Singer Dan Tyminski’s darker rock sound was a musical risk, but it’s paid off in big ways

For a performer whose name may not leap off the page when most people read it, Dan Tyminski has had one of the more remarkable music careers of the 21st century, thus far.

Tyminski has been a 25-year member of Alison Krauss’ stalwart bluegrass outfit Union Station (“The Lucky One”). But he introduced himself as a solo presence in 2000 by taking on the role of George Clooney’s singing voice in the film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” winning two Grammy Awards for his troubles on the strength of the runaway hit “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow”.

He then followed one surprise success with another, as 2014 brought Tyminski to the top of the pop charts in over 15 countries by way of his vocal duties on Avicii’s international hit “Hey Brother.” With the song’s 1 billion-plus streams, it became clear that a solo project from the bluegrass statesman had the makings of a gamechanger within the music world.

With that being said, no one saw “Southern Gothic” coming. It’s less a concept album as it is a natural progression of songs that document the battle between the light and the shadow that can be found in anyone’s life. The dark rock accompaniment enveloping the compositions is as far away from bluegrass as one could possibly get without being accused of going pop-country.

While “Gothic” has received nearly universal praise from critics, even Tyminski acknowledges that some fans are still grasping with the project.

We had a chance to touch on that fan reaction, among other topics, with Tyminski during a brief stop in his current summer job of opening for Brad Paisley, with the tour making a stop at Raleigh’s Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek Aug. 24.

Q: “Southern Gothic” has received great reviews since its release last October. Have you been surprised by the reception its gotten so far?

A: It was interesting, because I honestly couldn’t get a feel on how people would take it once it was ready for release. This album was, by far, the biggest risk I’ve ever taken as a solo artist. It’s one thing to do a song with someone else in a different genre, but to step outside of what people might know me for had made me wonder how it would be received. I’ve been thrilled by the response. The new people who don’t know my (earlier) music jumped onboard right away.

It’s been received much better than I was afraid it may be at the beginning, considering how many people view me as just a bluegrass guy only. We just got back from London, where we had people crying in the front row of the concert like they were watching The Beatles, so the music is definitely finding its place.

Q: So what led Dan Tyminski to adopt a darker rock sound for “American Gothic,” when a bluegrass album would have been a much safer choice?

A: I can tell you how it all started, because the album is really quite by accident. We came off the road from working with Alison Krauss & Union Station in June 2015, and I was looking at some time off, so I decided the best use of that time in Nashville was to look at a (songwriting) publishing deal. There are so many great writers (there), I felt it would be a new chapter in my book if I could team up with some of them and write a few songs.

I just started walking into writing rooms with new people, with the only thing in my mind being to write music that lived in its own real estate, music that didn’t just sound like everything else out there. There’s a lot of the same stuff out there, so I just wanted to write some songs that were different, no matter what direction they went in. Most of these songs, I didn’t realize I was writing them for me to perform; I was turning them in, and a few of them ended up going across the desks of execs at Universal Music, and they ended up reaching out and asking if I wanted to cut a record of those songs.

I had to really ask myself if I actually did want to record an album of those songs, because I remembered driving home after writing some of them, where I just felt jealous of whoever would get the chance to sing them, but I would just say a little prayer asking God to find a good home for them. A couple of weeks later, they made their way back home to me.

There were a few things that happened on this project that really surprised me. One was the self-discovery in writing; I found that I was a much darker person than I originally thought I was. A lot of these songs have some dark, weird notes to them. Then I felt that if I were going to record these songs for an album, then it deserved going all the way with it: hiring a band, going on tour, and just taking a chance. This is a scary experience for me, but one of the more rewarding ones for me. It’s a completely different energy when compared to the bluegrass stuff I’ve done, and totally fun.

Q: You’ve experimented with many genres of music as a solo artist over the years, from the “O Brother” soundtrack to working with Avicii. Is there a feeling of having something to prove as a solo artist, maybe more so than if you were 25 years old when this success happened?

A: I think I would have put a lot more into it back when I was younger. At this point in my career, it’s not so much that I feel like I have nothing to prove, so much as I’ve exceeded so many expectations that I may have had years ago. At this point, I’m just free-rolling. This project for me, it’s not that I’m trying to launch an entirely new career — and I was very aware that the album may be something that people didn’t “get” right away — but that I’m at a point where I can afford to get behind something risky.

If my whole life depended on the success of the next record, it might be hard for me to get behind something that may confuse people to this same level, but I believe in this music. I’m not trying to convince anyone that I’m someone different than I’ve ever been — I still have a lot more bluegrass music to play — but I realized that during my career, any time I’ve looked back at a project that offered me a chance to step outside of the box, I’ve always thought back to it in fondness.

It’s always been worth it, and this offered me the opportunity to step the furthest out of that box that I’ve ever been, so I’m looking forward to being able to look back on this moment in five or so years and see if I think fondly about it in retrospect.

Q: I imagine your current tour is the largest you’ve been involved with as a solo artist. What differences have you found playing in front of sold-out amphitheaters every night as a singer, as opposed to playing as part of a larger act, like in Union Station?

A: Back when we did the Down from the Mountain tour, behind the “O Brother” soundtrack, I was a part of both Union Station and playing solo under my own name in amphitheater settings. The weird thing was that at that point, I was the rock star of rock stars, because I sang the main song from the movie, and it was what everything was sold on.

Now we’re on tour with Kane Brown (“What Ifs”) and Brad Paisley (“Alcohol”), and we’re going out first. Something that I’d never realized anyone had to deal with onstage was looking out at a half-house of people, because there is still a line of people trying to get in. It’s clear that the folks that are there bought tickets to see Kane, or they came to see Brad, and I can basically pick out the handful of folks who came to see me within the first few rows. Because of the bluegrass background I can usually just look for overalls and know that they came to see me, and then they see me in the black hat and the drums behind me, you can tell that they are wondering what the hell is going on.

It’s interesting, because I’ve always been a part of acts that play last, and it’s easier to play in front of a full crowd. When you have every seat filled, and everyone there is rooting for you, it’s a much easier show. The good thing I have found from playing first is that it gives me a chance every night to check and see if people are moving closer to the stage or away from it through my show, because the one thing that you can say as a performer is that you know if you are winning or losing a crowd, because no one is really ever standing still at these shows. The entire time that we play, the thing that really thrills me about this run of shows is that I can tell I’m pulling people in; you can feel the energy grow, and by the end of the show we’ve got them.

It’s been amazing to see people accept these songs, whether they know what it is or not. The comments I’ve received from the crew sitting sidestage, that might usually be working during someone else’s performance, their responses have shown me that we must be doing something right. We just hope that people can have an open enough mind toward us once they realize it’s not bluegrass.

Details

Who: Brad Paisley, Kane Brown and Tyminski

When: 7:30 p.m., Aug. 24

Where: Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek, 3801 Rock Quarry Road, Raleigh

Cost: $29.50 to $204

Info: LiveNation.com or 919-831-6400

This story was originally published August 24, 2018 at 10:30 AM.