This week on Kaleidoscope, host Juliet Fromholt spoke with Dayton musician and songwriter Tim Tye, who records music under the moniker Midnight Sky. Tye returned to the program to discuss his third album, Last Hope for the Modern World, which was released on July 9th. In the interview, he spoke with Juliet about writing and recording the album. He also described the joy of finally completing a song he’s been writing for years, and the value of honest feedback in his creative process.
For Tim Tye, songwriting comes from life experience. “Every year you spend on this planet, you have a bunch of new experiences. Wherever you’re writing, whenever you’re creating everything, you’re drawing on all the experiences you’ve ever had in life.” Tye is no stranger to trying new experiences; after more than four decades as a practicing lawyer, he decided in 2009 to re-dedicate his life to his creative passion: Americana music. He released his first album, Dark Stretch of Road, eight years later, in 2017.
Tye spoke with Juliet about his songwriting process. Part of the challenge of the craft, he said, is fitting a complete story into a song that lasts only a few minutes. “You can’t put all the details in there,” he told Juliet, “But that’s part of the joy of creating—giving somebody else the ability to fill in the blanks.” While some of Tye’s songs come together in an afternoon, or even a few minutes, others take much longer to complete. Juliet asked him what it felt like to finish a song he’s been thinking about for years.
“At a very modest level, it's sort of the creative equivalent of getting to the top of Everest. You’ve just worked and worked on this, you’ve put it aside so many times, and finally this time, I know what I’m going to do. A lot of time I’ll have the chorus—the chorus will be done, and I can’t figure out what to do with the verses. And then at some point, everything breaks loose, and you end up with a finished piece.”
In addition to detailing his own songwriting process, Tye talked about the importance of collaborating with other musicians—and receiving constructive criticism. He recorded Last Hope for the Modern World with co-producers Nicole Garza and Chad Burton, who helped him refine the songs on the album.
“I’ve always welcomed all the input I can get from the musicians. This album, the other two albums, would not have been possible without the creative input that I got. I have a vision for a song, partly as the composer, partly as the co-producer. But I’ve had people come along and say, ‘Hey Tim, have you thought about maybe doing it this way,’ or, ‘I think maybe we should slow it down a little.’ I don’t always agree, but usually, they’re right.”
Last Hope for the Modern World, by Tim Tye’s Midnight Sky, is available now on CD and digital streaming services. More information about his music can be found at midnightskymusic.com.
Text by Peter Day, adapted from an interview with Juliet Fromholt.
