I received a tweet today from one of my favorite Northwestern gals Mrs. @sprizee … she took a trip to the beach this weekend and was sweet enough to take this very special picture for me. It is a lyric from my song Whistle Stop:

Don’t whisper softly the things
That you want loudly to be;
Be like a wave,
Leave impressions in the sand.

Thanks @sprizee for thinking of my music when there were millions of others to choose from. Every sun is going to fade, but in the morning rays I hear a songbird singing your name.

Sanjay Gupta & Joe Albert

My best friend Joe Albert recently had the chance to meet Obama’s Surgeon General, Sanjay Gupta- the resulting picture is above. Though most would be excited to simply be captured on film with such a high profile individual, Joe made sure to point out his outfit of choice. If you pay close attention, this photo features a hand-printed Lander T-Shirt and a couple of other dudes that happened to make the frame. Thanks Joe, we’re making history.

You may or may not know that after my family left Wyoming, we moved to a small suburb called West Linn, OR. I recently caught up with Nicole Decosta (a writer for the West Linn Tidings) and answered some questions about my life and music career post West Linn. The article below landed on the front page of today’s paper- click on the image below to read the full feature!

Tyler Stenson in the West Linn Tidings

Click here to read the full feature!

One of my most treasured songs from the years is Radiate. I wrote this song in a humble studio apartment in Eugene, OR just days after a tolling breakup. Over the years the song has taken many forms and changed in meaning from day-to-day but always a sweet sentiment of respect. Below is Radiate in all of it’s varieties.

LANDER ORANGE CHROME SKY – 2006
I formed the band Lander in 2006 and Radiate became the signature rock ballad that begins the Orange Chrome Sky album and highlighted many of our live shows.

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MANO DESTRA REMIX – 2007
I gave the raw files from OCS to my musically gifted friend Mr. Diggles– I told him to show me his take on Radiate.

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ACOUSTIC CONVERSATIONS – 2009
I recently did a podcast for AcousticConversations.com and chose to revisit Radiate. Because the song has turned in form over the years, I decided to revisit its original form– a delicate acoustic song.

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RADIATE:
by tyler stenson

She took back the sunlight that she gave
And disappeared down the loneliest highway.
I am resting low on this day because
Somewhere where I’m not she radiates
And I don’t mind.

In the night this light is about to burst
And all the good lines get lost in the verse.
I am just a subtle glow on this day because
Somewhere where I’m not she radiates
And I don’t mind.

I don’t mind.
I don’t mind.

All my days are slowly fading gray
Cause somewhere where I’m not she radiates.

I found out months ago that my song Whistle Stop was going to be included on a Roadtrip Nation promotional compilation. This is a pretty cool little program (sponsored by PBS) that documents the travels of various coming of age teens and college students; touring the country and interviewing some notable people.

As we speak, the program has assembled a promotional tour that spans the college campuses of the US to spread the good word. They’ll be talking-up their purpose and passing out complimentary discs- considering my song is included, I hope they leave behind a wake of complimentary green CDs.

It was a proud moment seeing the Orange Chrome Sky version of Whistle Stop on the compilation amongst so many other great tracks… very proud.

In the end, I just hope it yields some loyal fans and future opportunity.

The most noble memories flow back thick with Robby Packer and me. He was the friend that entered the world beside me and all at once summarizes a childhood. Few of my memories exclude him and the best days I’ve ever seen are in the humble creek behind his house (with water-skippers); building our own dams with the bed rock by the hours.

This picture is a romantic notion of nostalgia — best friends on the first day of Kindergarten… long ago.

Saturday February 9th at the White Eagle was an amazing experience all around. I tried to express it on stage but I’ve never been the most eloquent on the spot; it sincerely warms my heart to know that so many people care about me personally or enjoy my music enough to keep showing up time and time again. The crowd was in full effect. I have an amazing cast of supporters and I hope you all know that it does not go unnoticed on my end.

Thank you to John Reynolds and the Cool Blue Review for having us be a part of the event and thank you McMenamins for creating such great musical environments. I’ll be posting some sound clips from the show later this week- let me know if you have any requests!

Again, thank you everyone for making the White Eagle such a success and thank you everyone for all of your support in this adventure. I’ll keep you posted on the upcoming shows and let’s keep growing this thing together!

Tyler Stenson and Lander will be playing a special musical event at the White Eagle Saloon (McMenamins) this Saturday February 9th starting at 9:15pm. Cool Blue Review will be presenting three great bands, including yours truly, Audio Fatigue and the Dead Beetles all under one roof. We ask that everyone wear something blue to support the Cool Blue Review and to show the White Eagle staff that you’re there to support your local music!

Also, Lander will be in rare form as I’ve put together a special group of musicians to help make the event extra special; Tommy Alfson on drums and percussion and introducing special guests Logan Coale (upright bass) and Daniel Work (keys). Logan and Daniel have been performing on the upcoming album so I’ve asked that they come and sit in on the White Eagle session. It will be like nothing you’ve ever seen from me before so I hope you’ll grab ALL of your friends and come join in on the fun.

WHITE EAGLE SALOON – $6
836 N Russell St
Portland, OR 97227
(503) 282-6810

As I mentioned before, the Lander live at Mississippi Studios recording is in the process of being mixed and mastered and it seems some time since I last updated everyone on the status. Well, I’m proud to report that we are in the home stretch! Approximately sixteen songs are being mixed and mastered at SmileyNote Studios by Daniel Work and it is sounding great. Though the finished product is still a couple months away, I wanted to let everyone sample Popo Agie. Again, this is not considered a final product but a fair gauge of what to expect later this winter. Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present Popo Agie, live at Mississippi Studios, PDX.

Popo Agie by Tyler Stenson

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Paul the Music Lover posted another one of my songs on the Indie Music Sampler! He has a great ear for good music and I was excited to hear the audio debut of Better Be Us All within his most recent podcast. Click here or on the image above to stream the November 9th podcast from the Indie Music Sampler and listen for the last song… Better Be Us All.