Can You Help Me Rank My Horses?

I am trying to figure out which of my latest 3 albums is my “best” album — the strongest horse in my race — to help me focus on which one I should be sending out to the powers that be.

Because music is often an emotional decision, I believe math is the answer here.

Please fill out the small survey below and email the results to info (at) tylerstenson (dot) com

RANK THE FOLLOWING SONGS ON A SCALE OF 1-10
(one being “ehhh” and ten being “wow”)

BITTERSWEET PARADE (2010):
Welcome the Change:
The Road:
I Get No Sleep:
Great Man’s Funeral:
You Already Know:
As the Crow Flies:
Push that River:
Explode:
Blush:
Fight til Dying Day:
Wyoming:

Don’t have it? Buy it here!

LONG BEFORE THE WHEEL (2010):
Leave Oregon:
Daffodils:
That Moon:
Clover:
We Grow:

Don’t have it? Buy it here!

ANOTHER GLEAM (2011):
NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH SEE THAT GLEAM from 2008!!
Big Hearts:
Cellophane:
Better Be Us All:
Whistle Stop:
Paper Plane:
Come Around:
Popo Agie:
Getting Old:
Separate Things:
The Bus:
Feeling the Sun:
Fingertip:
Babysitting the Cowboy:
Carry On:

Don’t have it? Buy it here!

I will figure out the average rating strength of each album and consider the record with the highest average to be my best. THANK YOU ALL.

My cousin Grant teaches 2nd grade and across the years he has creatively used my music within his classrooms to lighten the mood, maintain order, inspire minds and ultimately teach lasting lessons in an interactive format — this lesson tops them all.

If you recall, I visited his class back in 2008, where we co-wrote a new version of my song The Bus. It was a really fun experience to show them a previously written line and then ask them to recreate it, in their own words, using the same structures and syllables, but totally unique to them.

This time, years later, his 2010-2011 class has been studying my song We Grow from my album Long Before the Wheel and learning about metaphors in the process … to my everlasting joy, they’ve written and recorded their own version of We Grow.

Check out Mr. Bushman’s 2010-2011 2nd Grade Class from Heritage Elementary School in Nibley, Utah singing their own version of my song We Grow.

WE GROW — BY TYLER STENSON & 2nd GRADERS

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WE GROW
Lyrics by Tyler Stenson and Mr. Bushman’s 2nd grade class
NOTE: The italicized words are theirs.

I heard you say that you wish I stayed
An older version of me — long before my change.
If we’re not growing we are staying the same,
So I will welcome the change and stretch myself day to day…

We’re entitled to change, we grow
Like baby to man
Like ideas of Mr. Bushman
Like the airbag inside of a van
Like things from a recycled can
The change is going to happen real slow
But not a day goes by we don’t grow.

If a seed can grow into a tree
And if that tree can grow leaves,
How is that different than me?
We both breathe and we come from the dirt
And that’s where we will return
When both of our seasons fade…

We’re entitled to change, we grow
Like dust on a mat
Like the wings of a small baby bat
Like a kitten growing into a cat
Like the whiskers from a beautiful rat
The change is going to happen real slow
But not a day goes by we don’t grow.

If we’re not growing,
We are staying the same,
So, I will welcome the change
And stretch myself day to day
We’re entitled to change…

We’re entitled to change, we grow
Like egg into bird
Like the little baby cows in a herd
Like adding suffixes to a word
Like a 2nd Grader moving to third
The change is going to happen real slow
But not a day goes by we don’t grow.

THE ORIGINAL WE GROW:

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You can buy “We Grow” on CD Baby and iTunes!!

One of my favorite songs from the Long Before the Wheel album is the last track, We Grow. It’s my favorite because it’s like nothing I’ve ever written — totally unique and a pure labor of gritty love.

While the theme of this song is universal — how we’re human and therefore entitled to change and grow — the inspiration was very specific. After releasing my album Orange Chrome Sky in 2006, an avid fan of my old Rhetoric Tuesday material from 2002 wrote me an email that expressed his disappointment in the new direction of my music. He was adamant that I should return to my old ways because the new stuff wasn’t any good.

While my older music was a bit more pop-oriented and instantly appealing, my Lander: Orange Chrome Sky record had its own heartbeat and spirit — a darker piece but, in my eyes, equal in quality. Less instant gratification but more sophistication. Of course, he did not see the forest for the trees.

In the end I wrote him a calm and collected email explaining that I was sorry to have fallen short of his expectations but as a human, I was entitled to change and as an artist, growth was inevitable. I left it at that — who knows what he took from that retort.

In all, this song is 16 metaphors of growth and an artsy piece that argues that growth is not only healthy, but inevitable. Enjoy We Grow.

Learn more about the process of writing the metaphors behind We Grow!!

DOWNLOAD “WE GROW” on CD Baby or iTunes!!

