Phyllis Johnson
Phyllis Johnson writes for Your Corner and is a published author. E-mail her at pjwriter7@aol.com.
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■ 13 January 2012 | 3:23 PM
An Interview with Country Music Recording Artist Tyler Cain
Today, I’m interviewing Tyler Cain, a Chesapeake native and country music recording artist living in Nashville. I’ve followed his progress since teenage days. It’s great to talk to Tyler.
Phyllis- What's your whole name, age and where are you located in Nashville?
Tyler- My whole name is Tyler Douglas Cain. I'm 29 now (yikes), and I live right around the corner from Music Row in Nashville. My studio is on Music Row.
Phyllis: How long have you known that music is your passion?
Tyler- I've known music was my passion since I was a child. I started playing piano around 7 or 8 I think and then guitar around 10 or so.
Phyllis- Tell me about your start in music and where things are progressing now.
Tyler- My early start in music was in bands with my friends around early middle school. By the time I was fourteen, I joined the Noodles. It was a great experience in work and discipline, as we played several days a week and worked up about four to five hours of music. During this time, I went to Governor's School for the Arts studying classical and jazz and then Belmont University for college. There, I studied Music Business so I'd better understand how this twisted scene works in Nashville. Nashville has been a huge adventure and an amazing experience, as the best musicians and artists from around the world move here to pursue their dreams. I've been here for about ten years now, and built my studio and music production company (www.cainproductions.net) while also promoting my own band The Wailin' Canes (http://www.reverbnation.com/thewailincanes).
Phyllis- What did you take in college and how did you interact with other musicians there?
Tyler- In college, I not only met the other guys that are currently in my band, but I also made a lot of friendships and business connections that I still work with today. That experience was invaluable, as all of my best business connections have begun as friendships.
Phyllis- Tell me about your musical partnership.
Tyler- My band, the Wailin' Canes, started as a duo called Tyler and Kyle with my friend Kyle Whalum. He's a terrific bass player and songwriter, and we collaborated on many projects over the years, writing, singing, recording, and touring.
Phyllis- Tell us about your recording studio.
Tyler-About five or six years ago I started my studio. Shortly after, my group (The Wailin Canes) became the rhythm section for James Otto & the Smoking Aces. In 2008, Otto released a single that became the most played song of the year on country radio and won him some ACMs and CMA awards. We toured about 180 shows a year for a few years. It was a pretty amazing experience.
Phyllis- I heard you have toured internationally and that you’ve toured with some really interesting folks.
Tyler- Over the years in Nashville, I've toured as a guitar player with a number of national acts including Tonic, James Otto, Laura Bell Bundy, Thompson Square, Ashley Monroe, Joe Nichols, Sarah Buxton, Jordan Pruitt (Hollywood Records pop artist), and Bering Strait (Grammy nominated country group). I've also had the opportunity to produce projects for many artists as well, including Otto and Ashley Monroe.
Phyllis- What was it I heard about you interviewing Brad Paisley?
Tyler- When I was eighteen and a freshman in college, we had an assignment in a music business class to interview anyone actively working in the music business. I made an ambitious move and emailed Brad Paisley's publicist. Our old band had opened for him a few times, and he also went to Belmont back in the day. The publicist set me up with an interview with Brad, which was a blast. I ended up bringing my guitar, and we sat and jammed after the interview part was over. That was pretty exciting at eighteen.
Phyllis- What advice do you have for other musicians?
Tyler- My only advice for other musicians, artists, producers, etc. is just to spend as much time honing your craft as you can. Try to keep a good attitude. Surround yourself with positive people who you feel are more talented that you, and always learn.
Phyllis- What are your future plans?
Tyler- My future plans are to keep building the career I have now. I plan to continue producing bigger and bigger projects and to tour and record with my own band the Wailin' Canes.
Phyllis- Thanks so much Tyler for blogging with me today at HamptonRoads.com! I look forward to hearing more about you in the future.
■ 02 January 2012 | 2:06 PM
Message in a bottle
I've always thought that a message in a bottle was one of the most romantic things you could find. I absolutely love Nicholas Sparks' Message in a Bottle. Anytime I see an article about someone finding a note in a bottle, I am completely intrigued.
