A Chat with tinvis (24.03.25)
From discussing the personal and societal themes reflected in his music to sharing insights into his songwriting approach, tinvis offers a candid look at his journey as an artist. With a focus on community, creativity, and introspection, this conversation dives into what fans can expect, and the messages he hopes to convey through his music. We caught up with tinvis to explore the creative process behind his music, the inspirations for his latest single ‘Echo’, and how his experiences in both California and Texas have influenced his unique sound.
OSR: What inspired the title ‘Echo’ for your new single, and how does it reflect the themes and emotions in the song?
tinvis: ‘Echo’ reflects the theme of avoidance, precisely how we often move through life trying to avoid confronting our emotions. I also wanted to evoke the sense of society’s cyclical behaviour – continuing to make the same mistakes without learning from the past. The echo in the song mirrors this repetition, both personally and in the repeated behaviours often damaging among friends and acquaintances and on a broader societal scale.
OSR: How does ‘Echo’ fit into the larger narrative of your debut album Texnia, and what can fans expect from the rest of the record?
tinvis: Texnia, which is what the album is called, deals a lot with the experiences of being human, getting older, place, and how history – 1) the arc of time and 2) one’s life is quantifiable. ‘Echo’ fits into the album as part of a more extensive exploration of place and experience. Lyrically, on the rest of the record, there will be more exploration of place and what it means to move on – or not, as the case may be. Musically, there is variety. You can already hear this in the singles that have been released: ‘Double Blind’ has no guitars; ‘Echo’ is extremely guitar-heavy. Sequencing the songs into an album was extremely difficult because while there is cohesion across all ten songs, starting on any one song will not give a good representation of what the rest of the record holds, which is pretty strange – I think – for a record.
OSR: You’ve mentioned the influence of California and Texas on your music. Can you talk about how those places have shaped your sound and aesthetic?
tinvis: Both California and Texas have left a significant imprint on my life. I started in California, where I grew up in a very conservative part of the state, Oakdale, which I often call the “Texas of California. ” I then moved to Austin, Texas, which I frequently say is the “California of Texas.” Both places are certainly “West” and proud of it. They also don’t fit the cliches of what people know them for. My hometown was not exceptionally liberal and had no beach in sight. It was much closer to Yosemite and the mountains and surrounded by almond trees and dairy cows. Austin, conversely is the most liberal place I have ever been, right in the middle of very conservative Texas. While these states love to hate each other, they share so much in common (huge populations, economic centres for the United States, border states with Mexico, giant geographic footprints, etc.), yet politically want nothing to do with each other. It was the experience of knowing both those places and thinking about their impact on my life, the history of the United States, and the push and pull between them – which seems to mirror the United States and, perhaps to some extent, what Western Society thinks of the “West” more generally – that the songs took shape. I am sure the album would not have been the same otherwise.
Concerning the actual sound of the music, California is a real melting pot from being the home to West Coast hip-hop, hotbeds for punk and skate culture, and just being a relatively mellow place generally – anything goes, and that was how I started in music. When I arrived in Texas, I stumbled into the songwriting community and realized how integral the idea of the “songwriter” is in the State. This forced me to up my game or at least try to keep up. Also, it was incredibly inspiring to be part of a community with such a long lineage of incredible songwriters: Townes Van Zandt, Kacey Musgraves, Willie Nelson, Doug Sahm, Buddy Holly, etc.
VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED
OSR: What’s your approach to songwriting, and how do you balance introspection with accessibility in your lyrics?
tinvis: These days, I mix things up by either starting with an idea or free-writing until something comes to me. Regardless, I write consistently. When working on the Texnia songs, I did two things: First, I wrote 90% of the songs using alternate tunings. By this, I mean I would tune my guitar strings to something that I was not familiar with, and then I would see what happened. It was a way of never getting into a rut. ‘Echo’ was the second tuning that I tried. It is called DADGAD (which is a standard Gaelic tuning). Second, I kept a journal of ideas I wanted to cover. Echo was the fourth song I had written for the record, and it was the moment that closed the loop on what the core – at least in mind – the album would touch upon thematically. Before ‘Echo’, I had written a song about some runaways, a romantic relationship, and trying to live life to the fullest. ‘Echo’ has pieces in common with the other songs, but it is the other thing about history and bad habits we get into. I don’t think too much about introspection versus accessibility, but I try to write things in ways I have not heard before. Coming up with unique ideas is harder some days than others, but this is where the idea of songwriting being a craft that takes effort comes in for me. I enjoy that challenge and love listening to songwriters that do that well. I am endlessly fascinated and amazed at the creativity of human beings.
