Daily Inspiration: Meet Tyler Hamilton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler Hamilton.

Hi Tyler, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I met Dakota at the end of 2019 at a work Christmas party when we were both delivering packages for Amazon. The following week, I was sent on a rescue to his van, and we had a deep conversation about music while taking a smoke break. When I first moved to Colorado in 2018, I wasn’t interested in starting a band at all or getting out into the music community for that matter, and if it were anyone other than Dakota Wilkinson, I would have turned the idea out of hand. 

What I mean by that is, beyond his good looks and, what the kids say these days, the Rizz, there was a certain other element to it. A genuine offer of friendship and musical chemistry that moved me to challenge my skepticism with an unrelenting curiosity. Where could this go? We began as a space jam group in January of 2020 with rotating players and quickly turned out a few song ideas that later evolved into our first EP, Beachless Demos. 

We were stopped dead in our tracks by the covid pandemic, and at the time, operating as a 4 piece, we saw it as an opportunity to curate a sound that would be ready to hit the ground running when the lockdowns let up. We launched our social media, started reaching out to venues, playing stripped-down open mic sets on the west side, and maintained an ultimate focus on the music itself. 

After a few months of playing shows with friends like Semifiction, Stereo Ontereo, Emerson Bailey, and others, we began the work on our first LP, Retrofit Sick. Around this time, we found Tommy Hallet, a man with similar values and interests, and a face-melting drummer at that. We continued to press forward as a 3-piece surf-psych band with the wind at our backs, and the support of a tightly knit music community. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest struggles beyond work schedule conflicts and life getting in the way have been maintaining relationships and nurturing creativity. All creative groups have highs and lows, internal disagreements, and difference of vision. I find the most important thing to consider when participating in a creative group is chemistry. 

It doesn’t matter how good you are or knowledgeable or connected to this or that, if a group has no chemistry, it’s never going to be a rocket ship. It has always been a keystone of success, because when it’s not there, it’s a glaring flaw to anyone witnessing art. It’s not a matter of optics, but a fundamental aspect of how art resonates. People feel that. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are most known for bringing high energy to our performances. Our number 1 goal every time we perform is to tear it up and really loosen up the crowd when we open a show and drive it home when we close. Our style varies so much throughout all of our original content that it allows us to sort of build a set list that best suites the setting or the other bands we are playing with. 

Sometimes we will give ourselves optional song switches if we feel we haven’t quite ticked the crowds pickle. I would personally say that we are not the best band in Colorado, but I could argue we are the most versatile, and able to mesh with more bands and more genres than others that I am aware of. 

Who else deserves credit in your story?
Our first credit goes to our mothers, for creating us and nurturing us into the human beings we are today. Second to that our core support group, house mates, lovers, friends, community leaders, and our esteemed producer, Sam Erickson, from We Are Not a Glum Lot. 

Last but not least are our listeners, fans, concert goers, bar owners, promoters, graphics design folks, critics, haters, and people that look us up when they see a sticker or shirt out there in the world. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesumbeaches?igsh=MXV5aXphdnZzaXozdg==