Tyson Allison

Story

Tyson Allison can't sit still. His twitchy legs have carried him from his home state of North Dakota to Idaho, Illinois, Minnesota, and currently to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is active in several bands that straddle the line between MN and WI, including Layers&Layers, The Sleeper Pins, Heavy Pedal Cello, Swallows, the David Foster Wallace Project, J. Briozo, and his own solo works. He has produced, written, and played on several recordings, and also runs the indie label Emperor Penguin Records. He also books shows for the house concert venue, Igloo Black in Milwaukee, WI. Tyson is a fan of many styles of music, but singer songwriters are often his favorite. He counts David Bazan, Vic Chesnutt, Damien Jurado, Jakob Dylan, Jeff Tweedy, Mason Jennings, Elliott Smith, Bon Iver, Nirvana, Radiohead, and The Beatles as some of his many influences. Whether rocking out with a band or playing a quiet introspection, you can expect a variety of melodies, dynamics, lyrical imagery, and candid integrity from Tyson Allison.

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Instruments

Genres

Influences

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Languages

What is music to you? What does it give you?

Music is part of what interests me about life and keeps my brain curious about art. It's been with me forever, passed down from my folks and walking along side me everyday, everywhere. It constantly provides me with a challenge to dig within myself and find something that surprises me. It gives me happiness, frustration, collaboration, friendships, justification, a get out of jail free card from depression, a realignment of the cells in my body, a full heart, and an empty wallet, haha.

What is your music dream?

To always be able to have a way/outlet to play music and never run out of ideas. I don't need to be famous. Ultimately, to feel satisfied with what I've created and done with my life musically.

If you could change the world - what would you start with?

I'd start with building empathy, compassion, and respect for all of humanity and nature.

Which is the most memorable song from your childhood?

The most memorable song from my childhood would either be "Queen of Hearts" by Juice Newton, or the theme song to "Grease" haha. Both got played a lot on my Mom's 8-track player in her truck and the house stereo. Honorable mention goes to "Abracadabra" by Steve Miller. None of these songs really show themselves in the music I play now, but still...

Who are your favorite musical artists or bands?

The Beatles, Nirvana, Wilco, Prince, Pedro the Lion, Tom Waits, Elliott Smith, Radiohead, Vic Chesnutt, Damien Jurado, Mason Jennings, Eels, Smashing Pumpkins, Bob Dylan

What inspires you to make music?

What inspires me is finding new sounds, new words, a better way to write lyrics, letting my imagination run, expressing myself, and the feeling I get when the sounds I hear in my head come together on recordings. It's so cool to know that for the most part instruments stay the same but what different people can do with them is so unique; I like discovering what I can do with them. But I also am inspired by hearing what other musicians can do with them as well. I enjoy being a part of the awe and wonder that is music creation.

What is the message you want to send with your music?

The message I would send is that my music is me. To listen to it is to get to know me. I'm handing you my diary, but there is still mystery in it and you'll have to spend some time with me to fully understand it. We are all deep, we all have stories worth telling, and these are mine. I never get sick of my own songs because they all mean something to me, and in the end I hope they will mean something to you, too.

How do you feel when you perform in front of an audience?

I feel good but somewhat nervous in front of an audience. I'm about to get personal with people who have no idea who I am or what struggles I've faced to get to that point. My eyes are closed most of the time, and honestly I'm not that big on being the center of attention. But I get through it, and the more people seem to dig it the more I get into it, too. Finding a comfortable place is possible, but I need a little time to settle in. I'm immersed in my own world, and I hope folks like visiting for a spell. It took awhile for me to reach this point; to feel confident and stand behind my songs.

How do you see the musicians’ reality nowadays? What could be improved?

The musicians' reality is on the bleak side nowadays. Music seems to continually be marginalized and treated like a commodity. Like it's just supposed to be there all the time, curated just for you, for free. Art in general is in a bad spot right now because it isn't appreciated enough and it's hard to live in an increasingly expensive environment. There is far too much emphasis put on looks and style rather than talent and content. Creators don't get enough time to create because they are bogged down in a day job and stressful living conditions and hustling for little to no return for their endeavors. I could go on and on about this, and every musician I know talks about some form of this all the time. It's great that there are so many platforms to get your music out there to the world, and that recording has become so cheap, but it's also very easy to get lost in the shuffle. We have to wear too many hats--writer, promoter, booker, performer, etc. All while trying not to feel like you're forcing your music on a potential fan by showing up in their social media feed too many times, but you'd really like them to go through the clicks it takes to check you out and spend a buck on a song. What could be improved is finding easier channels to get through to promotional opportunities and radio play, opening more venues where live music is the focus, not TVs playing sports games. Actually paying musicians money instead of free beer at shows. Paying musicians more for streams and downloads. Making the fees venues have to pay Performing Rights Organizations less so more owners can afford to have live music at their venue. But, all the blame cannot be put on "the system"; we as musicians also have to stand up for ourselves and see what we do as worthy of pay and demand it. We are skilled and unique; not everyone can do this.

What do you think of Drooble?

So far it's cool; I feel like I'm just getting my feet wet in it right now and have much more to explore. The simple act of answering these questions has been different, thought-provoking, and not something I've come to expect from these kinds of platforms. So I like that it's here and will look forward to reading the answers of other musicians on Drooble.

What frustrates you most as a musician?

What frustrates me most is not having enough time to devote to my music craft as I'd like. I have a lot of ideas and am part of several different projects, with new potential projects always on the back burner. But there is the day job and always having to coordinate schedules with bandmates and collaborators (who also have day jobs), and also working that around family time as well. I always feel like creativity gets the short straw, and can never shake the feeling of "what would I come up with if I had more time to work on this?"

Do you support your local scene as a fan? How?

I do support my local scene as a fan. I happen to live within walking distance of several bars/music venues in my area of town, and it's a common thing for me to do to just head out on any given night and see what's happening. There are bands that have my ear that I like to go see, friends that are in bands that I like to hang out with and trade shows with, but I also like to just show up somewhere and hear bands I've never heard before, too. You never know what you'll hear or who you'll meet. I listen to our local radio station and always text a friend or two to see if they want to come out with me. I also help book shows for other bands and occasionally host house shows in my basement as well.

What qualities should a musician nowadays have in order to get their music heard by a larger audience?

In order to reach a larger audience, a musician should have an available recording, willingness to perform live, a mailing list, and a helluva lot of social media savvy. Tenacity and perseverance will absolutely come in handy as well. They should have an open mind for collaboration, ability to network when possible, communicate well, and be confident in their work.

Share some awesome artists that we’ve never heard of.

J. Briozo, Aaron Kerr, Caley Conway, Ellie Jackson, Field Report, Buffalo Gospel, Lung, 1913, Mark Mallman, Tiger Nite, Swallows, Heavy Pedal Cello, Greta Ruth, Amanda Huff, Lady Cannon, Telechrome