Rapper TINO returned to Kaleidoscope to perform songs from his latest album, Midwest Sorrow, and for a live interview with host Juliet Fromholt. TINO told Juliet that recording Midwest Sorrow took him out of his musical comfort zone.
“I wanted to try something darker,” he said.
TINO drew inspiration for the project from other Ohio artists, especially Moira. Working with them, he said, helped him incorporate less literal language into his lyrics about sorrow.
“They taught me how to tap into the beauty in sadness,” he told Juliet. TINO doesn’t just turn to darker subject matter on the new album; he also pushes his expressive boundaries by singing on several of the songs—a first for the rapper.
Midwest Sorrow is available for purchase now on Bandcamp. TINO also has a forthcoming EP with French Dj Marrrtin, La Pie Bavarde EP. Custom 12” vinyl records of the EP are available for pre-order now through label Stereophonk. More information about TINO’s music can be found on his website or on social media.