I like Ortega a lot just because of his jiu-jitsu.* I’m really excited about the Nick Diaz fight.

 

Yeah, that one ought to be good. It’s been such a long layoff for him.

 

Two hundred and nine months or something like that. 

 

Looks like you’ll be touring pretty solid for the next couple months. Will you be back out on the road in 2022?

 

Yeah, man. I was doing nothing but playing music up until the pandemic, and then went home. My wife and I have bills to pay, so I’m really looking forward to getting back out on the road as soon as we can. 

 

What else would you like the folks to know about Goodbye L.A.?

 

Yeah, we’re just really excited about it. We spent about a year writing and then rehearsing these songs at sound check. Then we recorded a few demos for Jonathan, and finally we got into the studio and made the record. And Sofa Burn records offered to put it out, and there was no one knocking on the door during the pandemic, know what I mean? So I was really grateful for their generosity in helping us get this record out. 

 

So, we’re really excited for people to hear it. It’s the culmination of a lot of long nights away from home, making hardly any money. Yeah. It’s time. 

 

__________

Goodbye LA is available today everywhere you stream and purchase music. 

 

 

*While Mr. Pinnell has made one of the best country albums of the year, this doesn’t necessarily carry over to UFC predictions. 

 

Video Premiere: Jonathan Tyler’s “Hey Old Friend”

By Kevin Broughton

Jonathan Tyler has written the song that 2020 needs. “I wrote ‘Hey Old Friend’ before Corona and the shutdowns were ever a thought, yet it weirdly fits this new normal,” he says. “It’s the first track of mine that I’ve engineered and recorded that’s ever gone this public.”

Shot in and around iconic Sam’s Town Point in South Austin, the chorus line “Someday these days will be worth remembering” is from a sign inside the bar. Tyler is joined on harmony vocals by Nikki Lane, his “partner in crime, girlfriend, pal, something else, and friend.  I love and respect her very much and I'm a lucky guy for having her in my life.”

The easy, comfortable song is emblematic of a certain kind of friend: “The kind of person you can always pick up right where you left off.  The one that might also pick you up from jail or help you fix the broken AC in your car in the middle of a Texas summer,” Tyler says.  “It could be years or since early March 2020.  Eventually we all want to hear that story or song we've heard a thousand times before and taken for granted.”

He adds, “It’s probably the most country-sounding thing I’ve ever done.”

And not a moment too soon. It’s a song worthy of Lyle Lovett. Give it a spin.

New Video / Jonathan Tyler / "Mister Resistor"

New Video / Jonathan Tyler / "Underground Forever"

Road Dispatch: Jonathan Tyler at the Tabernacle in Atlanta, Feb. 6

Jonathan Tyler at the Tabernacle

By Kevin Broughton

These can be tough times for the independent, professional musician. Without a label’s support – and the bill that inevitably comes due for up-front money – an artist might find himself playing to a room of six people; then it’s on to the next town with no guarantee there, either. 

Jonathan Tyler – who’s been steadily grinding while putting the finishing touches on his next album – was recently presented an opportunity from an unlikely source, a chance to gain exposure to new audiences without taking a financial hit.

Those familiar with Tyler’s work might raise an eyebrow when they hear he’s opening for Midland, a mainstream country act on the Big Machine label. It actually makes perfect sense.  “It’s a cool opportunity, because I’ve become friends with these guys in Midland, and it might lead to more things down the road,” he says. It’s the second long weekend of three in this mini-tour. “Last week was Boston and New Jersey; this weekend is Atlanta, Huntsville, Ala. and Baton Rouge.” 

We caught up with Tyler over spaghetti and Budweisers after his sound check. In a couple hours, he’ll open the show at the Tabernacle, a historic and iconic Atlanta venue. And he’ll light the place up, rocking out a 30-minute set for the capacity crowd of 2,600 with the help of drummer Josh Greco (formerly of Austin’s Uncle Lucius.) Oh, and Midland drummer Robbie Crowell – who’s dabbling in bass guitar – joined them on that instrument for a couple songs.

After the Baton Rouge show Saturday, it’s back home to Austin where Tyler will put on his producer’s hat and record Jeremy Pinell’s next album in the studio he’s built in his house. He scored a Jack Daniel’s commercial last fall, enabling him to make upgrades. “I keep re-investing everything,” he says. “I did something for Camel cigarettes last year, too, and several other corporate music-production jobs. The Jack Daniel’s spot was such a huge opportunity for me, and I’ve bought more microphones and a bunch more gear.”

