Interview with Tyler Spyder, Solo Artist - Electronic Rock

Interview with Tyler Spyder, Solo Artist - Electronic Rock
Interviewed by Paul Dale Roberts, HPI's Esoteric Detective
Halo Paranormal Investigations
www.cryptic916.com/
Email: jazmaonline@gmail.com
HPI Schedule: jazmaonline.boards.net/thread/1748/hpi-schedule-2021
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Question: Thank you for doing this interview Tyler, can you tell us something about yourself?

Answer: Before music, I wanted to make movies, work in the film industry. My dad was a major/indie/freelance film maker, and he taught me how to use a camera along with editing movies while I grew up. When I was 17, he, his family and I had a falling out. But I kept doing both a live heavy metal band, and Theater, Acting, filming and editing; while finishing up high school.

I ended up getting my Associates Degree in Film and Entertainment Arts at the University of Utah before deciding I’d put my full focus on Music in 2010 and dropping out, disregarding my plans for a Bachelor’s Degree.

Question: I am not a musician, when I was a kid I played a little bit of guitar and that's about it. You emphasize "electronic rock", can you explain?

Answer: I call it Electronic Rock as it’s the simplest way of expressing what I do. I combine my guitar (acoustic and electric) and Bass skills with drum and synth programming as well as playing Synths and other virtual instruments. I do a mixture of physical and digital instruments.

The term Electronic Rock has a nicer ring that Dark Alternative/Progressive Industrial Bass/Dance Music. I don’t think the younger generation and today’s generation have the attention span for something long and ridiculous like that term, and when something is labeled Industrial, they might expect something different.

I heard an old favorite band I used to listen to often labeled as that, (Innerpartysystem), but when you listen to that band, there are so many more elements to it than just Electronic and Rock music.

I do my best not to fall into my particular genre (Electronic and Rock n’ Roll, as my songs range from soft piano instrumentals with some ambient synthscapes, Progressive Synth Rock, to EDM, heavy electro thrash and Progressive Industrial. I also don’t want to be confused to be an EDM artist or fall into a particular category. When I call it Electronic Rock, and introduce it someone like that, it creates a different expectation for the listener.

Question: What is your goal with your music?

Answer: My goal with music is to inspire others like my inspirations have inspired me, as well as see the world by going on tour, and of course to make money so I don’t have to keep struggling with financial stability. If I entertain people live, I’d like to be paid for it haha.

But reaching out to someone with my music and enhancing or changing their perspective or life, is truly rewarding as it is. Which is why with my music, I pretty much give away for free and set it up as people can pay what they want for my Albums, EP’s and Singles on my BandCamp.

Question: Where do you perform at?

Answer: While I’ve performed with Lexi SayOk (Keys/Synths) my own band, Outlet, and as a DJ on later performing live EDM shows with a Midi Controller Setup, (Ableton Push/MacBook Pro) at several venues and house parties in Utah, as well as House Parties in Washington, I’m currently not playing anywhere.

My goal this year once I finish up a few more short 6-7 track albums/EPs, is to get a live band to help me perform my solo music live.

In the past, I’ve performed at The Avalon, The Murray Theater, In The Venue and Club Sound, as well as a Festival opening for Nero and Showtek in A Race Track west of Downtown Salt Lake City on 4/20/2018 (Bloom 2 Festival). Unfortunately when The Corona Virus hit Salt Lake, a lot of those Venues changed names or were shut down permanently.

My favorite venue which I played multiple times in different bands, and while doing my solo work as Dethspyder (Dubstep/DoomStep/EDM with my MIDI Controller Setup); Club Sound/In The Venue, was torn down in 2021 and replaced with some fancy High Rise Apartments. So many great memories at that that Combo Venue; (one side was for bigger shows, while Club Sound was significantly smaller and more intimate) While I played Live Keys/Synths at a Battle of the Bands there (We Won) to seeing acts like Serj Tankian, Chevelle, The Faint and The Birthday Massacre, and meeting one of my girlfriends at that show, it’s simply…gone now.

Once I get my live setup going by January 2023, I’ll be playing at places like Sky, The Depot, and various house parties. I like the Medium/Smaller Scale venues and House parties, intimate and small spaces are much more enjoyable to perform at, seeing the faces on each person there, feeling their energy, playing literally feet away from them; i just love those types of Environments.

Question: Do you have a website, where people can see you play your songs?

Answer: Yes I do. Two big ones;

SoundCloud.com/Tylerspyder

as well as:

www.tylerspydermusic.bandcamp.com

I have the majority of my music spanning from the past 12 years on SoundCloud; some of which are Free to download, as opposed to my BandCamp site, which only has a couple of singles and my EP, “Zero Hour” (Released November 16th, 2021) available for purchase on it.

