Platinum-selling country artist Tyler Rich geared up to once again perform for The Event at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Wheatland on Thursday night.
The 11th annual fundraiser concert featured Rich as the headliner with Dawson Anderson, formerly of Temecula Road, as opener. Proceeds from The Event will benefit Yuba-Sutter organizations like the Trauma Intervention Program, the Canine Officer’s Association and the Wheatland High School District baseball program.
Rich also appeared on KKCY on Thursday morning to speak about his performance at The Event and his newest EP, “Unplugged in Nashville.”
A set of acoustic recordings, Rich’s latest EP introduces a “bluesy, country, cigar bar vibe” to previously released tracks.
“I wanted to give each one of these songs a new identity, a different face as if I got to go in and record it from scratch from a whole different production standpoint,” Rich told KKCY. “It’s one of the most fun things, artistically, I’ve done in a long time.”
Rich frequently shows love to his hometown of Yuba City, and while he’s excited for his most recent homecoming, the singer cites moving to Nashville as being integral to his career’s momentum. Having moved to Tennessee eight years ago, Rich found mentorship and support from fellow country music artists in the area including Dustin Lynch and John Pardi.
“Nashville is the best place you could ever have to live for work,” he said. “The community is a big family. It’s just a polite competition. Everybody is, in a friendly manner, trying to beat each other. That includes amping each other up, writing songs together and taking people on the road, advice mentoring. I still learn new stuff every week whether it’s from writing or just conversation.”
This sense of community has spread to Rich’s songwriting process and experience as a solo artist. Rich’s approach to songwriting typically starts with a singular idea from himself or another artist that grows from a group of fellow artists.
“The writing process is always different. It could start at 4 in the morning and it could be gibberish on a voice note that I will literally show nobody ever because it’s the worst sounds you’ve ever heard, but when it’s your worst sound you’ve ever heard, you can hear the beauty in it,” Rich said. “You know where it could go, so you throw all your weird sounds on a table and everybody compares who’s weird sounds are the best.”
With a nearly decade-long career in music, Rich said that he has grown to quantify success as an artist through performance and touring milestones rather than album sales, streams or downloads. Opening or headlining venues like the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado and the Toyota Amphitheater in Wheatland are some of his biggest goals for future shows.
“Every year I just want to grow fan-wise and capacity-wise. The music and the streaming and the number-ones on the radio, plaques and stuff is always incredible, but doesn’t really mean anything if you’re not getting people in the seats. My biggest thing is how are we going to make the show bigger and better and get more people in the seats every year?” Rich said.
Outside of his hometown, Rich’s fans spread throughout the United States and internationally with Canada and the U.K. being among his biggest supporters. Touring these countries gave Rich the opportunity to experience unique differences in the country music scene and fan interactions on an international level.
“Canada, show-wise, is about the same, but there’s no fighting or anything. There’s no aggression because everyone is just really nice in Canada. The U.K.: they are intensive listeners. When you’re playing a show, you can hear a pin drop. They’re just alert. They want to hear the lyrics. They want to hear the melody. They want to understand you and the song and who you are. Whereas in America, concerts are more like a party scene. Whereas in the U.K., it’s more of an art, musical experience,” Rich said.
Between both kinds of concert experiences, homecoming shows like The Event offer Rich a chance at a reconnection that isn’t offered through other venues.
“With this event, I get to see people I went to high school with, junior high, meet their kids. … It’s cool getting the whole community together to just sing songs,” he said.