Texas Jonny backstage,
sporting a Kinky Friedman look

On the Midland opportunities, present and future:

“It’s been really nice. They’re letting me ride on the bus; they’re giving me enough money to make a little bit. It’s a good thing, to go on tour and not lose money. It’s a little early to be thinking about it, but I feel like we’re getting close to that point – where we might look at producing a cut, or helping them write a song on their next album. I’d love to do that. 

“Right now a three-week thing. It might turn into more. Maybe they’ll ask me to do more dates.”

On expanding his in-home studio: 

“Now I’m able to invite other artists into my house and make music with them. It’s a win-win, all the way around.”

On producing and engineering for Jeremy Pinnell:

“I met Jeremy through a friend and got to check out a few of his shows. He’s just out there grinding, playing three or four shows a week, driving from town to town. Jeremy’s really putting in the hard work, and his band has gotten so tight. He’s another one of these guys who’s just so good, but gets overlooked by the modern country ‘business.’ So I wanted to help him out and make music with him. We’ve already done a lot of pre-production. So he and his band and I are just gonna track a bunch of stuff live; we’ll try to get it all done in five days. It won’t be easy, but those guys are real musicians, man. They can play. And Jeremy’s one of those blue-collar guys. I really respect his work ethic.”

(Note: as of press time, Pinnell & his band were on their way from Austin to Little Rock for a Valentine’s night show. “No title yet,” Tyler says. “But it’s gonna be really good.”)

On the release of his album, the follow-up to 2015’s Holy Smokes:

“I’m trying to figure it out. I made the album on my own – self-financed – and it wasn’t cheap. So I’m sorta out of money right now. I may just self-release it into the vacuum. It’d be nice to have a record label, but these are tricky times; I’ll probably just start releasing individual tracks on my own, directly to Spotify, Apple Music and the other outlets in March because I just can’t wait any longer. I would say that the entire album will be released by the summer time.” 

Final thoughts?

“The new Drive By Truckers album may have been financed by the Chinese government. I really don’t know.”

Nikki Lane & Jonathan Tyler / Outlaw Cruise / "Love's On Fire"

Jonathan Tyler Performs "Hallelujah" on Texas Music Scene

Win Our Big Music Stash!

Over the past few years, particularly the last 2, we've built up quite a stash of CDs and other merchandise sent to us by bands and singers. I need to clear some of this stuff out, so I'm giving away a big ol' stash box.

So how can you win it? Just be funny. Since memes are the quickest way to get a joke across, that's one possibility. Make a meme and send it to us; easy as that. *United States only*

You can email it to farcethemusic@gmail.com 

or you can DM it to me on Twitter @Farcethemusic (let us know if we need to follow you) 

or you can message it on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/farcethemusic. 

We'll also accept Top 10 Lists, parody lyrics, parody songs, funny Photoshop edits, song reviews (funny or serious), and literally anything else you want to write or create, even just a funny tweet if you make sure I see it, that's related to music (particularly country and Americana). Please don't post anything directly on our Facebook page or Tweet it publicly. We'd rather the material stay private until (and if) we post it on FTM.

There's no limit on entries. The best wins, so quality is certainly more welcome than quantity,  but I don't care how many things you send. Be the funniest, the most insightful, the most clever, the best review writer… whatever. Anything you send may be posted on Farce the Music.

I (Trailer) and another member of the staff or two will judge entries. Winner gets the whole box of stuff (detailed below). There may be other prizes awarded as well, if we get a lot of good stuff. Contest starts now. Send your entry by midnight, Friday, August 26th. Now get to work!

Special thanks to these bands and artists for last-minute help filling up the box!

