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Hunky Tyler Hilton backs his pop with real songcraftYou might've run into pompadoured heartthrob Tyler Hilton on the big screen or the small screen 'he's the dapper young dude portraying Elvis in Walk The Line, and he has been a fixture on teen TV favorite One Tree Hill, playing singer-songwriter Chris Keller.
But Hilton is good at playing singer-songwriters on screen because he's great at playing a singer-songwriter on stage.
When he stopped in Nashville last spring to rock Rocketown on the One Tree Hill tour, his smooth-sanded pop-folk songs came off radio-ready enough to send the teen-girl crowd into a tizzy and mature enough to hit an indie rock purist's soft spot for Lite FM.
Production-wise, the songs on his debut LP, The Tracks of, are focused squarely on the teen sect ' sugary, glossy and bubble-gummy. But Hilton's appreciation of folks like Patty Griffin shines through in the pensive, rootsy songcraft.
Hilton will serenade an intimate crowd tonight, when he drops byThe Basement (1604 Eighth Ave. S., 254-1604) with folk-rock artist Megan Slankard. The show starts at 6 p.m.; there's a $5 cover.
Nicole Keiper, Staff Writer
