Saturday night at 10 p.m. at Legends, singer/songwriter Tyler Hilton will perform an hour-long acoustic set. You may recognize Hilton from his recurring role on "One Tree Hill," the small part of Elvis in "Walk the Line," or even as Taylor Swift's love interest Drew in the music video "Teardrops on my Guitar." But Hilton ought to best be known for his husky voice and memorable lyrics. His musical style is difficult to label, but has sometimes been called indie pop/rock with folk influences.
Hilton's latest record "The Tracks of Tyler Hilton" debuted in 2004, which includes his Top 40 singles "When It Comes," and "How Love Should Be." After its debut, his fans began posting clips online of themselves performing his songs, subsequently creating an online fan base via YouTube and MySpace. Hilton encourages this online community by posting his own videos of new songs, random adventures on the road, and even a silly cooking show. Further, Hilton updates his fans by writing a blog.
The 26-year-old California native has accomplished much in his career thus far. Besides his 2004 record, Hilton previously released an independent, self-titled album. In addition to his venture into acting, AOL, VH1 and MTV have recognized Hilton as an up-and-coming artist. He has performed many times on TRL, and even "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Furthermore, he has toured on his own and with the likes of Michelle Branch, Gavin DeGraw, the Goo Goo Dolls and Rooney. Both his covers and original songs have been featured on all three "One Tree Hill" soundtracks.
Hilton, who began writing songs at age 14, has come a long way from his days in coffee shops and open mic nights, but he continues to aspire for more. He spent most of 2009 writing and recording songs in Nashville for a new album. Last year he also released an EP entitled "Better on Beachwood" featuring three new songs.
Hilton also has his own charity, "TH Books for Kids" in which books are donated to children in need. In the past, Hilton has performed charity concerts to fundraise and garner support for the organization.
Be sure to get to Legends on Saturday night in order to rock out and hear old favorites as well as enjoy new songs. Admission is free; simply bring your student ID.
Contact Caitlin Ferraro at cferrar1@nd.edu
