Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler Browne.
Hi Tyler, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
Thank you so much! Well I guess you could say I was born in Burbank and raised by Hollywood at Disneyland. Humble beginnings, big dreams and a rich imagination. I always knew I wanted to be on a stage and can’t remember a time when I wasn’t performing or trying to.
Throughout my childhood I was voraciously taking several dance and acting classes and attended performing art academies until around age twelve. I continued my education only in classes provided at my Junior High and High School. I went from performing in recitals, to local talent shows and theater productions and even placed as high as second in some regional school competitions.
In the interim, I also took some guitar lessons that focused on scales and like many of the music classics I had taken privately or in school, my dedication to formal training was a bit elusive to me. I even found myself in my high school’s top choir in my senior year. However, I only faked my way through reading and singing the chamber sheet music so I could participate in their annual showcase to play and sing a song I wrote with the house band.
While I enjoyed all of the dancing and acting experiences, I felt there was something missing. Many of my dance performances did include singing, however I began to notice my desire to sing increased as I was exposed to more vocalists, almost exclusively male. I would spend hours listening to records of David Cassidy, Johnny Mathis, The Jackson Five, Englebert Humperdink and Elton John trying to imitate them. As a teenager I continued to grow my style and technique by likening my vocals to Mick Jagger and David Bowie; then a little later Ian Astbury and Chris Cornell after that.
The pinnacle moment however, came for me at age thirteen. I had heard Aerosmith’s Walk This Way on the radio and decided to buy the album Toys in The Attic. Their sound truly resonated with me unlike any other rock band at the time. I felt I could easily identify with Steven Tyler, their lead singer. This band also led me to discover an influence of theirs, The Rolling Stones. I then went down a rabbit hole of Blues, Motown and Staxx artists as well as artists considered to be English Acid, London Beat and Mersey Beat. With my newly discovered identity I felt confident to sit in with more bands at backyard parties and even nightclubs I had not yet been old enough to patron let alone sing in. I could count on everyone knowing songs like Train Kept A Rollin, Brown Sugar or Heard It Through The Grapevine so it was always easy to find a place in their sets.
I had also decided to dust off my acoustic guitar and picked up enough chords to play a few covers at impromptu gatherings. I eventually began to write and include those songs. I had only written one song prior in fourth grade on a toy casio, but I felt I knew enough about song structure to take it on and lyrics had always come easy for me. As if I was painting by numbers. I joined my first band as a guitarist and back up singer and played guitar in a few punk bands. I fronted my first rock band “Slyder” at around age eighteen, which lasted about a year. I then auditioned for the funk band “Cargo Cult” who was actually looking for a male singer. This was my first real exposure to local major venues, as we were opening up for The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fishbone. We even did Kroq events with Wham! and The Thompson Twins at the 321 Club in Santa Monica
After they broke up, I found myself having to write for and create my own bands, as most bands either wanted a singer who was actually male or a female singer who didn’t sing like one. My original bands would include “Alice To The Moon” aka ”Sonic Shaman” which was inspired by the sounds of The Cult, “Undivided” a grunge inspired band and “ROC/Revolution of Choice” which had undertones of Pantara and overtones of Clutch. ROC also presented as an acoustic band “White Elephant” that broke down the songs with a raw blues slide guitar application. I also wrote a few separate songs for that band in addition to reimagining ROC songs. One of those songs was called Handle about raising my young daughters in a very different world than I had known. I had them sing and record The Lord’s Prayer over the last verse refrain as well as perform it live in select venues.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Ironically, I was bullied quite a bit in grade school for having a highly visible interest in academics as well as entertainment. Thankfully by the time I got to Junior High I embraced being a bit of an oddball and took it to a level that rarely went unnoticed, including becoming the first punk rocker at my high school.
Seeing myself as a “male singer” I incorporated styles that included pushing the boundaries of masculine and feminine fashion. These presented to be problematic in accomplishing organic personal and professional connections. What was even more confusing to others was how I did not hide my Faith after becoming a Christian as a late teen.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I am excited to announce the debut of The LA Cult; a tribute band to The Cult. Our first performance will be at Universal Bar and Grill in Studio City on Friday, April 19th .
I also sing and host for Live Band Karaoke LA, which like the name says, provides the opportunity for folks to come and sing karaoke with a live band. Our next show will be at Doc’s Inn, Santa Clarita on Saturday, April 6th.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @tylerbrownetm @thelacult @livebandkaraoke.la
- Facebook: facebook.com/thelacult facebook.com/livebandkaraokela
- Twitter: @tylerbrownetm
