Tyler Elden writes emotionally charged music with one foot in the present, and another in the past. Tyler’s songwriting incorporates a wide variety of influences ranging from progressive rock to folk. Performing as both a solo artist and with a high energy backing band, he has garnered comparisons of early 2000s post hardcore acts from Philadelphia’s CherryVeeZine, and praise for his more intimate work with comparisons to Death Cab for Cutie from NJ’s The Mic blog. After years of multiple independent releases and live performances across the east coast and local Philadelphia venues such as: Underground Arts, The Fire, The Grape Room, & Ortlieb’s, Tyler Elden is poised for a busy year of touring & new music.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey Tyler Elden, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
It’s hard to pin down the exact moment I got into music, as my family always had the radio playing and albums on the turnable since I can remember. They aren’t musicians themselves, but huge music lovers. I have been told stories that as a child I had a toy cassette recorder and they would know I was getting up in the morning if they heard tunes coming from my room. There are pictures of me with a toy ukulele and miniature piano from the time I was four or five years old.
How do you balance your time in the studio with other commitments such as a part-time job, family, admin?
Being super diligent with how you schedule your time and hard deadlines seem to work best for me. In many ways I am a perfectionist and one of the hardest things for me to do is let go of a project. It’s something I am still working on. Surrounding myself with a team that can keep me in check and held accountable is important. I find a daily to do list along with a tight calendar allows more freedom outside of my creative life. I really like a consistent routine and enjoy Steven Pressfield’s take on creative work in his book The War of Art.
Your latest song is 'Warmth Of The Sun'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
“Warmth Of The Sun” is new territory for me. It is the first song I have ever released that could fall under the alt-country genre. I come from a background in indie / alternative rock. This tune was born out of putting together an acoustic set for my upcoming solo tour and it was the first song I finished from that batch. I didn’t want to rely much on acrobatic guitar work or bombastic drums to sell the song. I figured I needed some numbers that could stand up with just a single guitar and vocal.
What is one message you would give to your fans?
I struggle with the word fan, I always think of the folks who are interested as listeners. To them I say, thank you for giving anything I write a little space in your life.
What would you be doing right now, if it wasn’t for your music career?
Teaching.
How do you know when a work is finished?
I have my own small recording studio at home, so finishing a work can be unclear as I can always walk into the studio and add another track onto a song. The longer I do this, the more I find it important to bring someone else in with fresh ears during the end of the process. This is especially true when your gut is telling you that another guitar or piano part may be detracting from the overall arrangement. With digital recording and virtually unlimited tracks, it is so easy to go overboard. On most of my upcoming recordings I run final arrangement and mix tweaks by Matt Weber. He is an engineer and producer working out of the Gradwell House in Haddon Heights, New Jersey who is either recording or mixing music almost everyday. I have a lot of trust in his ears and production ideas.
Can you write what was your best performance in your career? How do you remember it?
I have played a lot of shows that have meant the world to me, but one that sticks out is opening up for a friends band at Underground Arts in Philadelphia. I traveled from Vermont on a weekend just to play the show. The amount of energy the band and I brought to the stage that night was something I was very proud of. The end of the set erupted into this big unplanned cacophony of noise and feedback. My guitar rig was so beat up that I left the stage and my fantastic band finished off the final song. While I wouldn’t say it was my best set, honorable mention goes to a basement punk show in Manayunk PA. That set ended with a cymbal falling off the stand cutting the skin above my eyebrow causing quite a bit of blood to pour onto my guitar and face. Probably not a scenario you would imagine happening after listening to this current single!
Do you have a mentor or coach?
I grew up with many. Guitar teachers, college music instructors, peers, engineers and producers.
Who is your favourite musician?
I always have to answer this question with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. I was raised on those records. I don’t think you hear the influence all that much in my own music, but the idea of 4 chords and the truth still resonates with me. Even though I love more complex progressive music, Tom’s songwriting and the way the band arranged and performed music will always be my gold standard.
What are your plans for the future?
I am going to be releasing a lot of music over the next few months, as well as introducing my band that will be releasing the heavier alternative rock tracks with me. I also will be touring all over the United States. You can check out the dates on tylerelden.com.