Tyler Perry was born in Rhode Island in 1987. He was in musical theater as a kid which led to a stint at Berklee School of Music studying songwriting. He struggled in college due in part to depression. Inspired early on by Nick Drake and Elliott Smith, his songwriting tended toward the melancholy.After dropping out of college, he returned home, living in his mom’s basement and working for his father.
Tyler sought counseling for his depression and body image issues, which helped improve his self-confidence. At 29, on a whim, he moved to LA to pursue music in earnest, working for a real estate company by day and hitting open mics at night.He would play his songs, and then wrap with Roy Orbison’s Cryin’, which is always a crowd favorite.
From there, Tyler worked on his alter ego – Tyler Ballgame – inspired by baseball great Ted Williams, who was known as “Teddy Ballgame.” The name was a bit of self-deprecating humor, a persona that described something he was not. He imagined what Tyler Ballgame might sound like, and the kinds of songs he would write. He drew on all of his musical inspirations including classic rock from the ‘60s, show tunes, grunge and even Fleet Foxes.
Ballgame had his choice of labels wanting to release For The First Time, Again.
After moving to East L.A. and collaborating with other musicians in the neighborhood, Ballgame caught the attention of producer Jonathan Rado whose work includes Miley Cyrus and The Killers. Over the course of a few weeks, the pair wrote and recorded more than an album’s worth of new material.
Word of his unique voice and deeply personal songwriting got around. Ballgame had his choice of labels wanting to release For The First Time, Again. He settled on the British indie label Rough Trade. He says that he felt like they shared his musical tastes having already released albums by musicians he appreciated.
The album begins with the title track. It sounds like something from Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline, with a simple chord progression on an acoustic guitar. Tyler sings about a desire to find the excitement of a new relationship while getting to know someone on a more emotional level in spite of familiarity.
The advance single, I Believe in Love, sounds like a pep talk he’s giving himself in the hopes of maintaining his faith in the positive in spite of the pitfalls. He asks “was it so naïve to think it wanted me alive?”
Ballgame channels Allan Watts’ thoughts on the ego being an obsolete vehicle for human consciousness in the song Bought a New Car. It’s about letting go of past ways of thinking and embracing the new with the same sort of feeling one gets from buying a new car.
The comparison to Roy Orbison’s vocals is evident on Deepest Blue. It’s another song about the fits and starts of love, with Ballgame effortlessly sliding between the highs and lows of his expansive vocal range for a dynamic delivery.
Matter of Taste is a cultural critique with a ‘70s folk-rock vibe. The theme is that authenticity matters more than approval. Once again, Ballgame seems to be giving himself a pep talk about doing what makes him happy and not worrying about how it’s perceived.
For The First Time, Again was released in late January. It’s a collection of songs about hope, personal growth and universal lessons. Most importantly, the songs seem to be self-reflective and cathartic for Tyler. His honesty gives these tunes authenticity. The familiar folk-rock style makes it easy to listen to, but avoids sounding derivative. It’s a strong debut and a good introduction to someone with a complex history.
I suspect we’ll be hearing more from him.
Tyler Ballgame is performing in Medford at The Holly Theatre on March 31st, in support of St. Paul and the Broken Bones.
