The first installment of Bass Therapy artist highlights kicked off last month with an interview with Lampshade. We’re continuing into June with a feature on Wolfpak (aka Tyler Anderton), who along with his affinity for wolves, has been a regular fixture at Stage with his metal-bass hybrid style. You can catch him in his Wolf spirit hood being cheered on by his fans called the Wolfpak.
We sat down with Tyler to discuss his take on life, music, and inspiration.
[well]
Brief Background:
Tyler is a true born and raised Northwesterner. He grew up in Issaquah before moving to Eugene to start his degree at the University of Oregon before returning home to Seattle and finishing school at UW. Tyler’s musical journey truly began in middle school when he discovered metal. From there, his love of the genre deepened while his friends helped him branch out into hip/hop along the lines of Blue Scholars and Macklemore. [/well]
It’s fascinating how musician’s evolve over time; not just their tastes but with their sound as well. Many of the bass artists today were former metal heads, emo kids, or rolled with the stoner crowd. They never let go of that influence but instead are using it in new and creative ways. To be a great musician, an artist must be aware of what’s happening now while also knowing exactly where they have been.
Tyler Anderton: That’s something that I love about music and creativity in general. It’s all about finding things that you like in other people’s work and combining those things into your own project. Nearly every new genre that’s created is just a mash up of two or more other genres or just some crazy take on something that already exists. You could say that music or art as a whole is a collaborative project between every artist [that] presents their work publicly.
Being an artist means finding inspiration wherever possible. That inspiration usually comes from other artists or musicians. It’s fuel to be your best while also providing that framework for others to improve on or add their own style to.
TA: Definitely. I think as things become more commercialized, there are increasing amounts of people who are just following the cookie cutter design without adding much that’s interesting. It’s incredibly inspiring to me when someone takes a risk and puts out something completely game-changing.
At the end of the day, if you don’t push yourself creatively, you’re just following the throng of other artists doing the same thing. Standing out means creating something new by pushing the boundaries. Would you say you’re a risk taker?
TA:There’s definitely a balance to be found. In truth I’m a very methodical and careful person, but I definitely take the calculated risks when I believe the time is right. I’ve always been one to stand apart from the crowd, and as far as my music goes, I don’t ever plan on releasing something if I think that it doesn’t stand apart and add something new and unique.
Being true to yourself and what you’re creating is the epitome of success, because you didn’t compromise on anything for the sake of instant gratification or recognition. Art isn’t about who likes what, it’s about contributing a piece of yourself in the hope that it adds value to the lives of others.
TA:Yeah and it all boils down to what’s going to make you happy at the end of the day. If you create art just for the sake of creating, then it will be easy to find fulfillment and happiness in what you do. But if you’re just creating as some means to an end, even when you reach that end you’ll be looking for more, and I don’t think you’ll ever live at peace like that.
Art is very personal; it’s about what you’re going through. Creation needs to come from a place of passion or else people will be able to see that it was forced for the sake of just being popular. Do you think creating music for the sake of gaining recognition or making money is an issue plaguing the music industry right now?
TA: I think it’s a problem for the music industry in general, but I think it’s a much smaller problem than people make it out to be, especially in the edm scene. As far as I can tell, most of the producers in this scene are extremely humble, and while this is a business and people are out here to make money, at their cores they really are doing it for the love of the music and the surrounding community.
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