snow
2009-12-04

Heavy snowfall outside. Coffee in the mug. A good time for an entry.

It's Friday, 5pm. I'm lying on my couch, looking out the window, watching the absurdly early onset of night take place. It's been snowing, snowing, snowing all day. A peaceful thing. Tomorrow I will drag my tired feet and nearly brand new shovel outside and carve little pathways around our home, clearing the whiteness, baring the cement, making scraping, chipping, crunching noises, all in an effort to make a place where thin cotton sneakers can walk around happy and dry. Tonight, perhaps, I will lie here some more, then eat, then record, then watch Christmas specials with my wife.

The process of recording this new album has been really good. Not just good in terms of results, but good for me. It's been awhile since I've seriously recorded for myself. After finishing Unclosing in early 2007, I felt overwhelmed and burned out from a long recording process that was chock-full of humbling learning experiences and setbacks which unfortunately offset the satisfaction that came with finishing and releasing that huge project.

After promoting that record as best I could for a year, I found myself happy to be immersed in other people's projects and slowly began shifting my own recording ambitions to the backburner for a time. I recorded and performed on two records for some very talented friends (which should hopefully see the light of day soon), and also performed on my good friend Nathan Carroll's latest masterpiece. In working very closely on these projects with which I had no personal attachment I found a renewed sense of freedom, confidence, and enjoyment in the recording process - even a sense of recklessness. I felt I could try or play almost anything and I began to really fall in love with just making and capturing sounds.

Until that point I'd been so focused (when working on my own recordings) on first and foremost fulfilling some pre-existing mandate I'd come up with for how the recording "should come out". But now more than ever I see the recording medium as a canvas, and sounds and songs as colours just waiting to go where they will. I still struggle with having some self-imposed tyrannical vision looming over my shoulder, stifling creatively, demanding order, telling my ear that it needs it to sound this way or that in order to be such and such to so and so. Of course that's always part of it, and vision is always necessary. But I guess now I feel I can divert from the strictness of that more freely, with less regret, and feeling like there is less at stake. I no longer feel the need to perfectly embody and communicate my musical or lyrical vision in one shot. I am accepting that music making is a life-long process, and each song and sound is but a piece of the whole.

Which brings me to this new record. That feeling of recording freedom is definitely present on the recordings. There will be some diverse elements and surprising moments, as well as some familiar territory. But I can say with certainty that at this moment in my music, and for these songs, it feels right - and that feels good. I look forward to having you hear it soon.

By the way, as I work towards completion of this record I'll be regularly updating my progress on my twitter account . I invite you to follow along as I develop some mad short-form updating skills.

Brock

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so
2009-11-10

It seems the release timeline laid out in the last update is a little outdated by now. Things don't always go according to plan, and unfortunately my goal to have released something new by this fall became circumstantially unrealistic at some point between last March and right now. Dang.

That said, I am pleased to announce that a new record is very much in the works right now and is taking shape nicely. Release plans will be announced here at some point in the near future, so check back when you think of it.

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u.p.d.a.t.e. f.r.o.m. a. r.o.b.o.t. n.a.m.e.d. b.r.o.c.k.t.y.l.e.r.
2009-03-10

Greetings friends, fans, and unassuming internet wanderers. Thanks for dropping by. We're long overdue for an update, no?

Just wanted to let those interested know that I've been composing quite a bit of music lately. I've had a real freedom in my writing process the past while and as a result am enjoying experimenting with different styles, song forms, and lyrical approaches as they come to me. I guess I've just kind of stopped worrying about what comes out - sounds simple enough, I suppose. Anyway, as I think right now about this large collection of songs and other pieces, all recording and releasing ambitions aside, I just find myself really, really grateful for this simple gift of the creation of music. That said, a challenge I'm presenting myself with these days is to maintain that pure perspective of what it's really all about (music making! and sharing it!), and to fully dwell in the beauty of that, rather than get too distracted and worried with all that marketing and self-promotional clang and clamour (which takes up time, and energy, which of course means less music making and music sharing) . Hopefully I can find the right balance.

Now, to bring recording and releasing ambitions to the forefront again (inevitably), I also wanted to say that I'm working towards the release of a new full length album in August/September of this year. The release of this album will be launched (or at least hotly pursued) by a western Canadian release tour in late September. I'm looking forward to touring again, and with new material to boot.

I've actually got enough material for 2 full length albums and 2 EP's. All these projects are quite different from each other, and I'm equally excited to pursue them all. Unfortunately that's just not logistically, financially, or really even humanly possible. So my back-up goal is to get as much of that material out in as fast a sequence as I am logistically, financially, and humanly able to (hopefully over the next year and a half). One EP may beat the September album, in fact.

S'all for now. Thanks for reading. Peace to you all.

Brock

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gone digital
2008-06-26

'Unclosing' is now available for digital download through iTunes, Kerfmusic, and others soon to come. Click away.

