Interview with Tyler Ewing

A few months ago, I was approached by someone at Go Rogue Records, asking me to listen to a track called Breathe by Pinewood Social, "the creative alter universe" of composer Tyler Ewing. I was curious and had to take a look. I listened to his new track and fell in love with the sound. It's fresh, new and inventive. It also had a sound very similar to my taste in music already. Based in Nashville, Tyler blends pop, folk and indie sounds to create music that is really unique. Once I listened to the track, I knew I had to set up an interview with Tyler to pick his brain and find out where his inspiration came from.

- How long have you been making music and when did you know that you wanted to do it for a living?
I've been playing music since the 2nd grade when I began taking piano lessons, and began writing and recording (on a four track tape recorder ... gotta start somewhere) when I was in 6th grade. When I was in high school, I played bass in a band, cello in the school orchestra, piano in the choir, and began experimenting with music technology in music theory, which helped to shape my decision to pursue music as a career. I got the opportunity to write professionally when I graduated from college and have been fortunate to get to write music everyday for a living.

-Do you think living in Nashville has influenced you or your music at all?
Nashville has definitely had a huge impact on me musically. I've gotten to work with some great musicians over the years that have really pushed and inspired me to improve on everything from technique to mixing. I've also been very fortunate to have had some great mentors along the way.

-Who are some of your biggest musical inspirations?
That's a really difficult question because there is so much amazing music out there, but some artists that I've been particularly interested in lately and have influenced my work are: Bruno Coulais, CHVRCHES, Jonsi, One Republic, M83, and Mumford & Sons.

-What inspired you to write Breathe?
I had worked with the singer on Breathe, Hannah Arn, before and really wanted to write something that would feature her incredible voice and talent in a different way than what we had done before. I can't say that I really drew inspiration from any one source in particular, but I knew that I wanted it to have a bold and eclectic quality to it.

-You have such an amazing and unique musical style, what is the best way you can describe it?
Thank you! I try not to fall into any particular style, but will say that I typically lean towards an indie pop sound. I do my best to think outside the box and really experiment when I'm writing and recording.
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Make sure to check out Breathe here!
And be sure to follow @GoRogueRecords on Twitter for updates on Tyler's new music!

xx
Ashley