OSR: How does your musical style evolve from track to track, and what’s the most important thing you’re trying to convey through your music?
tinvis: That’s a good question. As I said earlier, the songs differ from track to track. However, it was essential to me that there be a vibe overall. I tried not to shy away from having instrumental sections and letting the songs breathe a bit, even though this is probably not the wisest regarding algorithms and people’s attention spans. It felt right for the songs, which are the types of records I enjoy listening to, so I decided to lean into that. Besides a vibe, I tried to write about emotions and not write anything I could not connect with, hoping it would come through for others upon listening. Finally, I wanted something that a person could listen to straight through and not get bored – no easy task these days!
OSR: Can you walk us through your creative process when crafting lyrics and melodies?
tinvis: I am a firm believer in editing. I found both The Artist Way by Julia Cameron and On Writing by Stephen King incredibly helpful in this regard. They both advocate constant writing, and Stephen King talks about moving quickly towards a conclusion so you can come back to edit. Generally speaking, I apply those principles. Sometimes, it might take weeks or months to finish a draft, but once the draft is done, I can start to figure out what is worth keeping (if anything) and what is not. I treat melodies similarly. I don’t know where they come from, though I have learned the various notes that won’t be “wrong.” However, that doesn’t make them right either. Regardless, if I find an uninspired melody, no matter how good the words might seem, I will not keep working on the song. A good song has to have a melody that supports it correctly. It could be a basic melody; sometimes, that is precisely what a song needs, but it does have to fit the idea of the lyrics.
OSR: How do you select the collaborators and producers you work with, and what do you look for in a creative partner?
tinvis: I try to find people whose previous work I really respect and who do things that might work with my limitations, and I definitely have them. I was talking to a collaborator a few months back – he’s from Austin and a rather successful writer/musician with deep roots in Texas – and in that conversation I told him how I try to write songs that would fit that Texas singer/songwriter aesthetic and he just laughed and said, you are like “Jonathan Richman” everything you do just sounds a bit quirky and weird. He is right. I certainly do not try and be quirky and weird, but as much as I try and do things that are more straight anything – country, folk, pop whatever they always sound… not that thing. It would bum me out for a while, but now I try and embrace it.
OSR: What’s the most thrilling aspect of releasing new music, and what do you hope fans take away from ‘Echo’?
tinvis: Concerning these songs on Texnia, it feels like a weight is being lifted. The whole project started via a grant, in which I asked the city I was living in for some money to make a record. However, I said not to give me the money unless they would give it to another musician the following year, the following year, and so on. The city agreed and stayed true to its word. Getting that program, The Davis Independent Music Initiative (“DIMI”) off the ground was more work than I anticipated. The music took a back seat, and I wanted to do justice to the music when I did put it out because I was proud of it and of the city that supported the idea in the first place. I hope that people enjoy the music. I hope they can put it on for repeat listens and get something new every time. One of those listens someday hits them correctly and makes them think about their life or the arc of time and humanity in a new light. However, I will settle for a head nod or getting to the end of the song without changing to the following tunes; attention spans are short these days!
OSR: How does your music collection or playlist influence your creative output, and are there any hidden gems you’re obsessed with right now?
tinvis: It has a significant impact, but I still listen to as much new music as possible. These days, as much as I try, I feel like I am missing out because I don’t fully trust the algorithms. I certainly read blogs, publications, and substacks (including this one), but as with everything, they are more fractured, and there is less collective consciousness. This is not so much a hidden gems playlist, though I spent all night last night listening to Lonnie Holley’s Tonky. Here is a playlist of some of the things that I was listening to and that was inspiring when I was working on ‘Echo’ and the Texnia album. I put ‘Echo ‘on it at the end. I doubt it will make any sense, but that is undoubtedly the stew it came from.
OSR: Looking ahead to the future, what do you hope your legacy will be in terms of music, community, and advocacy?
tinvis: I have started to do some songwriting teaching, which I am enjoying. I stumbled into the Community at the Old Town School of Folk and have enjoyed connecting with the student community there. Being mostly self-taught, I have learned all the things not to do. Hopefully, I can pass that on to the next generation!
With respect to advocacy, I am hopeful that other towns around the US and maybe broader can start programs similar to DIMI. Without community education and support for art and music, I fear that it will all die out or succumb only to an algorithm that can be manipulated by a few people – effectively leaving us in the dark about what exists or can exist in the world.
Many thanks to tinvis for speaking with us. Find out more about tinvis on Instagram, Facebook, Spotify and their website.