Wrinkle Neck Mules

Mayeux & Broussard

The Britt Lloyd Band

Taylor Alexander

Grady Spencer & The Work

Here's the Prize Stash:

Unopened CDs
Jonathan Tyler - Holy Smokes
Bart Crow - Dandelion
Wrinkle Neck Mules - I Never Thought it Would Go This Far
Taylor Alexander - Real Good at Saying Goodbye
The Britt Lloyd Band - Unlabeled
The Britt Lloyd Band - The Ink
Dub Miller - The Midnight Ambassador
Dub Miller - Lost/Live
Cyrus James - Dreamers of the Day
Cyrus James - Molly and the Devil
Grady Spencer and The Work - The Line Between
Mayeux and Broussard - High Times & Good Rhymes

Lightly used CDs (ripped once and returned to package)
Will Hoge -Small Town Dreams
Wade Bowen - s/t
Chris Roberts - The Way West
The Excavators - s/t
The Mastersons - Good Luck Charm
Hailey Cole - Illusions
Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen - Hold My Beer, Vol. 1
The Surreal McCoys - The Howl and the Growl
Hailey Whitters - Black Sheep
Texas Renegade - Surviving the Flood

2 Wrinkle Neck Mules t-shirts (Different designs: 1 large, 1 xl)

Koozies
Angaleena Presley
Grady Spencer & the Work
The Damn Quails
Charlie Worsham

Mayeux & Broussard Sticker
Wrinkle Meck Mules Sticker

Exclusive Video Premiere: Jonathan Tyler - "Hey Mama, My Time Ain't Long"

Here's the exclusive premiere of Jonathan Tyler's new video for "Hey Mama, My Time Ain't Long" (co-written by Ray Wylie Hubbard). It's from his Farce the Music top ten 2015 album, Holy Smokes. The video is by Lindsay Roche, shot in Tyler's loft. Enjoy!

Road Dispatch: Jonathan Tyler at the Variety Playhouse

Road Dispatch: Jonathan Tyler at the Variety Playhouse

By Kevin Broughton

On a Thursday night in Atlanta’s Little Five Points, Jonathan Tyler is in an expansive mood. In a couple hours, he’ll open for the amazing Ron Pope and The Nighthawks, then join them for a couple months’ worth of shows on this leg of their nationwide tour.  

Tyler’s 2015 release, Holy Smokes, opened to wide critical acclaim and was a springboard to several lengthy tours for him and his stellar backing band, as they opened at various times for the Drive By Truckers, Warren Haynes, and Ray Wiley Hubbard. On this night, though, it’s just Tyler and his guitar. And the aforementioned Mr. Pope? He hails from suburban Marietta, and this 18-and-up show – at the iconic Variety Playhouse -- will be packed with local partisans hailing the hometown hero. No pressure at all.

Over boiled peanuts and Bud heavies and a mostly off-the-record discussion,* Tyler holds forth on the challenges of gigs like this one. “I like playing solo shows because they put me on the spot,” he says.  “It's sink or swim.  There's no drumbeat or bass line to hide behind.  So if the lyrics and the melody don't hold water you're sinking and everybody in the room knows it.”

In his case, it’s no overstatement. Tyler’s band is a stand-alone entity in its own right, Rise and Shine. Their tight arrangements on Holy Smokes were damn near perfect, and he’ll produce their forthcoming album; their absence isn’t an oh-by-the-way thing. Pressure?

“There are times I get nervous enough to drink a liter of whiskey but that's mainly when I'm overthinking things,” says Tyler.  “I think I'm finally getting to the point that I've accepted myself and don't really care if I bomb cause I know I'm gonna wake up tomorrow and get another shot.”

Fittingly, at this point Pope strolls into the watering hole, where a table of about a dozen family and well-wishers greet the local hero. Tyler glances at the scene, then at a visitor. “I guess it’ll be a big crowd, huh?” he says with a grin. 

He’s right. Pope is as big a draw as you’d expect in his hometown. Bigger than James McMurtry last spring. And probably as big as Steve Earle and the Del McCoury band, circa 1998. Tyler walks out with his black Gibson acoustic, greets the packed house somewhat meekly, and launches into a 10-song set almost exclusively from his new album. 

And something’s immediately noticeable about this crowd: he has them. It’s a respectful audience, the kind you see regularly in Austin and wish you had in your town. What’s remarkable is they’re all here to see the headliners; and they don’t make a peep. No grumbling between songs, or agitating for the lead act. They’re listening, and roaring their approval after every song. 

Three songs in, Tyler trades the Gibson for a ’73 Telecaster and busts out “River Bottom,” “Honey Pie” and “The Devil’s Basement,” and everyone in the venue is paying rapt attention. 

On seeing Tyler with his band, you notice how comparable the live sound is to the album; Holy Smokes wasn’t just slick production. At a solo gig – the first one he’s done in about a year – what’s immediately obvious is that the lyrics, melody and vocals do indeed “hold up,” even at an acoustic setting in big venue. He has this crowd in his hand.

