Hi Blake and welcome to College Radio Charts! How has your November been so far?
Hi, thank you for taking the time to do this. Ummm my Nov started rocky I was in the hospital with a throat infection. So not so great for the new album we are recording.
Lovers at the Drive-In feels like such a cinematic title. Was there a particular moment or memory that inspired this album?
It was really going to be a dark album. It had so many light moments like “Oh Well” even thought it’s about a breakup, but add “Freeway” it turned isn’t a story line of sorts of myself in relationships.
What can fans expect from Lovers at the Drive-In compared to your previous work, Est. 1991? Are there new themes or styles you’re excited to explore?
Well I was so scared to rewrite my archetype and change so soon but we as artist evolve. New eras of life, bad sh@$ happens, good sh@$ shit happens and we write about it this just so happened to be in a phase of my life when I could write love songs and not Carrie Underwood my whole album. The new album Act II which I’m announcing here the release day but beautiful and powerful in its message changing my era once again.
The single “Hush” has a very raw and intimate feel. Can you talk about the process behind writing and recording that track?
Hush comes from a horrible story and I hate telling it cause it breaks the hearts of those who love the record. But it’s my experience with 13 surgeries and physical sexual abuse and feeling like I’m just eyes looking at a body that is there for use no real purpose.
Growing up with a single mom in the Army and moving around, how have those experiences shaped the themes in your music?
Well I heard all types of music I wasn’t stuck in one genre of music. I heard sounds and influences that help me write and record and get feedback cause I’m not scared to ask those around me like my friend Trisha & Dori what they really think.
Did you come from a musical family? What are some of your earliest musical memories?
I come from a stage mom, honors choir, then film so growing up was arts arts art. I remember my mom heard that I could sing one drive home in the card she played “Sometimes” by Britney and I knew all the words and hit notes I should be trained for.
You’ve been in both the music and film worlds since high school. How does your filmmaking background influence your approach to songwriting and storytelling in your songs?
Weirdly it influences it in a huge way. I see the song as a video in my heard while listening to the track for the first time. If I don’t see that cinematic scene I cannot develop a record.
From North Carolina to the Bay Area and back to Texas—what about each place has left its mark on you as an artist?
Easily put
North Carolina you made me who I am
While the Bay Area keeps my foot prints in the sand.
Texas I feel so virgin, and your oh so very new so just give me a little time to let open to you
You’re very open about music being a refuge and a lifeline for you. How do you think that vulnerability comes through on the new album?
Because music really is life to me. I bleed blue cause it’s the color I associate with writing. I mean this new album Act II is over 35 songs in parts with over 89 written. I’m open and honest in my music something I couldn’t say before when I wasn’t sober. This is a new side of me and I’m vulnerable yet strong and I feel it’s a beautiful thing.
What was it like to found your own label, and how does that shape your relationship with the music you create?
Well a lot of learning what I want and don’t. Meeting artists not just in my genre but treating BlakeFordMusic.com as a platform for an artist to be an artist and get their due. I’m so sick of the under cutting of artists when we kill ourselves to entertain. It’s isolating and I want the label to feel like a family.
After a tough experience with a dishonest contract, what advice would you give emerging artists about navigating the music industry?
Always read the fine print, they won’t let you leave if you really have something they don’t want anyone else to have. It’s your voice and your life so take it seriously.
Your non-profit for young filmmakers is a powerful way to give back. Can you tell us more about the non-profit? Why was it important to you to create something that helps others find their artistic voice?
Blake Page has sadly dissolved but it was a way to do the same thing films made my small budget crews that help make the world a lighter place.
What do you think of the current state of the music industry? How do you see independent labels fitting into the landscape now and in the future?
Current state is a huge renaissance and indie labels are making the moves to stop pain labels from preying on young talent. Most artist love to stay indie but I think eventually you have to give some control which I hate saying so bad but it’s true.
You’ve spent years headlining shows, even without major label support. How do you keep pushing your craft forward and finding new ways to connect with fans?
Social media, new material, finding ways to entertain without a million dollar budget.
Actually anything i can use and recycle I use.
It’s nothing but a feeling. I have to write it I don’t I become very depressed. It’s also tied to having CPTSD, & addiction issues. But that’s for a lot longer interview when Act II comes out 9.25.25. Oops did I spoil the surprised!
Looking ahead, what’s next for you? Any dream collaborations, new sounds, or surprises we can expect after Lovers at the Drive-In?
Act II in the works, live shows, festivals, covers, videos.
There is so much in the work including a tour.
But March 15, 2025 I am doing an intimate show in my own back yard for 200 people.
Tickets go on sale Friday Nov 15th 2024
A portion of sales go to help with Mental Illness & Addiction Awareness.
Link below!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1075172402599?aff=oddtdtcreator
So great things!!!
Thank you so much for spending some time with us today, Blake. Where can people go to find out more about you and your music?
It was my pleasure and really a treat.
Find me:
@BlakeFordMusic Instagram
Streaming Blake Tinsley on all platforms
Trauma & Blood with Blake Tinsley where you
Get your local podcast.
Google Blake Tinsley
Or come see me for a one time show up close and personal:
March 15, 2025
Tickets on sale Friday 15 2024
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1075172402599?aff=oddtdtcreator
Can’t wait to be back with y’all before the next album release.
