Hello, folks! It’s been awhile since I posted something new on here – it’s been a period of transition in my life, to say the least.
First of all, this site is now officially http://www.tyleraddisonjames.com/, your one-stop-shop for all of your musical needs! Ok, well maybe not ALL of them, but hopefully a portion of them. Tell your friends to swing by and check out the site!
In more news, the music video for Whiskey Loving Dreams is being finished up as we speak. Keep checking back for an announcement of its official release date. Beside that, I’ve continued writing and performing. My new material is something that I’m anxious to show the world, and I really believe in my work. I hope you’re all with me on this!
WAIT a second, I live in Los Angeles, California now. Perhaps that’s the biggest news here. I’ve lived here since September 17th. My current residence is in the quaint city of Alhambra, just minutes away from downtown LA. Beside the obvious change in scenery, namely the massive difference in weather (it’s hot and sunny basically every day, and comfortably chilly in the evenings), the overwhelming supply of excellent food, the primary culture-shock, and the homicide-inducing traffic, I’ve noticed one thing: the music scene here is off-the-charts.
And no, I’m not just talking about the top-40 stuff you hear on the radio. Of course, a large portion of pop mainstream material is produced here in LA, but there’s much, much more than that. Even going out to a small dive bar on a week night can mean exposing yourself to world class musicians. I heard a jazz band (that was actually just a fill-in band for the USUAL act) at a place called Piano Bar in Hollywood… and the whole time I sipped my Old Fashioned, tapped my feet, and chatted among the sharply-dressed twenty-somethings in my vicinity, I couldn’t help but think to myself “these guys are good.” And when I say good, I mean really, really good. These guys (most of which appeared to be right around my age) were playing with more dexterity, improvisational intuition, and musicianship than I’ve seen in most any musical setting, particularly a small, crowded, dimly lit dive bar.
Now, I understand what people have talked about when they said “Man, the musicians out there are really good. They’re too good, and there’s so many of them. It’s so competitive, man. Most people just give up.” All I have to say is screw that.
I came here for a reason. To expose myself to a thriving, top-notch musical culture, and to keep developing my skills as a performer, writer, and producer so that I can be a part of that thriving, top-notch musical culture. I have plenty of work ahead of me. Hours of practicing, hours of study and analysis, and plenty of networking to do. Here I am, and I have no reason to back out now. I’m diving in.
So it begins.
Tyler Addison James 