BY BRITTANY DANIELLE for WEEKLY VOLCANO 2/27/26 |
Tied down by the nine-to-five grind, Tyler McGinnis found himself longing for more, knowing the world had more to offer him and he had more to offer the world. A longtime songwriter and musician, McGinnis was running the family restaurant seven years ago and found himself feeling stuck and unable to escape what had become a daily grind with no end in sight. The work felt like it was stifling his creativity, and he yearned for a way out.
“Tyler McGinnis is a singer-songwriter based in the Pacific Northwest whose music blends heartfelt storytelling with rich Americana and alternative country textures. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Tyler’s path to music was shaped by life beyond the stage. By way of a collegiate football career in Nebraska, he relocated to Western Washington in 2017 and anchored his roots in the Seattle music scene,” states his bio, but he has since moved to Tacoma and is building roots with his fiancée, Chelsey Whild, a local musician and comedian.
McGinnis will be celebrating his four-year anniversary as a full-time musician in April. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to build a schedule, relationships, and a reputation as a musician. It is even harder when you are your own marketer, promoter, booking agent, and talent buyer on top of being the creator and songwriter.
That has not held him back in any way. It can get taxing and frustrating at times, but Tyler McGinnis understands what waits for him on the other side if he does not put in the effort. Averaging nearly three hundred gigs a year, McGinnis has no intention of slowing down now, and he is definitely not turning back.
Though McGinnis is seen in his band The Hipocrats with fellow musician Sarah Brunner, he has been writing and performing solo songs for years. McGinnis said that it has been a struggle as a solo performer not to have any of his own originals out in the world. It is an essential part of a musician’s résumé to have music available to those looking to hire them. He said he “had to pull the trigger.”
“The first album is a mystical and magical thing. It takes years to put together. I have hundreds of songs and intentionally chose nine. These nine are an introduction to who I am, where I come from, and where I’m going. I made sure to spend time making selective song choices.” This debut album is a cathartic window into McGinnis’ world and thoughts. He said they are “recorded therapy sessions that happened over the course of ten years.”
His first single from the album is “Geronimo.” This was the song he wrote when he was feeling stuck in the grind, knowing he needed to get out. McGinnis stated, “Nearly four years later, after building a career as a full-time musician, Geronimo feels like the natural first step into releasing my own solo music. The recording process focused on capturing momentum and honesty, leaning into a story-driven country framework and a hook that reflects the leap at the heart of the song. As my debut solo single, Geronimo represents both where the song began and where this chapter starts…feel the narrative at its core: the brave decision to jump before you know how it ends, a universal sentiment rendered in emboldened lyricism and quality production.”
Sometimes songs come together from angst and a need to scream in the face of societal norms, break chains, create catharsis, and express pain. McGinnis found it terrifying to step out of the normative lifestyle to carve a new path, a different path, a creative path. This original song, “Geronimo,” has been the theme of many of the new choices that have happened in Tyler McGinnis’ solo career. It does not only represent a leap of faith to leave the daily grind, but it is also the theme of the process to release the album. It has clearly shaped his way of thinking since the song’s inception and continues to be a reminder as he continues his career. “It’s the obvious choice for the first release; it’s the sentiment that started the whole journey,” he stated.
Tyler McGinnis also attributes his release to fiancée Chelsey Whild for encouraging and pushing him in that direction. Whild said, “He’s worked really hard, and I’m blown away by his dedication. I’m excited for people to discover his voice. I remember when I first heard him, and I’m excited for others to have the same experience.”
McGinnis hopes that the album will help trigger fond and nostalgic memories for listeners and hopes it will also lead listeners to The Hipocrats. He knows that the typical response to a solo album indicates a band breaking up, but he assures us that is not the case at all and believes that having his solo music out will help the band’s visibility as well as that of his colleague, Sarah Brunner.
Tyler McGinnis is set to release six singles from the nine-song album, with the first being “Geronimo,” out Feb. 27. It has been said that Tyler has one of the top two male voices in the Pacific Northwest. You do not want to miss it.
If you need a theme song for taking a leap that you know you need to take, check out the latest single from Tyler McGinnis wherever you get your music.
