Fredericksburg, VA-based singer-songwriter Jon Tyler Wiley is set to release his solo album, The Longing, on February 25, 2022. Wiley made the album by himself; he wrote everything, performed all of the instruments, produced, engineered, and mixed the album. Like many other performers, he delayed the release of The Longing due to the pandemic. The songs on the new album proudly blur the lines between genres, creating a southern sound caught halfway between anthemic rock ’n’ roll and atmospheric Americana. The first single from the album, the psychedelic Americana rocker, “WannaBe,” is set for release on January 28th and will premiere earlier that week at Glide Magazine.
“I’ve always loved Americana music and singer-songwriters, but I’ve been at odds with the phrase ‘three chords and the truth,’” admits Wiley. “I never understood why music couldn’t be lyrically interesting and musically interesting at the same time, so it’s my goal to write great stories and poetry but to support them with more compelling music.”
Jon Tyler Wiley is a force to be reckoned with. In addition to playing virtually all of the instruments on his new album, The Longing (out February 25th), he also produced and recorded it at his home studio. A compelling concoction of Americana twang and anthemic guitar rock, Wiley’s music hits all of the right notes. Featuring songs written after years of playing in and with other bands, The Longing finds Wiley exploring his own songwriting muse to tremendous success, and Amplify Music Magazine is excited to share the exclusive premiere for the full album stream here today. We also sat down recently with Wiley to talk about the album, its creation, and how his music is influenced just as much by Merle Haggard as it is impacted by Abbey Road. Read the interview below while you listen.
Your album is really special. Tell us how you came to gather this collection of songs together.
Thank you! Well, I grew up trying to write songs, but for most of my career, I have played guitar on other people’s songs, and helped other people’s musical ideas come to life. It wasn’t often where I had opportunities to be creative outside anyone else’s parameters. Then, a few years ago, I found an unfinished song that I had written back in college. On a whim, I decided to make a demo, and I spent four hours playing keys, guitar, bass, and programming some basic drums. When I was finished, the demo felt great to me. I woke up the next morning, and all of a sudden the floodgates were open: I couldn’t stop writing. I had barely written my own music for 10 years, and then, all of a sudden, I couldn’t NOT write. After a few years, I noticed that several of the songs had this collective theme of want and yearning. Those songs became The Longing.
You did it all yourself. Tell us what was involved. What was the recording process like? Did it go the way you expected? What was your favorite moment in the studio?
Every song had a slightly different process. I tried to set very simple parameters: I wanted to try and do everything myself, even things I really didn’t know how to do, certain things like the drums. I wanted to learn. I also wanted to follow the rabbit hole of each song, trying to be led by each song without feeling married to the same “verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus” rules of every three-minutes-long song out there right now. So, in a way, I didn’t really have any expectations, which made each song really fresh and fun to work on.
My favorite moments in the studio always came playing the instruments that I wasn’t as proficient on: forcing myself to play keys and synth, coming up with drum parts that I could pull off; those challenges were always difficult but always felt great in the end.
Do you have a favorite song on the album? What makes it stand out for you?
“Want a Little More” is a favorite, for sure. I felt like I started to hit my stride that day. As time went on, making the album, I began focusing on the idea of making organic-sounding, singer-songwriter music, but infusing it with elements of experimental and psychedelic music. There’s a lot of Mellotron, a lot of weird keyboards, but, to my ear, it always manges to stay interesting yet never distracting. “Want a Little More” captured a lot of that experimentation in what’s still one of the more accessible songs on the album.
How would you describe the music that you make?
I’ve been calling it “alternative Americana.” There are elements borrowed from old Merle Haggard records, and there are elements borrowed from Abbey Road. That’s something that I’m really proud of, in that it seems to tap into every musical influence I’ve ever had.
What’s coming up next for you once the album comes out this week?
Shows! About halfway into making the album, I started playing with a band, the Virginia Choir. We released some music together last year, so I’m excited to add these songs to the setlist, to get this album out into the world, and to keep playing shows with them!
Photo credit: Erin Wiley
