Tyler Nail

Tyler Nail is a dynamic Americana performer known for masterfully crafted lyrics, impressive guitar technique, and insightful stories. With his haunting songs and raspy vocals, the North Carolina artist has established himself as a major contributor to the songwriter landscape.

Informed by the rich history of American roots music, Nail's music is genuine, deep, and personal. His ability to tell stories carries the audience through journeys of longing, love, sorrow, and gratitude. Nail possesses a unique capacity to establish a strong emotional connection with his audience, often evoking tears and laughs in a single song. Nail skillfully combines complex musicianship with the classic familiar sounds of Americana music. His compositions are full of catchy melodies and snazzy guitar licks. His lyrics conjure vivid images of Tobacco fields, gardens, family members, love stories, and wide-open roads – in other words, the Americana dream.

Tyler Nail was born into Americana. He was raised in a log cabin his grandfather built in Winston-Salem, NC.​ He began drumming at a young age and discovered a passion for writing in middle school. After being gifted his first guitar at age 16, he started writing songs, which quickly became his primary obsession and passion. He spent his late teens and early twenties playing drums for rock bands in biker bars, metal venues, and blues jams.​ Around age 20, Nail shifted his focus to his own original music, playing guitar and fronting bands.

Nail spent years recording demos and playing small shows around North Carolina. His first residency was in a Taco Bell. Nail then started playing at a coffee shop every week for an open mic, and sometimes weekend shows. Soon he started playing in Downtown Winston-Salem, where his momentum started to grow. Around this time, Nail led the production of a tribute album in memory of one of his artistic heroes, Levon Helm (When I Go Away: A Tribute To Levon Helm, 2012). This collaborative project solidified Nail's place in the Winston-Salem arts community. That same year, Nail recorded and released his first professionally produced LP, Winter To Winter (2012).

Soon after, Nail found himself on the roster of his first booking agency, which allowed him to start touring with his original band, The Tyler Nail Trio. The trio traveled across half the country for years, performing at festivals, music halls, and bars. Amidst the full-time touring schedule, Nail released his next albums, Feathers (2013) and Under Evergreens (2014). The Tyler Nail Trio disbanded in 2016, which marked the start of Nail's touring hiatus and his departure from Americana, as he explored being in the shoes of a rock-crooner frontman.

In his time off the road, Nail began dabbling in other forms of composition, exploring video production, essay writing, and freelance journalism. He even founded a digital art magazine. These interests eventually led to the establishment of Nail's podcast, Red House (now rebranded as Venture by Tyler Nail).

Nail took a few years off the road, recording music, exploring creative projects, and preparing for his return to the highway and stage.​​​ Nail began his slow reemergence in 2019 with the release of Life Lessons, a double album that proved Nail's exceptional narrative talent could shine even with a heavy full band behind him. Eddie Huffman (author of John Prine; In Spite of Himself) called Life Lessons some of Nail's "best work so far." Life Lessons explores the absurdities of life, love, and (most of all) modernity. Nail's release show for Life Lessons was in the winter of 2019, which was soon followed by the total closure of the live music industry. Nail's return to live performance was quickly halted. Nonetheless, he continued to record, rebuild, and rebrand.

In his follow-up single, I Don't Wanna Die Alone (2020), Nail looked the COVID-19 pandemic directly in the eye and spoke to his fear of death and the passage of time. This was followed by his EP, Devil, and his single, Someday, (both released in 2021), marking his shift back to the Americana sound that he calls home.

Since then, Nail has been enthralling audiences with material spanning his catalog of over 200 songs – old and new. Nail's new mission has been to assume the position of a solo performer. Nail is doing long original sets filled with stories and strongly performed original songs. He recorded his newest single, Way to Live (2024) at ElectroMagnetic Radiation Records with Doug Williams (Producer of The Gleam 1, 2 and 3 by The Avett Brothers). Way to Live is a product of the pandemic lockdown days, reflecting Nail's heritage and culture, and the distance he feels from the bonding elements that his many ancestors share. Nail considers Way to Live the most important song he's ever released.

Tyler Nail is a rising force in Americana and songwriting. Ear To The Ground Music said of Nail, "Tyler Nail is an accomplished singer-songwriter with a well-rounded Americana flavor... His writing is comfortable and unpretentious, just like Americana ought to be." With his honest storytelling, traditional folk-artist sound, and intensely personal lyrics, Tyler Nail's music manages to stand out. His talent and sincerity shine. His capacity to express the essence of life's struggles and victories is like catharsis to the audience. Within the familiarity of Americana music, Tyler Nail has found his distinct sound, which Alfitude described as "warm, humble, and honest."