I sat down with Tylor Ketchum at Flying M Coffee House to discuss Treefort, The Train Robbers, Life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness. Tylor and I had a nice time discussing his music career, past, present and future, over a good cup of coffee. It was so nice!
Question: What do Treefort, Hannahs, Tylor & The Train Robbers and Jeff Crosby have in common?
Answer: Thursday, March 24th!
Treefort Music Fest 2022 begins Wednesday, March 23rd. Over 400 musical acts are set to perform in Boise over five days. Treefort is a unique and real opportunity for Boise and Idaho. This year I would like to tell you about one show you should not miss.
The co-billing of Tylor & the Train Robbers with Jeff Crosby is the way to start this year’s music “feast”. One of the many reasons this is the place to be on Thursday, March 24th is that Humpin’ Hannah’s has been a downtown destination of live music for 40 plus years. Hannah’s is regularly voted Boise’s Best Bar by Boise Weekly readers. The sound system at Hannah’s and their talented professional sound engineer produce pure ear candy. Tylor & the Train Robbers’ music will come alive on stage at Hannah’s in Boise at 621 Main Street.
Tylor & the Train Robbers are a family affair. Growing up in the Wood River Valley with music as a part of everyday life, Tylor & the Train Robbers project those musical roots. Tylor’s parents were professional musicians. Tylor grew up listening to Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, John Prine; and his mother. This solid foundation of great song writing and storytelling are in the songs that Tylor and his brothers produce. Tylor is the main songwriter, and has a voice that rivals Johnny Cash. His father in law, Johnny “Shoes” Pisano, along with Tylor Ketchum; and brothers Jason and Tommy Bushmen, have years of playing together. Their music has depth and chemistry. Three albums in the studio together (not to mention growing up together) shows that tight family sound. With 3 albums in just 5 years, it is easy to hear that Tylor Ketchum is a good, very prolific songwriter. After attending Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, Oregon, Tylor came to Boise in 2014 to pursue his musical career.
Listening to the first album Gravel, Tylor’s original country voice stands out. The song writing sounded real and honest. The lyrics are right out of Idaho and Tylor’s heart. When listening to this album, you come away with the feeling that you know Tylor, his family (even Mom’s Old Fender) and his life on and off the road. That sounds emotional and fun. There are three songs that stand out to me: Bettin’ Man sounds like every human’s story of betting on love and loss. Need it or Not got me up and two steppin’ right away. Mom’s Old Fender really reveals Tylor’s feelings of music and his ability to love Mom and history deeply. They self produced Gravel and Best of the Worst Kind, with both albums engineered by Don Cunningham, a longtime and well respected Boise performer, songwriter, and sound engineer/producer.
Best of the Worst Kind was finished 2 years later in 2019. Tylor keeps with the same heart and soul from Gravel. The first cut is a song and story of the long and hard miles that bands go through to become that “overnight success”. Storyteller is a song that shows who Tylor and the Train Robbers are. Tylor creates strong visuals through his lyrics. Some reflection is clear on Still Getting High; and the guitar work is notable and catchy. On The Ballad of Black Jack Ketchum, Tylor sets the table well with lyrics and continues to feed our ears with a story that really makes you want to find the ending of the tale. By the end of this album you feel numerous emotions and reflective life. I also enjoyed Place Like This. It showcases his true song writing again.
Staring Down The North
Their third album was recorded in 2021 after more road trips and more growth. Non-Typical Find is produced well. Tylor’s voice is very consistent through all three albums. However, on this album he sings with more confidence. This effort stands out by being produced by Cody Braun and engineered by well known sound engineer Rob Matson. The music is now also stepping up to enforce the story telling. Tylor & the Train Robbers is American country music you will want to listen to, as well as sing and dance to. Staring Down the North is the cut that stands out on their 3rd album, Non-Typical Find. It is now their single and the most listened to song of all their music on Spotify. With over 21,000 monthly followers, they are only a “two step” or two away from becoming the pride of Boise; and a top band in the country.
The common denominations are: Hannah’s is Boise’s “best bar”, the best sounding stage, Tylor & the Train Robbers, Jeff Crosby (considered by many to be Idaho’s hottest band). Supporting artists Parade of Bad Guy’s, Darci Carlson, Sarah Shook & the Disarmers will set up the night of good music for all, all night! All that at Treefort, the Northwest’s biggest music festival. Wow! That’s a lot of the best and better!
I would like to thank Tylor for sitting down to discuss his professional life, Treefort, and his hopes for the future with me. Their fans know the talent this band has and I am sure that soon many more people will discover what his fans already know. See y’all there! Thursday the 24th at 7pm sharp.
Photo of Tylor Ketchum by Mark Vickrey. Photo of Tylor and the Train Robbers courtesy of Tylor and the Train Robbers and Kim Grant KG Music Press.
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Tylor and the Train Robbers website
