Interview with: Tyler Hilton
When and Where: April 13th, 2006 - Town Ballroom - Buffalo, NY
By: Kristie Taft



Firstly, thank you for taking some time to do this, it’s an honor to be sitting here with you.

Oh, no problem and thank you.

Word has it you're supposed to be releasing your new album, which you actually touched on a little bit tonight. You said you hope to release it by the end of this year...

Yeah, I'd like to hopefully get it out by the end of this year. I've been working on it a bit now but I actually decided to do this movie, it's really great. It's called "Charlie Bartlett" and you know, I was going to stay home for awhile but this tour came up and I'm a fan of Stephen Kellog and Pat McGee so I decided to go and do that. I mean, you have to take good things when they come. Then this movie came up and I'm like, "Wow, this is great!"

Wow, another movie!

Yeah, I know! So, I decided to do it... therefore, if the album doesn't come out in the fall, it will come out first of the year. But, I really wanted to take advantage of these two cool opportunties.

Definitely. So, you sang some new songs tonight. Are those going to appear on the record?

Yes, most of them are going to be on the new record.

Awesome. Every artist has their own way of writing when it comes to writing songs/lyrics. What has influenced your song writing for the songs you have written since the release of The Tracks Of...?

Good question. I think I've gotten to know myself a little more, so I think that's how every record is going to get better. I've gotten a bit more into poetry. I've spent a lot of time alone and learning, too because I didn't go to college. I got signed right before I went to college and I really wanted too. So, I've been doing a lot of reading on my own because the last couple of months, I haven't been on the road. On the road, I really don't get a lot of reading done. Well, more newspaper reading and not book reading. So, I feel like a lot of that's probably influenced it and different musical styles or people I met on the road. That probably had contributed to it a bit.

Do you feel any pressure to living up to the expectations of the fans or the label, even more so than the expectations that you maybe set for yourself?

I don't. Only because the expectations I set for myself, I think are a little higher. The expectations for myself are always to out due myself . A lot of what I don't like is when things are becoming stale or when things are changing the same. I also recognize when an artist changes too much, so this record is just about being better than the last two and it will be. I mean, to me it'll be better than the last two and then the next one will be better than the last three. So, the pressure is definitely me on myself more so anything else.

Have you had to compromise your music at all since being with Maverick?

Hmm. God, these are really good questions. I have a little bit, but in a way it instructs me a lot. That's such a crazy question to ask. I mean, would my music be better if no one was telling me what was good or bad except for myself? I don't know, I think a lot of the stuff I'd put out wouldn't be as good and then a lot of the stuff may have been better because no one would be telling me it's not good, you know? With being on Maverick is you got, I've got different kind of opinions that come into play. A lot of those opinions have their fingers on the pulse of what's hip in the country and the world.

You just finished the One Tree Hill Friends With Benefit Tour. Did you experience any pandemonium at any of the stops like you did when you came here last summer for a signing/high school show with Chad Michael Murray?

The Chad Michael Murray pandemonium when we came here was the craziest I've ever seen. [Laughter] Because at the end, it got dangerous and they pushed the table against us and the security pretty much lifted Chad and I out and threw us backstage. I've never been in a situation where I thought, "Oh shit, we're going to be in big trouble here." Never! I really think it was because of Chad because....

He's from here...

Yeah and because he's a huge star and people freak out about him. I mean, usually when I'm on tour I get screaming but the thing with Chad, people were shivering and crying. It was the craziest thing I had ever seen. It wasn't that kind of pandemonium but it was fun to an extent. I did one, One Tree Hill show every weekend for a month or two and did my own tour in between. It was always a fun stop because it was in a record store and we played a few songs and everyone was real excited.

Did you have a favorite stop?

I think my favorite one was... I really always liked going to New York City...

The response there always seems to be a little bit bigger, I've noticed.

Yeah, they do! Atlanta was fun. Oh, where did Lee [Norris, aka; Mouth on OTH] and I get into all that trouble? We had so much fun. It was great, because I'm no longer on the show and I don't get to see the cast as much.

You just answered one of my questions.

[Laughs] What?

Oh, I was going to ask you if/when they do season four, if you'll be making any appearances...