I’m also finally a Verified Artist on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, and Amazon Music.

I recently got on board with Distrokid, and so far have released my latest album: “Half Life Death” and my singles, “Nothing But Carnage” and “Goodbye” with them. I of course will be releasing everything with them in the future, because they submit and get my music on every platform, like Tik Tok, YouTube Music, SnapChat, Deezer, Tidal, all of those guys.

I also signed a Promotional and Distribution deal with the Los Angeles based Record Label, Mojoheadz, for my song “Death, Stranding.” That comes out on Spotify July 26th, 2022.

Question: How long have you been a musician?

Answer: I truly discovered I could sing at age 13 in 2003, then I asked for an electric guitar for my birthday later that year, and got a bass player and drummer and formed my band, Outlet in early 2004. Guitar didn’t really make sense to me until I turned 15, and that’s also when I picked up The Apple/Mac based digital audio workstation, GarageBand. From there I picked up a basic M-Audio MIDI Keyboard, and learned Drum Programming all in 2006, so I guess..

Shit, I’ve been a musician for about 18 years. And it’s been an off/on as well as Love/Hate relationship with it. I went through various bands and solo projects, but my best ones were playing Live Keys/Synths (Devan Bailey’s band) Lexi SayOK, and my solo project Outlet and later REDechoes.

And Outlet went through various members and presentations, sadly the only keyboardist we ever had couldn’t join the band because of crazy and overbearing religious bands. I live in Centerville, which is just north of Salt Lake City, The Mormon Mecha. This place was a trip to say the least while growing up here.

And the lack of having a live synth/keys player was quite ironic because the 2008 iTunes release of “Eclipse: Becoming A Monster” was a crazy mix of Heavy Industrial Rock and Roll, I wrote and recorded it all myself using MixCraft, BeatCraft and ProTools.

So instead of finding a decent keyboardist for Outlet, I just got another guitarist. I think the best lineup for that band was when I had Rayce Dendal on Drums, Ashley Ryan on Guitar, Stephen on Bass, Tanner Isom on Guitar, Kyle Gilbreath on Guitar, and Myself doing some Live Keys and Rhythm/Lead Guitar while screaming and singing into a microphone.

We had a good run, but I went on to do Dethspyder as an EDM artist until 2016, when I fully committed to going back to a live band setup as “Tyler Spyder.”

Now as ridiculous as that it’s having a solo project 6 years in the making, I went through some crazy life events involving Federal Probation for having a gun and ammo while being a felon and the Suicides of my Father and Uncle, as well as my Grandad, who gave me the bass, electric and acoustic guitars that I use now in my recordings.

Ultimately, I didn’t start putting my full focus into being a live entity until 2020, which later became the “Zero Hour” EP and “Nothing But Carnage” under Tyler Spyder.

Now there’s a bit of my music out, so becoming a live entity is the next move. This time, I’ll have 2 keyboardists and myself playing synth and guitar, as well as a bassist, another guitarist, and a drummer who knows their way around electronic and acoustic drums. It’s going to be quite fun, definitely a challenge, but one I look forward to making happen.

I recently gained a lot of exposure outside the U.S. with my single, “Nothing But Carnage,” which was an experiment, and now I feel better about proceeding forward to becoming the live entity I’ve been kicking around inside my head for the past 3 years.

Question: What are your favorite musicians and bands?

Answer: Oh there are many.

Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, Chris Corner of IAMX/Sneaker Pimps, As well as Todd Fink and The Faint, Kris Barman/Wuki, Innerpartysystem, Robert Smith/The Cure, Children of Bodom, Dethklok, Mastodon, Radiohead, Depeche Mode, David Gahan, Billy Howerdel, Matt McJunkins, Jeff Friedl, Josh Freese, Jeordie White (Twiggy Ramirez) previously of Marilyn Manson, Atticus Ross, A Perfect Circle, Maynard James Keenan of Tool/APC/Puscifer, Deadmau5, Zeds Dead, and my latest favorites being HEALTH and Sammi Doll.

Question: Before we go, is there anything you would like to add?

Answer: Yeah, thanks for this opportunity to share a bit about my solo project. I look forward to getting on the road with a Live Tour next year, and in the meantime, I’ll continue to produce content and create a virtual environment for my band until we get out of Utah and traverse the United States and Europe, and help inspire people to be their best selves, overcoming mental illness, and having fun with life again.

Question: How can people email you?

Answer: At tylerdethspyder666@gmail.com

Tyler Spyder •