Tyler T.

Tyler Thompson said he could do a lot of things with the didgeridoo.

“It’s all in the lips and your voice,” he said.

Thompson said he picked up the playing the didgeridoo from a friend and took lessons online.

In his band, Tyler T. and the Beasters, Thompson said he tries to incorporate drum machines, synth lines, loop pedals and the didgeridoo.

He said his music is a fusion of psychedelic, folk, grunge and electronica, and every time they play, it is a new experience.

“All music comes from the pulse of the universe,” Thompson said. “We try to channel that in our shows.”

He said he is working on his first solo album titled “Home Made, Home Grown,” which should be complete by the beginning of next year.

On the album, Thompson said he has trumpet players, fiddlers, hand drums and banjo players.

He said that “Home Made, Home Grown” will incorporate many new elements his fans haven’t heard before.

“It’s an evolutionary process, writing an album,” Thompson said. “I try to let the people who play on my album add to the song in some way.”

He said he usually performs as a solo artist and while he tours he just goes by “Tyler T.”

As far as influences are concerned, Thompson said his vary from The Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa, Red Hot Chili Peppers to Nirvana.

Thompson said he started touring after attending South Plains College with the band’s bass player, Brain Thornton, for its commercial music program.

Thornton said he met Thompson in ninth grade and started a punk band with him.

“We started out as a punk band,” Thornton said. “Then we were a rock band. Our music was always evolving to fit our interests.”

Thompson said their diverse interests led them to create the unique sound they have today.

Thornton, a senior political science and history major at Texas Tech, said he would love to do music after college.

“Life is too short, so you have to do something big with it,” Thornton said.

Thompson said he was born in Lubbock but lived in the Houston area during elementary school.

When he moved back, Thompson said his grandmother bought him a guitar. He had difficulty making friends, so he turned to music.

After taking a couple classes at SPC, Thornton said he transferred to Tech while Thompson stayed behind.

Thompson said he got what he wanted out of the program and hit the road as a singer-songwriter.

He played numerous shows in various venues around the Dallas area, and he said after touring Texas he began doing shows in the Midwest.

He said the music scene in Lubbock, compared to other places he has been, isn’t beneficial to artists with original content.

Thompson said it is risky playing original music because people want to hear what they know.

He said venues don’t want to take on the risk of original artists because of customer reactions, and he wishes there was a place in Lubbock that catered to local artists and new content.

“There isn’t enough unity with the music scene here in Lubbock,” Thompson said.
Thompson performs every Tuesday at Shooters and his band is performing Friday at Ladiosa.
- Daily Toreador