TYLER JAMES : Interview With Hairbandheaven.rocks
HBH: Firstly, thank you Tyler for your time today; I really appreciate it. Before we dive into talking about the new EP, for those that aren’t too familiar with the band can you give us a brief history of the band and how it all came together?
TJ: Thanks for having me mate! So I played in a few bands around the country growing up, and they were pretty tough crowds that really taught me how to get the audiences attention, so by the time I moved to the city, I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted in a band. I went into the studio, recorded the single, put together what became the first incarnation of the Tyler James and just got out on stage and put on a show!
HBH: The lead single from the record is ‘Forever’. What sort of feedback have you received from fans and media?
TJ: I honestly was going to try and leave it in my past, but it’s the song that won’t die!! It’s one of the first songs I ever wrote, and it wasn’t even going to make the EP, but Peter, who now makes up part of my management team, was a strong advocate for it being the first single. It’s become such a staple throughout the years, the fans expect it and I owe it to them to play it, because they’re the reason its still getting played today!
HBH: Let’s talk about some of the other material on the new EP. I thought the tracks “Sunset City Streets” and “Van Halen” both had a great 80’s vibe to them. Can you talk a little bit about those songs?
TJ: Cheers mate! Funnily enough, I wrote Sunset while over in LA, checking out the strip and trying to soak up some of that 80s vibe! Van Halen is a classic track about girls, and I think that’s where the heart of melodic rock lies. What would 80s rock be without girls, right?! *laughs*
HBH: Do you have a favorite song off the album?
TJ: I love the way Scarred turned out, I really went for that huge Def Leppard style big background vocal thing, and I’m super proud of the end result.
HBH: Can you talk a little bit about what the current music scene is like in Australia?
TJ: Truthfully, the hard rock scene is kicking ass at the moment, we’ve got some killer artists out doing shows, you’ve just gotta keep an eye out and make sure you get out to them. I love what the Dangerous Curves boys are doing, and Massive are killing it overseas, playing festivals, but it barely costs more than $10 bucks to catch them here, so its actually a pretty great time to be a music fan here.
HBH: A lot of bands in rock and metal talk about the day they first saw Kiss or Black Sabbath and that this is what made them want to become a musician. Who was it for you?
TJ: The Queen, live at Wembley DVD. Growing up in a small town, getting to Melbourne for a gig didn’t happen until into my teens, but without a doubt, seeing the way Freddie commanded that sea of people changed the way I thought about music. And then of course, KISS took that and skyrocketed it. The bombs, the pyro, it was everything I wanted to see in a rock show.
HBH: Following up a bit on the last question. Give us your top five albums of all time?
TJ: Ooh, that’s tough man..
1. Queen - a Night at the Opera
2. Def Leppard - Hysteria
3. KISS - Revenge
4. Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet
5. W.A.S.P - The Crimson Idol
HBH: What are your plans for the band going forward in 2018-19?
TJ: The physical EP drops officially in a couple weeks, though keen eyes have found it on a few sources already! We just got signed to Shout Out Loud PRN Entertainment Group management, so we just wanna get out in front of as many people as possible and show them what we’re all about!
HBH: Is there anything you would like to add?
TJ: I just wanna thank you for taking the time to chat mate, I really appreciate it!! To anyone reading, jump on your favourite streaming app and check out the record, and come out to a show and watch us jump around and strut around like we own the place, I promise you won’t be disappointed!
Interview by: Josh Smith
Band Members
Tyler James - Vocals, Guitar Dash Richardson - Guitar Naim Kirk Ibrahim - Bass Guitar Cameron Slade - Drums
