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01.20.04
Her music is rooted deeply with emotional ties
to her past. Kyler England talked to us about healing,
vegging out and yard work.
 Give
us some background, where you grew up, tell us about
your family.
I grew up in the country outside Raleigh, NC. We had
horses and dogs and cats and rabbits and the occasional
stray chicken that we took in. it was a peaceful and
idyllic way to grow up but I also worked hard. I had
to get up at 5:30am to feed the horses before school,
and after school I had to shovel horse manure everyday.
I picked up a pretty strong work ethic early on.
Wowsas. When did you start taking interest in music?
I always loved music more than anything. while I'm
the first professional musician in my family, there
was always a lot of singing and music making going on
from the time I was very small. My dad would strum Beatles
songs on the guitar...my brother and sister and I loved
"yellow submarine" and would beg dad to sing
it to us. I don't think I ever really started singing,
I just always sang from the moment I could make noise.
Apparently when I was about 3 I used to stand on the
hearth with a wooden spoon as a microphone and serenade
make believe audiences. I wish there was a tape of that
somewhere. ;)
Did you take voice lessons at all?
I didn't take voice lessons growing up, though I did
sing in classical choirs so I got some instruction there.
I guess you could say I'm a self-taught singer, but
that wouldn't be quite right. I learned from my heroes
such as Joni Mitchell and Sarah McLachlan. Listening
to their records was the best instruction you could
ask for. When I was about 20 I did take some lessons
for about a year but honestly I really only did that
because I needed a recommendation from a voice teacher
to get into music school.
Is this your first album?
I have 3 records out right now. My brand new one A
Flower Grows In Stone, another full-length album
If The World Would Just End and an EP that was a
benefit for Hospice, How Many Angels.
 Tell
us a little bit about making A Flower Grows in Stone
and some of the expectations you had going into it.
Did it turn out how you wanted?
It did turn out the way I wanted in that I'm very proud
of it from the songwriting to the performances to the
production. Other than that I didn't go into it with
too many preconceived ideas of how everything should
sound. My producer and I let the songs lead the way
and the production kind of sprung up around them. It's
an exciting process. I love being in the studio. at
the end of the making of this record though it got a
little crazy. We had a deadline for mixing everything
because we had a mastering date booked. I think I went
3 days without sleeping to get it finished and I was
a total wreck at the end of it, but it was completely
worth it.
You have this amazing song, "Higher Ground"
on the album about losing your mother. Tell us about
it!
When i wrote it, it was about finding a way to be able
to live with that loss and get through the day, even
if that way was by burying it. in a different way that
song seems to fit for me right now because for whatever
reason this has been a really emotional fall for me
and it seems to be like a faucet that is either off
or totally flooding so i have to sometimes just turn
it off to function.
Your songwriting really touches me because its not
story telling and the emotions and words are so relatable.
Do you aim to relate to others or rather show what's
inside of you? Are there any issues out there that you're
still looking to shed light on?
I'm really happy to hear that. My motivation in writing
and performing other than for the sheer joy of it is
to move people. I'm not really so much interested in
impressing people as I am making them feel something.
Most of my songs are about very personal experiences
of mine or of people close to me but I try to make them
open to interpretation so people can see a little of
themselves reflected in them.
What's going on now, career wise (any upcoming
goodies)?
Well, this spring I'm touring to promote the new album
like a mad woman, just me and my guitar. I've been touring
now for several years but this spring will be my most
hectic schedule yet. I've been writing a lot, working
on getting songs together for the next record which
I'll probably start work on this summer. I'm also very
excited to have just started working with a great management
company, Deep South. Their guidance and help is priceless
right now.
Do you work fulltime or do your music full time?
I've been doing my music full time now for about two-and-one-half
years.
Good for you! So how has touring been going?
Touring is a blast...most of the time. I'm a driving
fool and as long as I have my I-pod or I can pick up
an NPR station I'm a happy camper. Driving gives me
a lot of the alone time that I crave and it's peaceful
watching the landscapes fly by. I've gotten pretty used
to living out of a suitcase and being away from home
so that doesn't bother me too much and I love getting
to go to new places and see old friends along the way
as well as make new ones. the only time I'm not excited
about being on the road is when I have to catch a 6am
flight or drive 8 hours on 3 hours of sleep. Then I'm
pretty cranky.
What is your biggest challenge as an independent artist?
there are tons of challenges but I guess the biggest
one is getting the word out about my music. because
I don't have the promotional machinery of a major label
behind me, it happens in a very grassroots way with
touring and articles in cool publications and websites
such as this one.
What do you listen to?
Lately I've been listening to David Gray, Coldplay,
Patty Griffin, Frou Frou, East Mountain South, Radiohead
and some indie artists: Emm Gryner, Chuck Carrier, and
Kristin Cifelli (whom is featured on this site too...she's
a dear friend of mine and I'm a big fan of hers!).
We just adore Kristin! So what do you do in your
spare time?
gosh, I wish I had some! I really have no free time
to get bored these days. My vege-out of choice is to
rent a movie and sit on my couch with some Thai take
out for a few hours. I'm trying to make more time for
myself to do the simple things I love like taking a
morning walk in the park and reading for pleasure.
I'm learning at some point you just have to put your
foot down and realize that the craziness can wait a
few hours or even a whole day. Sometimes the most productive
thing you can do is take some time to nurse your spirit.
What can we expect in the next few months??
In the next few months I'll be touring all over tarnation
like the Tasmanian Devil so with any luck I might be
passing within a drivable distance of a lot of your
readers. Check out my tour schedule at www.kylerengland.com.
Kyler, thanks so much and can't wait to see you
live! A huge congrats to Kyler for winning 1st
place in the 2003 Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest for
her track, "Something So Beautiful".
For more, visit www.kylerengland.com.
Interviewed by Kristen
Fischer
DiscoveringArtists.com
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