We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tyler Carson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tyler below.

Tyler, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I’ve recorded several projects for with my band at this point. Concept albums, collections of songs, both short and long projects. My favorite one to date has to be my ep “Time Is Standing Still”. When Covid first hit, and everyone was isolated in their own homes, my father and I were discussing that while many seemed to be struggling with loneliness, both of us seemed to have really grown from the experience. The isolation and free time allowed for introspection. I decided to write a simple song called “Whiskey And Silence” that discussed the idea that silence, while sometimes scary, can allow for a time of growth and learning. I presented it to the band as a solo acoustic idea, and they countered with a proposal of writing more songs, and arranging and recording all of them, as a band, but all stuck in our houses. So we ended up with three songs: “Whiskey And Silence,” a song about feeling isolated, “Whispers,” a song about realizing your house may not be your own, and “Distance Between Us,” a song about realizing what you took for granted. Why this was so meaningful is because this project became a turning point where my band really took ownership, and we went from a solo project with hired musicians to a full on band. Our sound shifted away from what I wanted to what the band wanted. I also got to include several local artists in the recording. It was a lot of fun.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I grew up in Tennesse. From an early age I started piano lessons, and over time I picked up upright bass as an orchestral player. Guitar naturally followed. I grew up playing in churches as well as events and the like. My degree in college was for audio engineering. I also played in bands around nashville and worked in studios.
Upon moving to Cincinnati, I kind of started from scratch. I began writing music again, and assembled some musicians and over the course of years, recorded, mixed, and mastered my own music. All while accumulating more studio gear and experience. I now operate a studio called “Between The Hills Recording” and operate as a band called St. Mary, St. Michael.
I don’t like to separate the two entities, as most of my platform hinges on supporting local artists, both as an artist myself and as a studio operator. I run an open mic dedicated to original songwriters at Fretboard Brewing. I really get hyped on local creators. Half of my guitar pedals are made from local builders. I believe Cincinnati has some of the best original songwriters in the world, and I want everyone to know that. I use my studio, my band, and any of my passion projects to promote that idea.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

While I believe Cincinnati has some of the best talent, I also think that we have some of the weakest support. There are people that work hard to support local artists, but the city as a whole doesn’t, in my opinion. The first thing that is crucial to a thriving creative ecosystem is presence. Show up. Art shows, house shows, concerts, comedy, all of these need bodies in the room. Just show up. Need something to do on a Thursday night? Go see a show at one of the boat loads of venues. There are art galleries all over. There are music performances every night of the week. Go and listen, and talk to the performers after.
The second thing is financial. Buy tickets to performances. Buy t-shirts, stickers, whatever merch you can find. Stream the music, but also buy it. Throw money in tip jars. You don’t get to the big leagues without finances, and you don’t get finances without people monetarily supporting you.
The final thing I think is spreading the word. Wear the shirts of your friends’ bands. Bring people to shows. Buy stuff for gifts. The more hype you build around local creators, the more those creators can create.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I find it’s healthy to approach creating as if you were creating for a single individual. For my music, I like to think I’m writing music for one person. Sometimes that person is me. Sometimes I am unaware who the person is. But I write for one person. I’ve been lucky enough to have “that one person” connect with my songs. I’ve had songs included in weddings, in short films, heck I even had someone tattoo my lyrics on to their arm. Because of my mentality, when someone comes up and tells me they connect with my music, I’m simultaneously excited that my song was found to be valuable, and humbled that my words have an effect on others.
That’s all to say that the most rewarding aspect of my songwriting is when someone comes to me and tells me that the words I put together had a positive impact on their life.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stmarystmike.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stmarystmike/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stmarystmike
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_TR0nf60xogi436ZIYCBzg