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WE GROW
by tyler stenson © 2010

I heard you say that you wish I stayed
An older version of me — long before my change.
But, if we’re not growing we are staying the same,
So I will welcome the change and stretch myself day to day.
We’re entitled to change because we grow

Like blown up balloons.
Like the flare at the end of a spoon.
Like one note becoming a tune.
Like the city lights in the darkening blue–
The change is gonna happen real slow
But not a day goes by we don’t grow.

If a seed can grow into a tree
And if that tree can grow leaves,
I ask, how is that different than me?
Because we both breathe and we come from the dirt
And that’s where we will return
When both of our seasons fade.
We’re entitled to change because we grow

Like one into two.
Like the eleventh hour turning to noon,
Then May slow fades into June,
Then you’re a grownup in your childhood room–
The change is gonna happen real slow
But not a day goes by we don’t grow.

If we’re not growing, we are staying the same
So, I will welcome the change and stretch myself day to day.
We’re entitled to change because we grow

Like a high tide caused by that moon.
Like a flower knowing Spring is coming soon.
Like wings inside a cocoon,
(Or anything else that is destine to bloom)–
Like our faith in the things we know to be true
Or like the courage found in the wine and the booze–
The change is gonna happen real slow
But not a day goes by we don’t grow.

DOWNLOAD “WE GROW” on CD Baby or iTunes!!

As an aside, a group of second graders recently studied my song as a lesson in metaphors. To my everlasting joy, they’ve written their own set of metaphors and recorded their own version of We Grow. Give it a listen!!

WE GROW
By Mr Bushman’s 2nd Grade Class

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If you recall, 95 people banded together in late 2010 to help me fund my Long Before the Wheel EP via Kickstarter…

I’m writing today to tell you bluntly, I have 3 major projects that are simultaneously in need of funding; however, because there is a personal lack of finances to make them happen, I’m transparently taking a survey to determine: Would You Back Me Again?

THE PROJECTS & ESTIMATES:

1. Another Gleam: I have finished re-recording See That Gleam from 2008 in its entirety (plus 2 bonus tracks) and the result is stunning. Although it is totally tracked, I still need to have it mixed, mastered and manufactured into physical copies.

This will require another $3,000.

2. Greatest Hits CD/DVD: In March I did a live performance in Portland that captured my greatest hits from across the years, with a stellar backing band. I need to have the audio mixed and mastered and the video converted into a DVD.

This will require $1,000.

3. The 2012 Album to End All Albums: I have already written my next album and would like to release it in early 2012. With an extreme amount of confidence, this will be my finest work to date and include songs such as Often & Much, Best Laid Plans, Ghost and 10+ others that will top anything I’ve ever done. No lie … but, I’ll need this funded from top to bottom.

This will require $7,000.

As you can see, there is about $11,000 unaccounted for … I’m currently looking for investors, donors, pre-order agreements, sugar mommas, etc to make up this amount. Let’s get creative!!

As an artist, I am more prolific than my pocket book. I can create endlessly, I just need finances to make my creations public and immortal.

So, I ask the question, Would you back me again?

Thank you all — Regardless!!

Tyler Stenson

Track #4 off of my Long Before the Wheel EP is a short and sweet tune called Clover. While most of my songs are rather ambiguous and their meanings obscure, this one is fairly obvious.

There was a time in my life when I was — not lonely — but definitely ready to finally find that certain someone. With that in mind, I had always heard that if you want something badly enough, you should put it in the atmosphere and allow the universe to conspire to make it so. Cue this song.

I wrote Clover for the love I had not yet met — that rare clover hiding amongst the billion blades in the grass. I hoped this song would bring her my way…

DOWNLOAD CLOVER on CD Baby or iTunes!!

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CLOVER
by tyler stenson © 2010

As a man of chance, not much for fate,
My superstitions are hard to break.
But, if Lucky see, then Lucky do,
Then Clover I’ll be lucky to find you.

I’ve had a pocket-pair with an Ace up my sleeve
At an all-in table that boasted one King.
But, my luck has been known to wear walking shoes
So, Clover I’ll be lucky to find you.

Clover I’ll be lucky
To ever find something like you.
Please, Clover make me lucky.

In all the world there’s a billion blades
In the grass on the ground that all look the same.
I’ve combed them over- I’ve sifted through-
And Clover I’ll be lucky to find you.

Clover I’ll be lucky
To ever find something
So small and so lovely.
Yes, Clover I’ll be lucky if I ever find you.
Please, Clover make me lucky.

DOWNLOAD CLOVER on CD Baby or iTunes!!

I’m proud to say that my song That Moon was featured on Kink.fm yesterday for the Local Music Spotlight!! It was a very cool experience because I got to do a 10 minute phone interview with Inessa that she has included in full on the Kink web page — it really gave me the chance to talk about my career, my song and my goals for 2011. Thanks Inessa!!

To listen to the entire phone interview, go the the Kink.fm here or to download my song That Moon, visit CD Baby here.

Thanks Kink for supporting local artists and thanks for playing my song That Moon from my newest record Long Before the Wheel.

A few weeks ago I posted the Better Be Us All performance video from the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville — well, I recently got my hands on all but one of the songs from that evening and I’ve posted them below. Although As the Crow Flies wasn’t captured on film, I hope you’ll enjoy the other five songs from that very special night.

