Rising Stars: Meet Tyson Leslie

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyson Leslie.

Hi Tyson, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started to write about this here: https://link.medium.com/UYz3nBP0Thb

However, after many years playing in clubs all over the world with a band called Pomeroy, which led to playing for Slipknot/Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor for one of his side projects, I ended up playing as a dueling piano player for several years starting in 2012 at Howl At The Moon in Kansas City.

In 2015, when I was burned out and looking to figure out the next step in my career, I received a call from my friend Rich Redmond who essentially talked me into making the move to Nashville.

Three months later, I was jumping on a tour bus with Tracy Lawrence.

After a brief trial period with him, I realized classic country was great to listen to but wasn’t in my wheelhouse to play.

Shortly after my run with Mr. Lawrence, I got a call from my friend Tony to play for the all-female 80s hard rock band Vixen. I traveled to Florida in February of 2017 and auditioned alongside new guitarist Britt Lightning. We both got the gig at the same time and have been there ever since.

Since then, I’ve also started an “organized jam” called Rare Hare which I put together three times a year and feature touring, recording and working musicians of all walks of life and from across the world who have come in to perform in the show.

Rare Hare usually consists of 100+ musicians and singers who all gather to play material from the Sunset Strip era of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal that was often featured on MTVs “Headbangers Ball” back when MTV still played videos.

Rare Hare has been host to touring bands Faster Pussycat, Enuff Z’Nuff and Exodus, and has featured members of Mr. Big, Winger, Cinderella, and tons more. Additionally, we’ve had members of Taylor Swift’s band, Jon Pardi’s band, Hank Williams Jr, among tons of others.

We’ve had trans musicians, black, white, Hispanics, Asians, and on and on and on. We try to be as inclusive as possible. Just show up and do a great job and have a good time and leave any drama at home.

Rare Hare has even been featured on 2 Monsters Of Rock cruises and the Megadeth cruise.

In addition to Vixen, I’ve played for Derek St Holmes of Ted Nugent fame, I have the incredible honor of playing with the band Giant for their one time only reunion show, and have recently been seen backing Anthrax vocalist Joey Belladonna for a Journey cover set on board the Shiprocked cruise. I played the Kiss and Kid Rock cruise as well as the Rob Gronkowski cruise with a band called The Big Rock Show and have played with countless “celebrity guests” for various jams both in and outside of Nashville.

I’ve also been very fortunate to have recorded with Faster Pussycat, John Corabi of Motley Crue fame, and David Ellefson of Megadeth for his latest solo album among others.

I made 90% of my living in 2020 playing music live on the internet via Facebook and Twitch, and since things have opened back up, you can find me playing up to six nights a week on lower Broadway in Nashville or subbing for all kinds of different bands when people need someone to help them out.

As of now, Vixen is back on the road again and I’m also preparing the next Rare Hare show taking place August 6th at Mercy Lounge which has the best “Special Guest” lineup to date – featuring Gregg Bissonette and Billy Sheehan, Carmine and Vinny Appice, Ron Keel and Rik Fox of Steeler, Brandon Cook of Black N Blue, former Headbangers Ball host Riki Rachtman and Ace Von Johnson of L.A. Guns, Anthony Corder of Tora Tora among many others.

Nashville has been unquestionably the best move of my career.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
With anything, there are some struggles. But overall, I’ve been extremely fortunate to have had some very supportive people in my world.

Back in 2010, my lifestyle led to a pretty painful divorce. And leaving Kansas City separated me from my older children Nathan and Grace. That’s been the absolute most difficult part of moving. For sure. Because of the distance, I’ve only been able to see my older kids a few times a year. But we’ve all managed to make it work and we are very close.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I wear a lot of hats.

To me the best players can adapt to any situation and know when to wear which hat.

For example, I’ve been a bandleader many times and have managed my own bands both cover and original.

Sometimes you’re the man in charge and call the shots and are the one to “take care of business.” But other times you’re just the “hired gun”. Your job is to serve the person who hired you. In this case, you’re following someone else’s lead and need to know that your opinions and ideas sometimes aren’t needed or even allowed. You just get your orders and follow them.

Or sometimes you’re a little of both. In Vixen, I do road managing duties. I make sure the equipment is right, I make sure that the merch is out and handled. I get the check at the end of the night, and I take care of everything the band needs while out on the road. However, as a player in the band, I’m looking at it as a 100% hired gun scenario and only inject my ideas and opinions when asked for. My job is to serve the members of the band ultimately.

When I play on Broadway, most of the times I’m just filling in for someone else. So I ask for a setlist, and if I know at least 75% of the songs on the list, I’ll take the gig.

The only gig I do where I call songs is a Monday night gig at Kid Rock’s where the band leader WANTS me to call the shots. But even in that scenario, I’m ultimately working for the guy who hired me.

What I’m most proud of is my diversity. I can play a metal gig, a country gig, an R&B or soul/funk gig, reggae, whatever. And be fine. And I can play those styles on multiple instruments. Whether it’s keyboards, guitar, bass or drums that someone needs, I can usually handle them at a level that’s expected.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I have no idea where this industry is headed. I currently have a song on the Billboard Country charts for the first time since that I was involved with by an artist whose album I produced named Dew Pendleton. And while that was something I’ve always aspired to, I never thought that this was how it was going to happen. It’s a GREAT album, and I’m really proud of it.

The industry is so very different now than from the days I was touring around in my old original band Pomeroy. Sometimes it seems much more competitive and flooded with talent, and sometimes it’s like “where did all the good writers and good songs go?” But then again I’m old. So “get off my lawn”.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: http://tysonleslie.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/tysonleslie
• Facebook: Facebook.com/tysonlesliemusic
• Twitter: Twitter.com/tysonleslie
• Youtube: YouTube.com/tysonleslie
• SoundCloud: SoundCloud.com/tysonleslie
• Other: Twitch.tv/tysonlesliemusic