This Pope-crazed audience is both appreciative and understanding of Tyler, bearing with him between songs as he grabs the wrong harp, or is momentarily perplexed by a mislaid capo. “I’m actually looking for my capo,” he says, concealing some stress. “But I’ll be okay…” Mercifully, the missing implement is at his feet, and he won’t be forced to play “To Live is to Fly,” not only without duet partner Nikki Lane, but also in a much lower key. 

Picking over the last of the boiled peanuts before show time, Tyler mentioned those moments that make it worthwhile. “When everything connects it feels like I'm channeling God and I ride that wave till they kick me off stage.”

As he wound up his set with electrified versions of “Late Night Special” and “Gypsy Woman,” Tyler may not have channeled The Almighty, but he certainly rode a helluva wave. It portends well for the rest of the tour, and validates Pope’s choice for an opening act: a seasoned pro who shines in any setting.   

 

* Topics may or may not have included: making music with Nikki Lane; United States fiscal policy; whether bro country has its roots in shitty 80s hair music; and the perils of telling Donald Trump jokes to a New York audience. (The biggest peril is cricket noises.)

FTM's Top 20 Songs of 2015

20. Jonathan Tyler (with Nikki Lane) - To Love is to Fly

19. Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats - S.O.B.

18. Kendrick Lamar - King Kunta

17. Jamie Lin Wilson - Seven Year Drought

16. Allison Moorer - If I Were Stronger

15. John Moreland - White Flag

14. Darrell Scott - Thanksgiving 1985

13. Benton Leachman - Lonely

12. Ray Wylie Hubbard - Stone Blind Horses

11. Anderson East - What a Woman Wants to Hear

10. Chris Stapleton - Fire Away

9. Father John Misty - The Night Josh Tillman Came to Our Apt.

8. Ashley Monroe - Bombshell

7. Whitey Morgan - Still Drunk, Still Crazy, Still Blue

6. Wrinkle Neck Mules - Beehive

5. Hailey Whitters - Low All Afternoon

4. Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen - El Dorado

3. The Honeycutters - Me Oh My

2. Baroness - Chlorine & Wine

1. Turnpike Troubadours - The Bird Hunters

Jonathan Tyler Performs "Everything Was Cool in 2002"

Jonathan Tyler & Ray Wylie Hubbard Perform "Hey Mama, My Time Ain't Long"

A Seasoned Jonathan Tyler Scores Big With Holy Smokes

Jonathan Tyler in a recent pic from his Instagram

By Kevin Broughton 

“We were playing a show in New Braunfels, at Gruene Hall.”

It’s a Friday afternoon, and Jonathan Tyler, 30, is explaining how he came to co-write a song with the legendary Ray Wylie Hubbard, in casual, oh-by-the-way fashion.

“He initiated it.”

Happens all the time. Songwriting institutions like Hubbard regularly reach out to collaborate with young bucks less than half their age...

Make no mistake, it’s a big deal to Tyler. It just doesn’t come out that
way. A music career’s worth of highs and lows crammed into five years have given him a level of perspective that’s rare -- if not unheard of -- in an artist his age.

Atlantic records signed him and his band (formerly The Northern Lights) in 2010, and the ensuing album, Pardon Me, enjoyed modest commercial success. Enough, sadly, to raise the antennae of the Nashville suits. As Tyler toured (alongside acts like the Black Crowes, ZZ Top, JJ Grey and Kid Rock) to build an audience, he was writing prolifically and sending demos to the label three or four at a time. Then, Nashville did what Nashville does.

“Politically, I guess, there was a lot of pressure when Atlantic got involved,” Tyler says. Even after the success of Pardon Me, “there still wasn’t a record that really showed who I am. I didn’t want the edges sawed off my songs.” The inevitable separation followed, and five years removed from signing with a major label, Thirty Tigers releases Holy Smokes today.

Tyler produced it himself – with engineering help from Matt Pence, formally of Centromatic – and his break from The Man appears to be a clean one. “Hallelujah [I’ve been Saved]” opens the album and plants the flag of artistic freedom and integrity on a record filled with spiritual themes.