THE ROAD

THAT MOON

DAFFODILS

OFTEN & MUCH

BETTER BE US ALL

I woke up this morning to find that the newspaper in my hometown, the West Linn Tidings, had written a very kind article about me being named the “Best Male Artist” at the 2011 Portland Music Awards. It’s an honor that the city I grew up in still follows my path and recognizes my achievements as they happen.

Thank you Nicole DeCosta for writing this piece and for spreading the word about my accomplishments in the bigger city that lays just 20 miles up the road.

Read the full article by clicking on the image below or visiting this link: http://bit.ly/h5uIYD

Tyler Stenson is Best Male Artist
by Nicole DeCosta

The West Linn Tidings, Feb 3, 2011

Tyler Stenson, a West Linn High School graduate, received the award for “Best Male Artist” during Friday’s Portland Music Awards at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland. Stenson’s latest album, “Long Before the Wheel,” is available for purchase online.

Tyler Stenson, 29, called the city of Portland “the great incubator” during his acceptance speech on Friday after winning the award for “Best Male Artist” at the 2011 Portland Music Awards (PMAs) Jan. 28.

Although traveling between Nashville, Tenn., and Portland over the past year and a half, the West Linn High School graduate turned singer-songwriter said Portland’s music scene is one of a kind — and this win “puts a smile” on his heart.

“Considering the talent that surrounded me on the ballot, I was simply honored to be mentioned in the same sentence as the other phenomenal talents, let alone (be) set apart and selected as the ‘Best Male Artist’ in Portland,” Stenson said after the show. Also nominated in the category this year were Jacob Merlin, Chris Margolin, Will Coca and Jordan Harris.

Stenson — known for his uncomplicated yet sophisticated stage presence, which includes himself, a stool, a guitar and a large screen displaying his song lyrics — said he’s “worked hard each and every day for the last decade to be the best artist I can be.”

“This is pure validation that I’m on the right path and building something that’s being noticed,” he said. “It’s a great moment of pride and accomplishment for me.”

Noting similarities between Nashville and Portland, Stenson said he has “increasing pride” for his hometown.

“Nashville is considered ‘The Music City’ and while the scene is definitely robust, it’s not that much more impressive than Portland. Both cities have great talent hiding in every crack,” Stenson said.

He continued, “While most of my colleagues are disgusted with their hometown music scene … I brag endlessly about Portland and give the music scene full credit for my successes in Nashville.”

Founded in 2008 by Craig Marquardo, the PMAs were designed to bring attention and appreciation to the artists who make up the Portland music scene. This year’s show was hosted by PDX-TV On-Air Host and Promotions Coordinator with Chloe Houser and “Top Gun” actor Tom Skerritt and with appearances by actor Daniel Baldwin and comedian Gallagher.

“To be able to produce a show that honors such excellent musicians like Tyler Stenson is what makes the enormous effort and sacrifice worth it,” Marquardo said. “The art and the community are equally worthwhile.”

For more information about Tyler Stenson, visit his website at www.tylerstenson.com.

Read the full article by clicking on the image below or visiting this link: http://bit.ly/h5uIYD

With the holiday season fast approaching, nothing would help me more than you taking this time to introduce someone to my music. Whether they’ve never heard of me before or only have a couple of my six albums, there is all kinds of music to go around and I’m confident that any music lover would enjoy my music as their gift. Pass it on.

BROWSE ALL OF MY ALBUMS HERE

LONG BEFORE THE WHEEL
CD Baby
iTunes

BITTERSWEET PARADE
CD Baby
iTunes

SEE THAT GLEAM
CD Baby
iTunes

LANDER LIVE at MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS
CD Baby
iTunes

ORANGE CHROME SKY
CD Baby
iTunes

THE LOW CEILING
CD Baby
iTunes

The Portland Music Awards has begun taking nominations for this year’s award show that will showcase Portland’s best talent. Although many categories are up for fulfillment, please help me out by voting Tyler Stenson as “Best Male Artist” on this year’s ballot.

Voting is easy as 1, 2, 3:
1. Go to http://bit.ly/akdIA9
2. Enter “Tyler Stenson” in the “Best Male Artist” field
3. Press the enter button at the bottom of the page to submit your vote
NOTE: You can vote for anyone else in any of the other categories!

My 2010 accomplishments to back your votes:
1. I recorded and released 2 albums in 2010 (Bittersweet Parade and Long Before the Wheel)
2. I’ve sold over 1,000 physical albums in 2010 alone (9,000 overall)
3. I’ve had more than 50,000 songs downloaded within the calendar year
4. I initiated and succeeded in a fan-funded fundraiser through Kickstarter.com
5. I was featured on the KINK.fm Local Music Sampler
6. I have toured the 4 corners of the United States to promote my efforts
7. I wrote a theme song for a TV show that will air in November
8. I pride myself in being one of the hardest working musicians in Portland
9. Here’s a free song from my new album to sweeten the deal: http://bit.ly/cXRS9J