Oh, if they did a season four. Hmm. I don't know. I never thought I'd be on T.V. I thought I was only going to do two episodes for the show and I ended up liking it so much I kept going for two seasons. I'd say I'm not going to go back on the show, but I love it so much and they keep wanting to bring Chris back and I do too, and maybe I would, but I have to get an album done... and then another movie role comes up and it's like, damn! Maybe I'll come back one day, but as of right now, it's all kind of up in the air. So, we'll see.

A major part of a live performance is connecting with the crowd, which you seem to do well. How would you define performing and the importance of live music?

Wow. I don't know, I think the importance of live music is different for everybody. To me, it's great to see someone play music and see a great artist do what they do, you know? It's kind of like seeing theatre or seeing a movie. It is kind of like theatre. You get to be in the presence of someone you admire a lot, I think so. These are things that I like. When you see live music or someone's live show, you're seeing something that's only going to happen only one time. For example, when you go to a show at a club this size, you're seeing guys go on stage and they're like only doing it that one time. That's why live concert recordings are so cool. You can own a hundred versions of the same song but it can be different each time. For everyone else I think it's just another form of entertainment which is important. It's also inspiring. Anything inspiring and that has to do with art, just makes people smarter. I really like performing live because it's a chance to connect to the crowd. I think that's why I got so involved into acting, because I guess I've kind of been doing that on stage for like 7 or 8 years since I've been doing music professionally. It's just so fun to entertain and so much of what I do entertainment wise and what entertains me about my show is what goes on between songs, too.

What's the better time of the performance? Before or after?

I think after is probably the best time of the performance, especially when you're done. It's like a stamp. It's like [Makes hand motion, stamps the table.] I'm done. It's so fun, to like exit. Entering is fun too.. Exiting is better though.

Yeah, I took note of that. You seemed to be having a little fun introducing yourself.

[Laughs] Yeah, I don't know why I did that tonight. After I did that, I thought to myself that everyone was probably like, "Wow, this guy is full of himself."

I know and I thought to myself, "Everyone is going to think he's conceited and he's not." [Laughter]

Yeah, I know. My dad said that to me too. I'm not, I just like to joke around a lot like I'm narcissistic. My dad was like, "I think people are going to think you were being serious," and I'm like "Yeah, I know."

Well, I mean at least you laughed it off. I don't think anyone took it that seriously.

Well, that's good! [Laughter]

Do you have a most memorable tour moment you'd like to share?

Man, I don't know. They're so hard to think about. This is how favorite tour moments end up coming out. I'll be eating dinner with my dad or with the band and I'll be like, "Oh shit, remember in Minnesota when me and Jocko..." you know what I mean? It just like comes to you. Everyday is such a different adventure. However, one that comes to mind at the moment is when I was doing the tour for One Tree Hill, last summer. It was with The Wreckers, Gavin DeGraw and Bethany Joy Lenz. I had left my suitcase backstage because we were all sharing a dressing room and I had gone out to dinner after my set with Sophia Bush and Lee Norris because they were in town. When I came back from dinner to do a signing, there was this kid in the line who was like, "Can you sign this pair of underwear?" and I'm like "Hey, I have the same pair!" [Laughs] and he's like "They're yours!" and I'm like "How'd you get 'em?" and so, Michelle had gone into my suitcase after I had left and took a pair of my underwear and threw them into the audience and this fan had gotten me to sign a pair of my own underwear! [Laughter]

Oh man! Did you ever get a chance to get her back?

No, I should have though! But, she was pregnant at the time I think, so there really wasn't much I could do.

You could have gotten a little revenge. [Laughter]

I'm awful with practical jokes. You know what? Chad Michael Murray pulls practical jokes all the time and I can't do it back to him. Ever. I just can't.

Yeah, I heard he's a tough one to get back.

He is! He's the worst!

You have two videos for When It Comes. Why did you decide to release the second one? Was it a label decision or did you want to put something newer out there?

Ultimately, I make the decisions but the label brought it up and it was their idea. They thought we'd make the first video independantly and I thought it was great. The guy who made it [Nick Spanos] was just so great. We did it all video camera and just shot hours and hours of adventures around the country and he edited it together brilliantly and they were like, "You know, MTV may not play something like that. Why don't we shoot a slicker one also?" So, I said okay. With the other one, I think it's... I mean, I can see what they were going for but in the editing, and this goes for an album and same with a movie, after it's all done, in the editing process, so much changes. I saw it and I was like "Ugh," and ultimately, MTV didn't really even play it at all. Neither did VH1. They actually ended up using the first one, so it worked out. The second one was just an attempt to out due ourselves, I suppose.

