Local artist profile: Tyler Nally-Kinder

THIS week we speak with local hard rock band Black Aces’ lead singer and guitarist Tyler Nally-Kinder

What motivated you to become a musician and how did the Black Aces come about?

Like a lot of people I picked up the guitar as a kid purely because it seemed like something cool to do. It took a couple of years of playing just for the sake of it before I had any idea what I wanted to do or even liked. That’s when I found my father’s old copy of AC/DC’s T.N.T record and had my mind blown. I played it to death. That’s when I knew I wanted to be in a rock n roll band.

Black Aces came about a couple of years later. I was about 15 or 16 hanging around at the open mic nights at the Newmarket Hotel, playing with whoever I could. I met a few guys down there and we got together and started playing locally. Over the next couple of years we had a lot of membership changes until finally Alex and Pete were in the band and we were set.

How would you describe your style?

We have always worn our influences firmly on our sleeves. It is quite apparent in our music that we are huge fans of Australian rock from the 70s and 80s. Our influences are quite diverse though. We all listen to a great deal of stuff which comes through if you know where to look. We are all fans of blues, folk and old country. I personally am a huge fan of guys like Warren Zevon, Tom Petty and Springsteen.

Over the last couple of years their work has really started to seep into my writing and approach to lyrics. When we started out we were often written off as AC/DC copyists; and that may have been right, but if you listen now I think it’s easy to see there’s a lot more going on.

What are some highlights you have from your career?

There have been many great times. Playing at Hard Rock Hell festival in Wales on the main stage to thousands of people was amazing. Then we had Dee Snider of Twisted Sister declaring on social media that we are his new favourite band. That really topped it off.

Some of my fondest memories are of times that when you are in it you think it’s horrible. Being stuck in Holland for two weeks living in a cabin in the woods because of shows being cancelled became very entertaining in hindsight.

Where can people find your music?

You can find us at the usual places like iTunes, Spotify and YouTube. We are across most of the mainstream social media. You can also contact us for merch, music and all that at our website blackacesrock.com

What would you say to young aspiring musicians who are thinking of making a go of the artistic life?

I would tell them that the key is to know that you have to work hard.

Sit down and think about what you want to achieve with your music and try to set out a plan on how to make that happen. Write as much as you can and absorb every bit of music you hear and every situation you are in. Reach out to others and always be entertaining and reliable.