Up Close and Personal with Rising Country Artist Tyson Hanes Discussing His Career and New Album “State of Emergency”

Tyson has written over 150 songs, he auditioned for Tootsies Orchid Lounge here in Nashville, TN, and shortly after was offered a contract, which also included a work visa into the country. Tyson works full time as a front man for the world famous “Tootsies Orchid Lounge”  and you can see him playing  to a packed house almost every time he performs. Don’t miss a show. Get on down there to “Tootsies” and tell him I sent you.

Here’s our “Candid Conversation” with the one and only Tyson Hanes.

 

NMG – What’s the name of your current single and the title of the album it’s on?

My album is in the making right now. It will hopefully be ready for release this spring or summer. The title of the album will be “State of emergency”.

NMG – What quote, phrase or song best describes you at this time in your career and why?

Carpe Diem. Those two words are what I live by. I live everyday to it’s fullest on and off the stage. When I’m on stage, that’s the place that matters to me. My audience and fans are my main focus.

And when I’m off the stage, I’m making every second count. I’m riding motorcycles or anything that has an engines and doing anything that gets my adrenaline pumping. I make sure to tell my family how much they mean to me, and give thanks to the lord for blessing me with everything I have.

NMG – What was the one thing that made your decision to chose a career in the entertainment industry your life’s decision?

Since I was a kid, I have always had really big dreams. They’ve changed over the years of course, but I’ve always wanted more than a 9-5. As a child, I wanted to be a Nascar driver. I watched it religiously every Sunday with my Mom and Aunt. I quickly realized we didn’t have the money or means for that dream to ever become a reality. At 12, I finally got my first dirt bike (which I have wanted as far as my memory goes back). I got really good really fast. I won races and even a championship and figured someday I could go professional. But with starting so late in life and prior injuries affecting me, I quickly realized that also was a dream out of my reach.

So being a huge music lover my entire life, I took guitar classes in school. My teacher Greg Ryckman heard me sing and thought I had potential. It kind of just took off from there. I started doing acoustic gigs around town and realized people were enjoying my performances. I started a band and based my shows off what I knew from watching Garth Brooks. My favorite artist of all time! I realized quickly that entertain was key. Over lyrics and vocals, it was essential to entertain people and make them feel like they are at a concert every singe show. Seeing that I could do that, and take people out of their everyday lives and problems, and just keep them in the moment for 4 straight hours, made me feel like I can make a difference. I love that feeling and it made me realize I finally found a dream I know I can succeed in.

NMG – What’s the first song you ever performed in public, how old where you, and where did you perform?

I was a late bloomer to realizing I could sing. So my first time performing in front of a public crowd was at my high school graduation. I was 17 years old. I sang “The River” by Garth Brooks while all the graduates walked to the stage in the school auditorium.

What was the first album you ever bought and why?

Oh boy, this is an embarrassing question… My first album I got as my own was Hanson’s album “Middle of Nowhere” haha! BUT there were two significant albums that played a part in why I grew up loving music so much. My aunt always had Garth Brooks Greatest Hits and Creedence Clearwater Revival Greatest Hits cassette tapes in the car. We would listen to those everywhere we went! Those albums helped shape everything I came to love about music.

NMG – What has been the craziest but most memorable moment while on tour or at a show?

There have been so many!!! I would have to say the first thing that comes to mind was when a girl dressed as a unicorn decided to try to crowd surf after I invited her to dance on stage for a song. She didn’t give the audience any notice that she was going to jump, but then BAM! She just jumps! Nobody catches her and she flips head over heels about 7 feet to the floor. Somebody in the crowd ended up getting it on video and sent it to me. I’m never deleting that one!

NMG – What’s the weirdest thing you have ever autographed?

I don’t think I’m allowed to say…. Haha

NMG – A lot of entertainers in today’s industry try to pay it forward to the community when possible. Is there a charity you hold close to your heart and if so why?

I am a huge animal lover! I love to help out in any way I can to animal charities and shelters.

I also think St. Jude is an amazing charity and have been hoping to get to do an event with them for quite some time. I just think it’s amazing what they do for the children, and also how they accommodate the families involved.

NMG – What, if any, advise would you give to aspiring new artist’s who come to Nashville to begin a singing career?

I would let them know that it’s amazing. It’s full of opportunities and amazing talent. But while it can be a dream come true, it can also be a very scary place. It will make you or break you. It’s intimidating being around so much talent. You go from being a big fish in a little pond to a small fish in an ocean! If you come to Nashville to pursue music, the best advise I could give, is to know and accept the fact that nothing comes easy or happens overnight. It’s hard work and a constant fight that you hope someday will pay off. But also knowing that it’s a hard road and there are no guarantees for anything.

NMG – The life of a musician is tough and sometimes it can take a toll on family. How important is family to you and what do you do to keep that bond while being away from home touring?

To me family is extremely important. I couldn’t do what I do without my family. I moved away from home at 19 to chase this crazy dream. Unfortunately I had to leave my entire family behind, including my daughter, which is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I have been lucky enough and blessed enough success with music to have the means to travel back to my hometown and see my family very frequently. I also text, call, and FaceTime my family all the time. I now have a second family on my wifes side and am proud to say I have two amazing families that I keep close to my heart and make sure I never lose contact with.

Current Album:

State Of Emergency

Current radio or TV projects if any:

I will be doing a radio tour and hopefully some TV appearances to promote my new album as we get closer to releasing it.

Current touring or show dates:

Right now I am playing in downtown Nashville,at The World Famous Tootsies Orchid Lounge, Honkytonk Central, and Rippies Bar and Grill every Thursday though Sunday night.


Personal quote:

I am from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. I have been playing music for almost 12 years. I am a singer/songwriter and will be a writer in almost all, if not all songs on my upcoming album. I am currently writing with Don Goodman, Taylor Phillips, Brad Wolf, Richie Martin, Isaac Harris, Ian McConnell along with many others. I will be releasing an album later on this year and have plans on writing, touring, and performing my butt off!

I always make it a point to put my all into every single show I play. Whether there are 5 people or 5000 thousand people at my show, I will put every ounce of energy into it. I have been told my shows are extremely high energy and crowd involved, and I never plan on changing that.” ~Tyson Hanes~

About Sherryl Craig 410 Articles
Sherryl is a Senior Writer and Assistant Editor with Nashville Music Guide and her blog, Lyrics N Legends has been featured since 2012. Her articles has graced the cover and have appeared as feature stories in the NMG print edition. She is also a member of WMMW, Women of Music Music of Women, a non-profit organization in support of women in the music industry. WMMW also appears here in Nashville Music Guide.

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