I guess you'd say you like the first one better?

Yeah, for sure.

Hmm. I think I'm torn between them, but I do really enjoy the first one... so I think I might like that one too.

Oh, cool. Well, I'm glad you like the second one too. The second one was fun too, because there was a scene where my dad makes a small cameo into it as the taxi driver that drops me off at the venue. You can't really see his face, but that's him driving the cab. At the very end of the night when I pull up to the house and the light goes off at the end of the video, the girl who was playing my girlfriend had actually left already so my sister had went up to the room and she was the girl soulohette. My roomate played bass in the video, also.

Really? How cool. Things I wouldn'tve known!

Yeah, just random little facts, you know?

You played Elvis in Walk The Line... and I may have been living under a rock, but I didn't know that until I acutally saw the movie. You have referenced him as being one of your musical influences. It's not everyday someone gets to play the role of one of their favorite artists. How was it to get to do that?

It was scary and at first, I didn't want too because I like him so much I didn't want to mess it up or anything. Ultimately, it just sounded like so much fun to make the movie. The only reason I would stop making music, recording, performing and writing is to do something that I think is great. I thought Chris Kellar (OTH character) was the coolest thing, ever on One Tree Hill. I thought he was so funny. Same with Elvis and this new movie that I'm doing. This is only going to be the third acting thing I've ever done and all these roles just grabbed me because they all just sounded like so much fun.

I just remembered something. You actually started acting in Walk The Line before you got the role in One Tree Hill, is that right?

Yes. Well, the movie took so long and with One Tree Hill we film it a month before it goes on. Sometimes movies take longer than others, but that one took like two years to come out. Seriously though, I hope this new movie I'm doing doesn't take that long to come out. [Laughter]

Which did you enjoy more? Your role playing Elvis or your role playing Chris Kellar... and yes, you have to choose.

[Laughs] Okay. [Pauses] I enjoyed doing Chris Kellar more. I think the scale is a little unbalanced because I got to be Chris Kellar in more situations where as with Elvis I did a little bit in a couple hour movie. With Elvis, I was always struggling with if I was hitting my mark or not. With Chris Kellar is was like an open book. It was the first time I created a character out of thin air and that's what's going to be fun with this new movie I'm doing because, I play this singer in high school and I'm a drug dealer and I love to watch videos of myself beating people up, like I have my friends video tape me beating people up, like backyard wrestling. I love doing that. It's so fun to make a character out of nowhere and that's what I got to do with Chris Kellar. First couple of episodes I wasn't sure and the more I got to know the guy and the more I talked about him and stuff, he just became so much fun for me to do because he became such a dick head. [Laughter]

Is there something that you've had your heart set on doing but haven't had the chance to do so yet?

Yeah, actually there is a lot. There's two mainly that I would really love to do and I'm giving myself all the time in the world to do them. One is to do a play on broadway. Not a musical, but a drama. I just read today that Julia Roberts is doing one and it's out grossing everything on Broadway, which is great because it's not a musical. It's rare that anyone does a play on broadway. I've always said that doing something like that would be phoenomenal. Another thing I really want to do is go to outerspace. I just would really be into that I think. It would literally, blow my mind.

You have to take a bunch of classes to do something like that though, I believe.

Right, I think so. I don't even know how civilians could go. I'm hoping it gets easier as I get older though, because it'll absolutely blow my mind.

This is my last question.. so have some fun with it. If you had to create an infomercial about buying your record, what would you tell your listeners?

Oh, nice! I would say that my album is not unlike a great book or a great movie but I think it's good all the way through. I'm a huge fan of it. I didn't just put it out there to make money like a lot of products or to get famous. I just love the record. So, if you're a fan of mine and I would buy it, then so should you! [Laughter] and that's my infomerical.

Awesome. Thanks again!

Oh, you're welcome! Thank you.



Special Thank you to Victoria Blake and Bob Hilton!
For more information on Tyler, please go to: www.tylerhilton.com.


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