Story by Natalie Horner

Photo by Jenna Westover
Singer/songwriter Tyler Fortier is slated to release three albums in 2011: …And They Rode Like Wildfire Snaking Through The Hills ‘Neath The Scarlet Sun, Fear of the Unknown, and Bang on Time. That will put his grand total at an astonishing seven albums. For someone so prolific, and yet still relatively unknown, Fortier says he is perfectly content with his situation as a “do-it-yourself musician,” and has never sought major label support. “They just take all your money, don’t they?” he says.
Natalie Horner: First, how do you pronounce your last name? Because I’ve been saying it For-tee-ay.
Tyler Fortier: Everyone says For-tee-ay, I don’t even correct people anymore. But it is For-teer. I say For-teer, but when people say For-tee-ay, I’m like, “meh.”
NH: When do you remember first really being interested in music?
TF: In fifth grade. I remember the first record I bought was a Billy Joel record, River of Dreams. Then in sixth grade I actually started writing, and ended up in a band called the Marshmallows. We were really awful.
NH: Who were your earliest influences?
TF: Bands like Bad Religion, Home Grown, and the whole Blink-182 kick. I went through different phases. In high school I was in punk bands, had pink and purple hair, and thought I was so punk rock.
NH: You’ve departed significantly from that punk sound. How did those early experiences influence your work now?
TF: I feel like punk music isn’t too different from Americana, what I’m doing now. It is different, but I think at the core of it…There’s a lot of me in my songs, whatever genre it is. It’s still really emotional music. Lately I’ve been branching off more into narrative writing. I’m releasing three records this year, the first one’s coming out in March. They all take place in the 19^th century Old West. There are fictional and nonfictional characters, so I’m kind of branching out by writing outside of myself. I’m trying to choose characters and situations that I can still find myself in, but aren’t necessarily about me.
NH: What can we expect from those upcoming albums?
TF: The first one, with the title that you have to take a really big breath to say, is lo-fi. I did it on my 8-Track recorder, and it has a Western theme. The second record has really big production, and really more existential material. There are these post-apocalyptic songs, so everything’s really epic. It’s huge. I’m really excited about it. The third record is in progress.  it’s more along the lines of my last record, This Love is Fleeting.
NH: What’s your writing process like?
TF: Lots of whiskey. No, just kidding. I can’t write under the influence, actually. Generally my songs stem from one line. It could be something I think of, or overhear someone saying. Like, if I see a homeless person on the street and get really bothered or emotional over it, then I know that the floodgates are open, and I can write. It usually comes from a line, I’ll pick up the guitar or get on the piano. Then it’s just coming up with a melody line, and playing around with chords. It’s always words first for me.
NH: Who influences you now?
TF: Musically I’m influenced by Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Brown, Loggins and Messina, Tom Petty. And then there’s sort of a new wave of song writers I’m really influenced by, like Jackie Green, Ryan Adams, and Josh Ritter.
NH: What’s your plan for Bandest? Do you have one, or are you just going to wing it?
TF: No, I don’t like to wing it, usually. It’s sort of been a clusterfuck, we haven’t rehearsed yet. I’m sort of in between guitar players. I have a set worked out, and I just want it to be really upbeat. Generally I do a lot of down-tempo stuff, but I’m doing all upbeat stuff and trying to keep the crowd’s intensity level really high and have it be really fun.

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Tyler Fortier