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radio, again
2008-05-31

The song "Half a Day Past Noon" was included as part of the latest CBC Radio 3 podcast (#158). Head on to radio3.cbc.ca to hear it!

Also, just a quick note to let you know that Unclosing has been distributed to all CBC radio station libraries in the country! So if you're into calling in requests...you may now proceed.

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tour is over...almost
2008-05-14

Well, our last official tour show was this past Monday at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, which means Nathan and I are finally home from a long fourteen-show stretch. We ended up hitting almost every major Canadian city between Victoria and Ottawa. On the way we sold lots of records, met alot of wonderful people, saw alot of road, laughed alot, didn't shower much, snuck into a Queen tribute concert in a small town in Ontario, got kicked out of a Queen tribute concert in a small town in Ontario, and of course played alot of music. Thanks to everyone who helped make this a really successful run for us! (and especially to those who were extremely generous to us...you know who you are)

But ah, we are not quite finished. This Saturday, May 17th Nathan and I will play our tour closing show at the Haven Social Club in Edmonton! We will be joined by local roots artist Andrea House and her band, as well as songwriter Craig Schram, frontman for acclaimed Edmonton indie rockers Five O'Clock Charlie. This is going to be one heck of a show, not to be missed. See 'shows' page for details and for where to get advance tickets.

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hearses, verses, and stars tour!
2008-04-16

The tour is coming up quickly! Nathan Carroll and I are hitting the road next week as a dynamic duo and quite possibly could be coming to your city. We're hitting up most major cities in Western Canada - check out the "shows" section to ease the suspense and then plan for a great evening. Advance tickets are available for Winnipeg and Ottawa, contact me for details.

Also, Unclosing was #3 at Kamloops 92.5 The X for the week ending April 11th. Thanks Kamloops! Tragic we won't be playing there.

ps. I gave in and got a myspace account. Tour dates and related details will be most accurate there: www.myspace.com/brocktylermusic

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more radio
2008-03-01

This coming tuesday my music will be featured on CKUA's nightcap with host Luka Symons. A most grateful thanks to Luka for her enthusiasm about the record and for the feature! nightcap starts up at 10:30pm mountain time and the feature happens some time around 11:30pm. But you should be listening to this show all the time anyway, because it is awesome.

Also, for the week of February 12th Unclosing made #5 on CJSR Edmonton's charts overall and #2 for their folk/roots chart. Huzzah!

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tour dates added
2008-02-11

Spring tour dates have been added -- see "shows" above. More to come!

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Interview on CJSR
2008-02-01

I will be on CJSR's Hit and Run Radio program today at about 4:00pm talking with host Jay Hannley about the record and getting a few tracks played as well. Tune in to 88.5 fm around Edmonton or listen online at www.cjsr.ualberta.ca

edit: Thanks to everyone who tuned in, and thanks to Jay and his co-host for having me on. If you missed the interview you can listen to it here. Huge thanks to Jon Suderman for recording it! Jon, by the way, is the motivational friend behind A Happy Song Gone Wrong, as you'll hear me mention.

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t-o-u-r!
2008-01-26

My good friend Nathan Carroll (www.nathancarroll.net) and I are currently booking dates for a cross-country spring tour! We'll be traveling together doing shows between Vancouver and Ottawa, backing up eachother's sets. Gravitate back here soon for confirmed dates.

In the meantime if you feel like shamelessly drumming up support for me in your locale, radio might be a fine way. I haven't gotten copies of Unclosing out to too many radio stations yet, but you can currently harass the following ones if you like: CKUA and CJSR in Edmonton, as well as CKUW and UMFM in Winnipeg. If you want your local station to have a copy of it just let me know and I'll gladly get one to them.

Final news, last weekend I recorded a good friend of mine from Winnipeg, Phil Wright. Phil is a great songwriter and performer and this forthcoming album of his is going to be a great offering. Co-produced by myself and the aforementioned Nathan Carroll. Look for it this spring!

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thank you
2008-01-05

Well, the record has been out for a bit now. Thanks to everyone so far who has bought a copy of "Unclosing", or have shared with me that they liked what they heard of their friend's copy, or have at least been enthusiastic about the copy they burned from their friend who found it on Limewire.

Really, it's the response to the music that overwhelmes me, not the money.

For example: I like hearing that someone appreciates a certain line, or constantly hums a certain melody, or has made out with a certain someone to the entire record front to back. I even like hearing when someone thinks a song is bad, or that I "should have fixed that part", or I "could have clapped that a bit better". Call me petty, starry-eyed, vain: I like it when you tell me about your experience with "Unclosing".

Having said that, by far the best response to the album I've gotten is that it apparently works wonders for putting children to sleep. I kid you not that I've heard this either directly or indirectly from no less than three young couples. I'll be honest and say that I never predicted or intended this; but my, what an honour, far greater than any fleeting praise I might receive in some self-indulgent music publication.

But anyway, I thank you all. Continue to enjoy my music, other people's music, and above all the small joys in our short lives. And if you're in Edmonton, check out the show!