Jon Tyler Wiley is a seasoned touring/session musician who has performed with a diverse range of acts such as Sister Hazel, Stephen Kellogg, and Ron Holloway. As a performing teaching instructor with the MusiCorps program, he has performed on stages such as the Grand Ole Opry, the Kennedy Center, and PBS’s “A Capitol Fourth” with artists like Paul Schaffer, Aloe Blacc, John Stamos, and Trace Atkins. He has performed all over the world as a member of the Americana band Melodime.
After Wiley wrote and recorded his debut solo album, performing all of the instruments himself, he assembled a band of his close friends to bring the music to life. The Virginia Choir is made up of seasoned musicians who have performed with acts as diverse as Keller Williams, Larry Keel, Wylder, and the Pan American Symphony Orchestra. The diverse band, featuring Sean Mahon (keyboards), Brian “Piper” Barbre (drums), Josh Pittman (bass), and Lonnie Southall (guitar, mandolin, vocals), is becoming known for its masterful musicianship, energetic stage performances, and captivating crowd interaction.
Today, Glide is offering an exclusive premiere of the standout tune “Calls Me By Name,” (PRE-SAVE) a deeply personal song that brings to mind fellow troubadours like Jason Isbell, Tyler Childers, and BJ Barham with its sweeping and powerful alt-country sounds. Under Wiley’s direction, the tune takes on a soulful and emotionally impactful sound layered with organ and slide guitar to make for a dramatic sound that pulls you into its embrace. The song is also a strong meditation on the concept of home and how we form connections to the places we inhabit.
Listen to the track and read our interview with Wiley below…
What is this song about and what inspired it? Why is it important to you and what about the song really speaks to you?
A few years ago, I was in bumper-to-bumper traffic, en route to a gig that I didn’t really want to do, and I kept thinking about how I wanted some time off. I remember having the specific thought that I couldn’t wait to go home to North Carolina, which is significant: I’ve never lived in North Carolina. But over the last few years, a lot of my family has moved there, so, by pure happenstance, this place that I never associated with any feelings of “home “ has become just that. So the song came from different meditations on the concept of home, what home really is, who home really is. It’s a song that I love getting to sing, ’cause it’s impossible to not think about my family.
What was the writing process like for the song?
It’s such a personal song, most of it came very quickly. I wrote the song right there in my car, sitting in traffic, and put chords to it later. Will Hoge, who produced the track, was pretty valuable as an editor later on, adjusting a couple of lines and helping me get down to the essence of the song.
What was the studio session and recording process like for this song? Any great stories from the creation process?
We recorded “Calls Me By My Name” at The Sound Emporium in Nashville, TN, and it might be my favorite thing we’ve recorded as a band. I’m a guitar player, and a lot of our music can be guitar-heavy because of that, but I really wanted this recording to reflect the earnestness of the lyric. This song didn’t need to be a guitar party. There’s some really beautiful piano played by our pianist, Sean Mahon. There’s also a great moment that Will dreamed up, where our drummer, Brian “Piper” Barbre got on his knees and used his kick drum as a timpani, playing a dramatic swell on the drum head with mallets. We sent that sound through the Sound Emporium’s reverb tank, and it’s such an exciting sound, it gives the song a real sense of triumph when that comes in.
Are there any lyric lines that you really love or that really are important to you? What do you feel makes them resonate?
“The river of your youth, it ain’t your river anymore.” Since I was 10, my homebase has been Fredericksburg, Virginia, on the banks of the Rappahannock River. My family lived in one neighborhood, my aunt and uncle and cousins lived one neighborhood over. Now that I’m older, my wife and I are the only ones left in Fredericksburg. Everyone else has moved. So while Fredericksburg is my home, and I still love it, it definitely isn’t the same as it was.
If listeners can take away one thing from having heard this song, what do you hope that is?
I hope people can hear this song and think of home, whatever/whoever/wherever that is.
How does this song fit in among others in your catalog? How is it similar or different?
I once heard someone describe our band’s sound as “caffeinated Americana,” which made me laugh. It’s pretty accurate! This song, however, could be called decaf. It’s grand and dramatic, but relaxed.
I do think our music enables a listener to really imagine the lyric as they listen, and this song is no exception. When I hear this song, I see scenes of the South.
As you’ve continued to make new music, how has your songwriting process or inspiration changed?
I was a sideman for years, playing different instruments with different artists, and I still do that when I’m not with my band. Because
of that, I think my first songs focused more on the instrumental composition. I think the more I write, the more I’m becoming a “lyrics-first” kind of writer. I think our songs are speaking to more people as a result of it. If you don’t have anything real to say in the first place, a cool beat and a guitar solo aren’t going to speak to anyone, ya know?
What is coming up next for Jon Tyler Wiley & His Virginia Choir?
I have some solo shows scattered this fall, a show with the band in our home of northern Virginia in December, then we hit the ground running in the new year with the Rock Boat, a music festival on a cruise ship, with Judah & The Lion, Needtobreathe, The Struts, Sister Hazel, and a bunch of other great bands. This next year will be crazy, in a good way!
