Standing off to the side of our group at college orientation in dark skinny corduroy pants, black converse sneakers, a plaid button down, and his dirty-blond hair elegantly disheveled, Tyler Grohowski struck me as someone who was shy in social settings. It wasn’t until we got to talking about music that I realized just how shy he wasn’t, and how deep his passion for music ran.
Grohowski, a New Jersey based musician, now twenty, has been working on his music career under the title of The Sound Season since 2007. He recorded his first all-acoustic album when he was only thirteen years old. His most recent album, Turn the Clocks Around, came out in 2009, the songs for which he wrote when he was just seventeen. The album, which blends Grohowski’s gentle vocals with guitar, bass, piano, and drums, has quickly become one of my favorites. Tracks “Waking” and “Snow” are among my most played for their simplicity and relaxing aura, as well as Grohowski’s stellar mellow vocals.
Eager to promote and support upcoming artists, I agreed to interview Grohowski exclusively for Kaleidoscope Sound Garden.
KSG: This is probably a lame question, but I’m curious, so I’ll ask: when did you start getting into music?
TG: I was more or less born into music. I cannot really remember a specific period of time where I got “into” music. I was in my mom’s belly at a Tom Petty concert, [I] have memories of being sung Fleetwood Mac songs to fall asleep to as a child, and my uncle spinning records from the 60’s and 70’s in his house for as far back as my memory goes. The bottom line was that music was important, and a major part of life in my household, and I grew up thinking that it was that way in every household. The ironic thing is that neither of my parents are musically inclined, just really passionate fans.
KSG: When did you begin to seriously practice, or know that music was more than just a hobby?
TG: It was only a matter of time before I was running around banging on pots and pans and playing a toy guitar to the radio, which led to my uncle getting me a small toddler drum set for my birthday, as well as my parents purchasing me a ukulele. At the age of 12, my parents got me my first guitar and music lessons. Although my teacher really wanted me to learn from the book, I was determined to play two Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers songs: the intro to “Running Down a Dream,” and the chord progression to “Last Dance with Mary Jane”. I remember [after] two weeks in I could play the simple one string intro, and had to learn about 4 chords to play the song. That month I worked harder [on the songs] than anything I had ever done in my young life, and on that wonderful day as I played the opening riff as well as someone playing seriously for a month could, the heavens parted, and I knew that this was it. I was forever addicted, and stuck with the rock and roll merry-go-round of life.
KSG: When did you form The Sound Season?
TG: The Sound Season was formed around 2007. I had played under my own name beforehand, and had a quick stint with some high school bands before I really settled into what I do now. The project started as a three-piece band, but soon became a solo act with contributions from local musicians. I tend to work better by myself, arranging and composing myself in isolation, but that is not to say the project is always just me. I am blessed to often play with many wonderful local musicians who allow for some different perspectives musically. The thing about being solo is that you often have fragments of songs and unfinished work all the time, since you lack the filter of other band members to either dislike or approve of wanting to work on one of your pieces. I wanted to create a space that I was comfortable for me to compose in, and throw out any preconceived notions of who I am and what I sound like. I also didn’t want to be lumped into the acoustic singer-songwriter genre solely because I am a solo artist who often employs the acoustic guitar in my music. The name really stems from needing a calm place to go in that period of my life that could be as chaotic or mellow as I chose. I also have a very close bond with nature, so the name has stuck!
KSG: Do you have an album or any other tracks before Turn the Clocks Around? When were they released? How old were you at the time?
TG: Oh goodness yes, I recorded an all-acoustic album when I was 13 and an EP when I was 16. I was just doing what a young man does: discovering what works and what doesn’t.
KSG: Wow! I don’t know what I was doing at thirteen, but it wasn’t as impressive as that, haha. So where does your inspiration for the songs on Turn the Clocks Around come from?
TG: Quite a few places. As I talk about it [in the] current day closer to 21 than 17, it is impossible to not look at the record with a smile and appreciation for its charm. I wrote this material very quickly, very young, very inexperienced in the ways of the recording studio. During this period in my life, I was going through what [many] teenagers go through, except I was dealing a lot with the concept of death. I had [lost] and was losing a lot of people early on in my life, and it gave my high school experience a very intense, different perspective. I was also very sick during this period, and making the music was extremely cathartic. I was very concerned with the way people treated and deceived one another, because I had already realized how precious life is. I was heavily influenced by the concept of unrequited love, and was nose deep in The Great Gatsby. I came to appreciate the somewhat angsty-confused lyrics and raw emotional instrumentation that it featured. I think the charm of being a teenager is caught rather well— from the perspective of a teenager that is.
KSG: Do you perform live? Where have you been playing? I’ve been traveling around to shows lately, and I’d love to see you play!
TG: Yes I do! I play anywhere and everywhere that I see fit: coffee shops, art galleries, basements, and bars. Because the project doesn’t have a set lineup, the shows can drastically change from a rock show, to a jam band, to a sparse acoustic set. I guess it also is an indirect factor of not wanting to fit into one scene and experience.
KSG: When you’re not producing your own music, who do you listen to? Who are some of your musical influences?
TG: Tom Petty, U2, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, [Led] Zeppelin, the Goo Goo Dolls, Pearl Jam, and Death Cab for Cutie. I always listened to old orchestral music, and as I got older, I began to explore everything and anything I could. The first time I heard the Mars Volta and At the Drive in, I was like “whoa! What is this?!” Then Placebo, The Appleseed Cast, Ryan Adams, Pete Yorn, Sigur Ros, and even heavier bands, like the Fall of Troy and Underoath. I also dabble in trance: one of my favorite albums is by ATB. I have to mention though: films and books play a large role in my writing also.
KSG: Without revealing too much, who is “Song for Someone” about?
TG: Anyone whose heart travels where the wind takes them.
KSG: Nice, that’s so poetic, haha.
KSG: Do you have plans for another album?
TG: Most definitely! I have been working on it for quite some time now. In a nutshell, computers have forever changed the music industry, and records cost money to make, [and] you have to have money to make a record, and bands don’t make money the way they used to. Because this project is currently self- funded, things often move slower than one would like, but I can say quite certainly that there is another EP/Album in the works, and most likely the first full length entitled “Madeline and the Thief” coming out as soon as possible. I can say for a fact the material will be more orchestrated and, to an extent, heavier.
KSG: If people are interested in purchasing a CD, how do they do that? ‘Cause I definitely think they’re gonna want one!
TG: My music is available on ITunes,
CD Baby, and
Amazon. All are around $5 for the record, which is also available at the shows. You can checkout
MySpace or the more convenient
Facebook for updates and news on the project.
KSG: Awesome, I can’t wait to check out the new album when it debuts!
TG: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me, and for supporting art. It is so beautiful to have someone writing about and sharing independent music with a positive attitude!
