all about the givr

Spending the first 14 years of his life following his family’s military career or their search for gainful employment, Tyler spent most of his time caring for young siblings while using free time to hide away in mythologies, folklore, fiction literature, and music. 

“I never had the time to make friends. We were always moving, or I was caring for my sisters. My friends were music and books. They go with me everywhere - no questions asked.” Tyler goes on to talk about how he would lock himself in the bathroom when his sisters would sleep to sing and listen to cassettes and CD’s; genres that included rock ‘n’ roll, pop, country, folk, and bluegrass. 

When he was 7 years old, he began spending summers with different family members to ease his parent’s financial burden of raising multiple children. His aunt, a middle school music teacher, introduced him to the clarinet and choral music which started Tyler’s journey of learning all he could about music. As he continued playing and singing throughout school, Tyler developed an interest for foreign language and culture. He soon began consuming story after story from around the world, noticing how each presented the same messages with different characters and places, and noted the different experiences he had while listening to a plethora of music styles. As he grew, he recognized the importance that these stories and music have in the world, and decided that he wanted to share their combined magic with others. Tyler believes that this fusion can foster lasting bonds between the most “different” of peoples. 

He says, “I just want my work to show others that, no matter the perceived differences, we all want the same things: a place to belong, friends, family, and love.” He also seeks to educate others on historical events that have worked against the peaceful connection of countries and their peoples. 

Today, Tyler studies countries around the world, diving into their origins, cultures, and languages with the hope of showing listeners that, aside from their idiosyncrasies, share similar core values and understanding of the world. 

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artist statement

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My mission is to use music to educate listeners on the stories that inform human culture and language. Presently, we just type our questions and concerns into a search engine and you have multiple answers, and we decide what we accept as truth. My goal is to remind listeners of a time when information came from stories passed down from place to place through oral tradition. I aim to make my music culturally authentic and relevant by utilizing instruments, music styles, and language from where these legends and myths originate; creating an enjoyable experience that encourages the audience to broaden their horizons.

I look for stories that inspire trepidation, hope, elation, and sadness. Most stories passed along through oral tradition - these myths and legends - are shared with the purpose of teaching a lesson whether it be personal and public health and safety, morals and norms, ideals, and everything else that a group has collectively decided to make important. Nowadays, lessons are taught mainly in the classroom or from a smart device. I want to share these lessons using the much more exciting medium of music. I choose this kind of work, because much of what I know of life stems from the morals and ideals that I learned in such stories. Others are chosen because they make my heart race with fear or love. If you experience these emotions after listening, then my art is a success. 

My current work focuses on American tall tales. I was raised reading such stories as Pecos Bill, Black Bartelmy’s Ghost, Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, the Bear Lake Monster, and much more. With this work, I hope to influence the audience to learn more about the more wild aspects of America’s past and present; the good and the bad.

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