“Like a lot of people from the South, I grew up in the church,” says the Centerpoint, Alabama native. “My grandmother played organ in a Pentecostal congregation. Music is spiritual to me because I feel connected to a higher power when I play, or even listen to certain things.”

There are several impressive aspects to the album, not least of which is the overall production value, all the more impressive since Tyler did it himself. (He self-produced his independent debut, Hot Trottin’, in 2007; “I had no idea what I was doing.”) The arrangements are tight and versatile.

But Tyler’s vocal versatility stands out the most. He wails like Chris Robinson on the opening cut. “Disappear” is reminiscent of Faces-era Rod Stewart. He can be melodic like Gram Parsons or Ryan Adams on one song, or as rough-edged as Ryan Bingham or Ben Nichols on the next.

“Think about the Stones’ Let it Bleed,” Tyler says. “They open with ‘Gimme Shelter’ then slide into ‘Love in Vain.’ Then ‘Country Honk.’ You’ve got all kinds of different songs in one album.” His wide-ranging vocal arrangements were deliberate – on a purposeful album.

“Making this record was really organic,” he says. “As a band, we figured out what we liked. The next time, whoever produces us will have a real baseline to work from.” As Tyler and his band mates gear up for a regional tour (Texas and the South, to start out), he’s eager to see the response from the loyal base of fans he’s cultivated, but also encouraged by industry current events.

The conversation takes place the very week Jason Isbell defies gravity and scores the #1 Billboard Country album. “Oh, yeah,” Tyler says, “I know all about it, I promise. I tried to tell the folks at Atlantic, ‘Times are changing. In the next few years, the good stuff is gonna be really good.’” Oddly enough, his advice fell on deaf ears at Atlantic …you know, the guys who wanted him to go see Jason Aldean’s producer.

Buoyed as he is by the success of a kindred spirit like Isbell, Tyler tries to temper expectations. His even-keeled demeanor is all the more impressive when you tick off some things he accomplished before turning 30. Played on Jimmy Kimmel Live? Check. Have a song featured on NBC’s Friday Night Lights? Been there, done that. What about HBO?

Yes, a Jonathan Tyler song found its way into an episode of Boardwalk Empire. Here, the artist briefly allows some self-indulgence – in his own laconic way. “It did feel good having Martin Scorsese pick it up. I like that guy.” Ho-hum.

Which brings us back to that run-of-the-mill encounter with Ray Wylie FREAKING Hubbard in New Braunfels. “So,” Tyler says, “I went over to his house after a show. I had a riff I’d been working on, and we kinda worked out the first verse.”

Only when Hubbard followed up did things start to sink in with the prodigy. “About a week later, he sent me four more verses,” he says. “I said, ‘Fuck, I can’t change these!’” The finished product is “My Time Ain’t Long,” a psychedelic/gospel number that’s one of two true gems on an album without a mediocre cut.

Lane with Tyler

The other, coincidentally, is also a collaboration. “To Love is To Fly,” a duet with Nikki Lane, is a delicious, dangerous ode to toxic love and dysfunctional relationships. “I had these ideas and some lyrics, and I was thinking, ‘who could sing this?’ Nikki is friends with my bassist’s wife, so we reached out,” he says. “She has the perfect personality for it.” Indeed, who but the “Queen of Outlaw Country” could harmonize, “I’ll wreck your car, throw your keys in the river. I’ll break your heart, but I’ll love you forever?” It burns, like Tyler’s understated passion for what he does.

“I’m a huge music fan. It needs to mean something. I want it to mean something,” he says. “And even with all our success, the band is still working day jobs. It costs a lot to do this, but we’re gonna do it. We hope we can build an audience in the process.”




Touring will be different without a big label behind him, to be sure. “I’m not worried,” he says. “My mind may tell me to worry, but I’ve learned to ignore it.”

Sound self-analysis, from a thoughtful, serious, passionate young man who just made one of the best albums of the year.

------

Holy Smokes is available on Tyler's website, iTunes, Amazon, and all other usual venues, including Spotify.

Jonathan Tyler Performs "Disappear"

From his new album Holy Smokes (out this Friday!), here's Jonathan Tyler performing "Disappear" for Texas Music Scene last year.

5 New Parody Album Covers: Kacey, Chris Knight, etc.

Ray Wylie Hubbard & Jonathan Tyler Perform "(Hey Mama) My Time Ain't Long"

From Hubbard's excellent new album, The Ruffian's Misfortune.