DPS Text

By Deanna Hammond-Blackburn 

A sophisticated-looking black couch. Upon it sits Jimmy Tyler, short ginger hair contrasting with his smooth purple tie, a look of pure happiness on his face. Gently strumming his old acoustic guitar, the man is clearly in love. And it’s not the love for his guitar that we’re talking about…

After months of subtle hints and the repeating of ‘you’ll have to wait and see’, master guitarist and full-time charmer, Jimmy finally confirms his reformation back into the music world with the release of his new single ‘Love Like’. One listen and it’s certain; he’s making this a comeback to remember. A new album, upcoming performances at 3 different festivals and plans for his comeback tour are all under way and it’s safe to say we won’t be disappointed.

“10 months…so much has changed. I never imagined things would be the way they are now” says Jimmy. “There’s no way in hell I would have been able to find myself again if it wasn’t for De.” Indeed, 10 months ago saw Jimmy falling deep into an alcohol-induced depression that not only affected him physically but it also left profound emotional scars that have only just begun to fade. A lot of credit goes to his new love for this esoteric change. Upon reflecting on the day they first met, Jim chuckles to himself: “Ah, she just looked at me, a little quizzically at first. I’m pretty sure she was trying to decide whether I had a soul or not!” So, not quite love at first sight then? “I think the first thing I said to her was ‘Babe, is that a mirror in your back pocket? Cause I can see myself in your pants’, I’m surprised I didn’t end up with a broken nose! God only knows why she stayed” we hi-5 as he shakes his head with the incredulity of it all and we sit there with a look of pure admiration on our face. There’s no surprise Jimmy’s new song is so emotionally uplifting when you hear the loving way he speaks of his new muse. And then there’s Carmel…

The gentle strumming begins to intensify as a secretive smile creeps onto Jim’s face at the mention of Carmel. “Damn, she is fiiiiiiiiine” and she most certainly is. “Breaking Newbie was what tipped me over the edge. There’s no way I’m losing this guitar.” Jimmy wasn’t the only one distraught when he smashed his original, natural wood, vinyl finish acoustic guitar at a private gig in April. “Those smooth acoustic strings never seemed to go out of tune. I could just pick her up and play. Carmel is like that. She’s got a nice smooth sound, perfect for the calmer songs in my new album like ‘The Heart Won’t Wait’ but then again, if I want it to, I can make it sound like it was supposed to belong to Rammstein or something" laughs Jim. “It’s fucking gorgeous.” That look of pure love reappears as he takes his caramel gold coloured Les Paul model guitar from its case, and in classic Jimmy Tyler style he starts to play a simple little tune that sounds incredible. Mellow tones flow from his fingertips and bring the whole room to life. After a few inspiring minutes he suddenly stops, takes out a black patterned notebook and scribbles something down. He gives us a knowing smile then returns to his tender strumming without a word.

But who does he love more: De or Carmel? “The million pound question right there!” grimaces Jim. “Well ‘Love Like’ was inspired by De, but then it wouldn’t sound as good as it does without Carmel.” He goes on to describe how he met his love at a party after one of his shows during his UK tour, they got talking, he took her out for a ‘hot chocolate, nothing special’ and how things took of from there. The whole thing sounds heart-meltingly romantic although Jimmy’s modesty is shining through. His single is the accumulated thoughts throughout their first few months together. “Its so simple, one of those songs that a kid could play to his girlfriend to woo her, but my girl doesn’t even know I’ve written this for her yet. Just an acoustic song, with just me playing a mix of chords and a simple picking pattern and singing along, I can’t wait for her to hear it.”

But his new album won’t be all hugs and kisses. “Some of the songs do have a darker ambience to them. I feel that all the shit I went through and put people through had to be amended, set straight somehow, and the best way I felt I could achieve this was through my music” explains Jimmy.  The solemn expression on his face seems exceptionally out of place now as we get flashbacks to his darker days. To mix his new-found happiness with the despair is a risky move, especially for an artist who’s been off the musical radar for a long time. Will it be a risk that pays off?

[Continues on following pages which result in a 6 page spread]

The article continues to talk about Jimmy Tyler's upcoming album and the inspiration and technical sides to that as well as some recording incidents along the way. It will then go on to discuss the upcoming festival performances he has lined up; what songs he is considering playing, his personal friendships with some of the other acts and details on that and details on past performances at festivals. This will then lead onto the future for Jimmy, his partner and his new guitar; what he wants for the future, what direction he wants his music to take etc.