Jonathan Tyler, O.A.R. to play at USA

The Campus Consciousness Tour is bringing O.A.R. and Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights to perform at the USA Mitchell Center at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8. I had the privilege of separately interviewing O.A.R.'s drummer, Chris Culos, and Jonathan Tyler over the phone. Both men were warm, gracious and enthusiastic. Talking to them made me want to attend the concert, even though I had not yet been exposed to any of O.A.R.'s music, and I had only heard a few songs on Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights' Myspace page. Here is a taste of the conversation I had with both of the guys who were, simply put, a delight to interview. The Vanguard, Daniela Werner: What is the best part of touring? Chris Culos, O.A.R. drummer: It's really tough to be away from family, friends and loved ones. A lot of the guys are married. We've been pounding the streets for almost a decade, but we love what we do. We're very lucky. V: Who has inspired you musically? C: Our first inspiration (Marc and I) was his older brother in elementary school who had a VHS of Genesis, and we were really taken by this Genesis concert. It was really exciting to watch. Phil Collins would do a big drum solo with the Genesis drummer, and then they'd do this whole drum battle. We were really taken by that different approach to performing When we were in eighth grade, which was 1992, the grunge scene was just exploding and we saw MTV's "Pearl Jam Unplugged." We watched it every day and that inspired us. The same passion of Pearl Jam, how they performed live -- that's been our biggest inspiration. My favorite band by far. V: Who writes the songs? C: Most of the songs are written by Marc and Richard. We contribute and help the steer the ship, to give it the O.A.R. sound. But, they bring the songs to the table. We work them out on stage and see how the crowd reacts to it and what's working for us. That's where our strength lies -- performing a new song live. V: If you weren't playing music, what would you be doing? C: I've rediscovered my love for drums, so I'd love to be teaching music. To be a more well-rounded drummer. Understanding the history and styles of music, other than just performing my music. I didn't find the best teachers when I was younger and it turned me off to it. I think it's important to have a good teacher who will teach more than just the fundamentals. V: Is there any music that you like, but wouldn't admit that you liked it? C: I listen to some country ballads, even the cheesiest ones, I really have an appreciation for the studio guys in Nashville. It may be the most simple drumbeat, but they're the huge hits. You think it's so simple, but it's an art.

(Now we move onto Jonathan's interview. Coming to USA will be a return home, in a sense, for Jonathan because he was born in Birmingham and was raised in Alabaster. He moved to Dallas when he was 16.)

V: What has been your musical inspiration? Jonathan Tyler: I love blues music and rock and roll. Really love the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and the Who. Led Zeppelin. Some newer music, but the main influence on me is older blues and and rock and roll. V: What was it like recording with Chris Bell on your album "Hot Trottin'"? T: He was pretty cool. His history with different styles of music makes him good at setting the mics up and getting good sounds. It was a good time. Within that week's time, we became good friends. V: Do you play any instruments other than guitar? T: I play the harmonica, and I'm getting better at the piano. I like taking Beatles songs and learning them on piano. V: If you weren't making a career out of music, what would you be doing? T: I'd be writing books and short stories. V: What do you plan to do on your next album? T: We're going to work on getting better quality out of the next album. It's going to sound better as far as sonic noises go. No change in style, though. V: Do you like touring? T: I love being on the road and traveling. It's fun meeting new people, seeing new places and having new experiences. It's amazing.