// ARTICLES
Tyler Hilton-Teenmag
Name: Tyler Hilton
D.O.B.: November 22, 1983 (Scorpio)
Height: 6'3"
Hometown: Palm Springs, CA
Why You Should Care: Tyler is an up-and-coming singer-songwriter who just independently released his first self-titled CD, thanks in big part to the nationally syndicated "Mark and Brian" radio program.
Big Break: Being a big fan of Jonny Lang, the 18-year-old blues guitarist, helped put Tyler on the map. He explains: "I called Mark and Brian to [try to win] tickets to one of [Jonny's] concerts," says Tyler. "I ended up singing one of his songs to get the tickets, and after that they asked me on their show." Since then he's appeared on Mark and Brian's show several times, and has built up a big fan base from their nationwide audience. He even gets fan mail. "Yeah, I get quite a bit," says Tyler. "It's real cool."
The Sweetest Story: Part of the reason Tyler is so popular with Mark and Brain listeners is because of one particular time he was on the air.
"I was coming back from my vacation in Alaska," says Tyler, "And this flight attendant lady in the airport was really cute, but you know, I was too embarrassed to get her name. On the way home, I kept thinking, you know I should've gotten her name. So I wrote a song about it called "Not Getting Your Name," and I just kept thinking about it."
Wait. It gets better... Tyler goes on, "I wrote the song, and I went on Mark and Brian like the first week I was recording my album because I was in the area. They asked me if I'd written any new songs, and I said yeah I'd written this song, and so I played it for 'em and I told them the story. They said, 'Well is it true?' And I said, 'Well, yeah it's true.' So then they said, 'You know what we gotta do? We gotta find her.' So I thought, Aw man." Then, with the help of their [producers], Mark and Brian tracked down the airport girl and ultimately got her to phone in to the show.
"I don't know what she was thinking, but she calls the radio station," says Tyler. "I'd never even talked to this girl before, and here I was like, 'Oh yeah, I just kind of wrote a song about you and I don't really know you.' So I introduced myself and I sang the song." Of course, the girl, whose name is Amy btw, loooved the song and was totally flattered. But that's not where the story ends...
"Then I did the Mark and Brian Christmas show," says Tyler, "I started playing "Not Getting Your Name," and they stopped me in the middle of the song [saying] 'Oh, we've got a surprise for you' -- they had flown the girl down from Washington! They sat her out on a stool right on stage there. I'd never even met her in person, so it was kinda weird. So then I sang this song for her, and she ended up staying the weekend and so we got to know each other. It was very cool."
Pretty amazing huh? That girl is pretty darn lucky. (She is 21 though so Tyler will have to wait a few years.)
Musical Stylins: So what kind of music has Tyler been winning all these folks over with? Let's let him tell us. "I write most of my songs on acoustic guitar so sometimes even though I'm thinking rock 'n' roll, or folk rock, I guess sometimes it comes out closer to the country side because that's what it lends itself to." He's not really country though. "I would say more folk rock, country rock," says Tyler. When we mention that he sounds a little like John Mellencamp, he replies, "I've heard that a lot, yeah."
Musical Favorites: Even though people say he sounds like him, Tyler just recently started listening to John Mellencamp. "Actually, even though it doesn't really come across in my music, my favorite music is blues, like old acoustic blues," says Tyler. "For a long time, up until about a year ago, that's all I would play like at my shows, just a whole bunch of blues stuff. Some of my influences are Robert Johnson, he's from the 30s, and Muddy Waters. But some of my newer influences would be Train and this band from Britain called Wood." That's a pretty wide range of musical tastes for such a young guy. "And definitely Bob Dylan," adds Tyler, who also loves The Beatles. Who're
Getting His Start: Tyler's first exposure to music was through piano lessons. Then in the fifth grade, his uncle gave him an old amplifier and electric guitar for Christmas, and eventually, Tyler picked it up and started playing. His first real gigs began in high school. "My freshman year of high school--I'm going into my senior year next year--I started going to this open mic at this real cool coffee shop in Palm Springs," says Tyler. "I just kept doing that open mic, and then finally they asked me to do my own show." And that was when Tyler became a professional musician. "Since then," he says, "I've been gigging pretty steadily at the coffee houses, the clubs, bars, theaters. You know, wherever I can."
Writing From the Heart: Unlike most pop-stars, folk rocker Tyler writes all his songs himself. "There's one song on the CD I didn't write, and that's The Beatles', 'It's Only Love.'"
Tyler gets the inspiration for his songs from the things that happen to him and around him. "A lot of [the album is] about girls and love and that kind of stuff," says Tyler, "But really, anything that happens in my life, um, good or bad, influences my music. Something good happens, I can write a song. Something bad happens, I can write a song. So really, I'm good either way."
Sometimes, he uses his music to express his frustration too. "In the music business, artists just don't get treated very well by big record executives and that kind of stuff," says Tyler, "So I just write about that, and how I'm mistreated, disrespected. That kind of stuff."
Comparison Shopping: Even though he's wary of big record companies, Tyler is looking for a label to represent him. "I'm independent now but I'm looking for a record contract," he says. "I'm trying to hook things up with a couple record companies, but I'm trying to be real careful because I don't want to do anything that I'm going to regret. So I'm probably being a little more picky than I should be, but hey, it's all right." After all, he is only 17! Still Studious: Even though he's actively pursuing a music career, Tyler is a full-time high school student. "I can't wait to finish my senior year. I mean, I'm real excited for it." Luckily, his music hasn't gotten in the way of his. "My teachers are pretty understanding. I've got, I think, an average of a 3.9 or 4.0 right now. I have a lot of shows during the week, and they're pretty OK with letting me go. I still work pretty hard during the year, too."
Future Plans: So what's Tyler got planned for after graduation? "I just got back from Boston," he says. "I was looking at the Berkeley College of music back there." That's right. Tyler plans on attending college and pursuing his musical career. "Since my education will be in music, I can't really say what's gonna be happening, say, tomorrow," says Tyler. "Something crazy could happen, so I don't really know." No matter what happens, it seems clear that Tyler's going to be one successful guy.