Last week someone left such a bottle in our front yard. My husband discovered the bottle sitting beside one of the tall pine trees. Bringing it in, he wondered who would have left such a mystery. Mostly he wondered who would have left a bottle without the wine since it was obviously meant for me.
The brand label on the bottle was INKBLOT, which just happens to be the name of the suspense novel Nancy Naigle and I co-authored last year. The wine bottle had an inkblot image on the label (which I find totally awesome) and there was a note rolled up inside. The note says: "We're pretty sure there's a famous online novel with the same vintage... too coincidental? Sounds like a plot Happy New Year!"
There was no signature. No clue to let me know who the clever person was who not only stumbled across some wine with the same name as our book but the foresight to relieve the bottle of its contents and leave a mysterious note inside.
I still don't know who left the bottle in my yard and honestly, I don't want to find out who did it. Somehow it would spoil the surprise. I love a good mystery. Don't you?
■ 04 October 2011 | 10:01 PM
Nautical fun in Hampton Roads
Virginia Beach was the place to be this past weekend for those who love sand sculptures. As usual, it was hard voting on the best sculptures. Here is one of my favorites. There were over twenty awesome sculptures. It's amazing to see the kind of work these artists are capable of making. They come from all over the world to compete in the contest. At the Neptune Festival, on Friday night, the wind came up unexpectedly and did some real ripping of tents and kiosks of crafters and food vendors. Hopefully all the tents with crafts survived the rest of the weekend.
The next day, we ventured over to the fun maze they have for kids at the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in Norfolk. There were lots of nautical facts to be learned.Information about sea animals and plants were scattered throughout the maze. Things like how sound travels four times as fast under water. There was a jungle-like maze with what was called seaweed or kelp that looked almost like Christmas garland hanging down. A room full of mermaids had a luring siren song playing. Another area had simulated jellyfish hanging from the ceiling. Maybe for the kids- but still a fun time.
■ 16 August 2011 | 6:37 PM
Hats off to Colonial Williamsburg!
A week ago, my husband and I got year long passes to historic Williamsburg. I have always loved roaming around the historic town and it was no surprise to me when our oldest daughter fell in love with it when she went to college there. I couldn't imagine living across the street from Market Square. How heavenly that would be.
Walking through the Governor's Palace kitchen, we saw dishes custom to that era. In the palace, it's surprising to see linen spring loaded shades and Venetian blinds like were used back in the day. Eating at the old taverns gave insight into dining then and the duplicated coffee house was a treat too. We got to choose between coffee or hot chocolate, which turned out to be almost pure chocolate spiced with cinnamon.
I always enjoy looking at folks in costume. You see Colonial Williamsburg employees in their outfits and at the Visitor's Center, you can rent costumes for members of your family. I love snapping photos of children wearing these costumes, always from the back, so you can't identify the child. I respect parents' wishes to keep their kids anonymous.
We've been after dark on the ghost tour as well. Walking past the cemetery can be scary at night when hearing ghost tales and one particular house, the Peyton Randolph house had an interesting story. I have it on pretty good authority that there are haunts around the palace, especially at night. I'm sure there are some local ghost books around to back that up. Wow, maybe I should have saved this post for October 31!
■ 30 June 2011 | 7:46 PM
Children's Museum of Virginia - great place to take the kids
Even though I no longer have little ones, I paid a visit to the new and improved Children's Museum of Virginia in Portsmouth. It was incredible. It's a great way to spend the time with your children or grandchildren with lots of interactive activities and things to learn. You'll see the familiar Coleman train collection and other sights you'll expect like a fire station, a city bus, a grocery store and a doctor's office. Interactive stations encourage kids to use their muscles, their musical skills and other forms of physical activity. A creative section has room for learning art skills and the bubble room is sure to make them smile. Kids will learn about nature around them and the most fundamental things we all need to know to survive. From a giant chair to nestle in to giant daffodils, kids are encouraged to stretch their imaginations.
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