The Big Hearts performance from Artichoke Music is now posted to YouTube for posterity. This song was written for some very close friends of mine that have amazing hearts- constantly helping mine grow. Though I could never thank them enough for their grace, let this song be my humble attempt. This is quietly one of my favorite songs so I hope you enjoy it too.

Watch the video then listen to the studio version:

BIG HEARTS

Heaven knows I’d wait to feel another breeze.
To lay beneath another sun.
Germany here I come.

Big hearts are filling up the hemispheres.
Big hearts are warming up the coldest years.
They’ll lay beside me forever more
Cause big hearts make mine grow.

Growing everyday and softly resting miles away.
Heaven is exploding there-
It’s filling up the air.

Big hearts are filling up the hemispheres.
Big hearts are warming up the coldest years.
They’ll lay beside me forever more
Cause big hearts make mine grow.
Big Hearts are Full Moons and Northern Lights
They come full circle to defy science.
Big Hearts are freight trains that push me along-
Shine out the clearer;
Shine on.
Big Hearts are factories of Godlight Beams
That just get brighter as the daylight recedes.

A month ago, I made up my mind that I was going to write a song about Wyoming. The inspiration was there, the love of subject was there and my writing had finally returned after months of drought. I finished it (proudly) last week just in time for the Artichoke concert.

I wanted this song to be deep, heartfelt and human. I wanted it to really express the beauty within the state and the air that flows through it. With that said, it spoke for itself and I had written three of the four verses before finally hitting a wall. In search of some final inspiration, I went to Wikipedia to gain a little insight on Wyoming and her history.

Above is the song’s debut at Artichoke Music. The lyrics to Wyoming should reflect my love but above all, tell a story and pay tribute to the last good plot of land.

Last night was my long-awaited PSA Showcase at Artichoke Music. This was truly one of my favorite shows to date and I’m honored that the turn out was so positive. I got an hour to play my music for a captive audience; in an ideal venue and believe it went as well as it could. Thanks all.

I tried something new when I had my lyrics projected for the audience to read along. Despite some technical difficulties it was a nice addition to the intimate setting. I could feel a connection with the crowd as they reviewed the writing on the wall. Logan played bass and I sang tenor and these are the nights I live for…

I just posted this new video on YouTube of me playing Come Around at PolitiPalooza earlier this January at the Montgomery Park Building in Portland. This is the newest song that will be included on the upcoming album so give it a watch, read the lyrics and patiently wait for the album to be released within the month or so!

I hope someday
In the sunlight’s softest rays
That you will glide your way
Back through this town.
I hope someday you come around.

It seems months since I last wrote a song. Between recording the new album, work and juggling my personal life, I’ve been sitting in a major writer’s slump with no signs of progress. Well, this Sunday I slept in, woke up and made a pot of coffee and went to my balcony with my writing journal in hand. I sat in the sun for a couple hours with nothing but my thoughts and a pen.

Nothing is final, nothing is complete but I did get a jump start on three possible songs: The Ramblin’ Kind, Explode and Constant Bending (all tentative titles). Above are a few Ramblin’ Kind verses directly from my journal. Read them out-loud and and imagine its potential. It was a good weekend- no doubt.

Quickly becoming one of my favorite songs, Cellophane was schemed at the top of Mt. Pilatus in Luzerne, Switzerland roughly one year ago. As you can see from the picture, very few sites in this life parallel the beauty of a Swiss Valley and the magnificent Alps in the distance; however, as the song lyrics suggest, one other caused distraction:

Oh, look there!
See that gleam?
It’s the sun-
Your eyes the beam.

Below is the new recording of Cellophane from Mississippi Studios, PDX. Though the lyrics aren’t quite current in this version, I hope you’ll take the time to read along with the updates on the lyric page at some point. I laugh because when I wrote this song, my intentions were romantic but I’ve since been told that there is nothing romantic about plastic wrap:)

The water looked like Cellophane,
Reflecting stars back into space
And your eyes look that way to me.

Cellophane by Tyler Stenson

Random Note: Lake Pilatus is said to be the resting place of Pontius Pilate.

Months ago, I hand-printed an exclusive Lander wallet for db clay with the lyrics to Spinning Me and golden trees. Earlier today db clay launched a gallery of 500 one-of-a-kind wallets by various artists called Puzzle and I’m pleased to announce that the Lander wallet has already sold (on day 1) for $98. Some lucky gentleman out there is carrying a very unique wallet with lyrics that he has no idea where they came from and probably has no idea what Lander is.

Sifting through the pictures from my trip to Wyoming, I found this beautiful shot of the Popo Agie River. The Popo Agie is a small river that runs through the middle of Lander, WY and I had the opportunity to wade my feet in the water and sit on the shore like I use to as a child. This time, I repeated the lyrics of my song Popo Agie to myself while I sat in the place of its inspiration. I guess I wanted to relive the days and see how accurate my words were in relation to the actual. See for yourself:

POPO AGIE
by tyler stenson

I can feel the Lander wind,
Coming up beneath me again.
But to the north there are billionaires
That lay between the millionaires and
Their buildings stretch to touch the sky
In the bigger world on the other side of the middle-
of Popo Agie.

Running down the crooked miles,
I could feel the muscles tire.
I could bend my tongue and sing
The words of Pioneers
(They’re coming up between my teeth).
And all at once their melodies
Turn to fields of industry and
The California air to black
So the movie stars are moving back to the middle-
to Popo Agie.

These are places,
Western spaces and
I go back there just to taste it.
Feel a warm night,
Mixed with fireflies
Where I can feel the Lander wind
Coming up beneath me again.

POPO AGIE live at ORMF 2006 (the 2007 recording is on the way!)

I’ve just returned from my trip to Wyoming and I’m truly inspired- I’m amazed at what a secluded mountain lake can do for the soul and for writer’s block. I can’t say that I have a hundred new songs to share with you but it was a great chance to clear my head and piece together a few lines that have had me puzzled for months. Now in Portland, I’ll be sinking back into reality over the next few weeks and sorting my thoughts onto paper just in time for Lander’s return to the Oyster Ridge Music Festival in Kemmerer, WY. Check out the show schedule to the right and be sure to come listen to my new thoughts as they appear in song.

The Portland Songwriters Association puts out a Quarterly Newsletter that highlights the latest and greatest in the PSA. This most recent update was a very warm surprise for me and a great way to start the weeks of June. The newsletter featured a wonderful report on the Top Ten Showcase and then published the results of the Quarterly Lyric Contest! I wanted to post the Top Ten article in full so click here or on the image above to read the article. I sincerely enjoyed reading Tom Arnolds’ and Dan McIlhenry recap on the PSA Winner’s Showcase and thank them both for his kind words.

Tyler Stenson closed the show with a wide array of his own material. He took us back to re-listen to the selections he played as part of the competition and filled out the rest of his set with some equally grabbing songs. Tyler takes advantage of the limelight when he performs, drawing audiences into his songs.

At times he’ll slow his phrasing down to a near standstill accompanied by a whisper and then dramatically bounce back powerfully working his voice and guitar through the next pass. It’s exciting to hear him share his poetic, image rich songs. PSA wishes [you] the best with your singing and songwriting!

Tom Arnold and Dan McIlhenry
-PSA Board Members

There were many great artists involved so I encourage you to read the article and check out some of the other writers when you get the chance! In the meantime, below are some links to the PSA Newsletter!

PSA Newsletter Cover
PSA Top Ten Article (cont’d)

Published Lyric Contest Results

Thank you PSA for publishing such a nice article and hosting such a fun contest(s).