“My Music Is My Heart.”

Every good redemption story begins with heartache.

With 28 seconds remaining in game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals, the San Antonio Spurs had just taken a 94-89 lead over the reigning champion Miami Heat. The game and series seemed in the bag for the Spurs. League officials began roping off the court to prepare for the Larry O’Brien Trophy presentation. Gleeful NBA fans across the globe were preemptively tweeting out their shots at LeBron & Co. “Just 1, Not 2, Not 3, Not 4,” and so on. And somewhere in Denton, TX, a young Tyler Collins was (probably) already celebrating his beloved Spurs fifth championship with a backwards Spurs hat and a Manu jersey.

Then, the inevitable happened. LeBron hit a second-chance three. Kawhi bricked 1 of 2 free throws. All of a sudden, the Spurs found their lead slipping away. Thinking they needed speed more than size to defend the perimeter, Spurs Coach Gregg Popovitch made the gutsy call to sit hall of fame power forward Tim Duncan on the bench.

With seconds ticking down, LeBron missed the game-tying three. For a brief moment, it seemed Coach Pop’s gamble had paid off. Until, Chris Bosh (the George Harrison of the Heatles) secured the rebound and kicked it out to a waiting Jesus Shuttlesworth, who took one step back, toes perfectly behind the line, and hit the shot like it never could’ve gone any other way.

The Spurs lost in overtime. Game 7 held the same. The Spurs dynasty was over.

Or so it seemed…

Until the 2014 NBA finals, when the underdog Spurs came back to beat the Heat in five quick, lopsided games, effectively ending the Heat dynasty. “We remembered what happened last year,” Duncan said. “How it felt in our locker room and we used it, built on it and got back in.”

Like I said, every good redemption story begins with heartache.

Tyler Collins of Bareheart understands this all too well. His new EP, In the Mo(u)rning is a testament to getting off the couch and back into the world, when all one wants to do is just give up and call it quits.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been fortunate to exchange several emails with Tyler as we talked about heart-on-sleeve songwriting, old band days, and the importance of finding your voice during difficult times.

Our conversation follows:

Dane wrote on May 21st at 3:14pm:

Our paths first crossed back in 2012 (or 2013?) when Ravenhill played a couple of shows with your old band Least of These in Texas and then Nashville. I'm pretty sure we crossed paths at Cornerstone that year too or a music festival in Indiana? I'm not entirely sure. I still have the giant text Least of These white tee though. So it was cool when we met again recently when you came to Southern Illinois with Josh to play a couple of Bareheart gigs. There's some missing years in there though so do you mind giving a brief history lesson of how Least of These ended and Bareheart came to be?

Tyler replied on May 22nd at 1:45pm:

Dang! Has it been that long!? I guess it has been since we both played Life Light Festival (or whatever it was called) in Sherman, Texas back in 2012 or 2013. I wouldn’t be surprised if we crossed paths again at Cornerstone because that was its last year and it felt like everyone was there hahaha!

So those missing years: I had actually quit Least of These in February of 2016 to focus more on my marriage at the time and providing for us more substantially. When I quit Least of These, I basically quit music. I would still play at church from time to time, but I wasn’t writing anymore. I was afraid of losing my marriage.

But in October of 2017, I took home a beaten up, piece of junk acoustic that someone was about to throw away at my church and just started playing. I didn’t know what I was writing or what I was even singing, but I just let it flow.

That day, I didn’t realize it at the time, but I wrote my first Bareheart song, “Rain.” I thought I was just singing about my struggles with depression, but I actually wrote the beginning of the end of my marriage before I even knew it was ending.

Dane wrote on May 24th at 11:42am:

How did that song help you through that time? What does it mean for you now when you play it?

Tyler replied on May 24th at 6:45pm:

“Rain” definitely helped me cope with all the heartbreak and pain that was coming for me because it prepared my mind for it all. Yes, it still hurt. Yes, it still sucked. But I truly believe that God warned me of what was coming so it didn’t destroy me because it easily could have.

So when I play “Rain” and the rest of the songs now, my whole mission is to provide inside of my heartbreak in hopes that it helps somebody else process and heal from whatever pains and heartaches have happened in their life. I believe all my pain has a purpose and a vast reason for that purpose is for anyone who just so happens to listen to my music, my heart. My music is my heart.

Dane wrote on May 26th at 9:57am:

I like that. I try to write straight from my soul, putting my heart firmly on my sleeve whenever I can. But that also makes it harder (for me) to share those songs or stories or whatever. It's hard to share those bits of myself with co-workers or acquaintances. Whenever they inevitably find out that I make music, the likely follow up question is: "Where can I hear it?" Which is cool, of course, but then also it can be a bit uncomfortable for them to hear lyrics that are about intimate things that I'm just coming to terms with myself. Then on the other hand, it can also be hard to share that stuff with those people I'm closest to, because they may not understand where I'm coming from.

Do you feel that too when you share Bareheart songs? Do you ever worry about oversharing?

Tyler wrote on May 27th a 8:03pm:

Oh most definitely! The first few times I played all of the songs live from this upcoming EP, I went into a difficult depression the following day. Writing music has always been for others, but when it’s something raw and vulnerable, that definitely takes a toll on you. Our mutual friend Josh Clifton helped me a whole lot with this a few months ago. He basically told me that if it wasn’t possible for me to play my songs with the focus of encouraging others with the hope tied into my story, then I should simply release them and never play them again if playing them would mean consistently falling back into a depressive spell.

I think I always worry about over sharing, which is why I’m so awkward on stage sometimes. My story involves other key players and at risk of bad mouthing or demeaning them, I often wrestle with what to say and how to say it. But I still know that my story does need to be shared, so I just risk it until I get it right haha.

Dane wrote on May 29th at 11:49am:

That's some great advice from Josh. He definitely knows a few things about putting his heart and soul (tried to find a Ravenhill album joke there, but couldn't) into his music. What're some lessons you learned from your time in Least of These? Do any of them carry over to your approach with Bareheart?

Tyler wrote on May 30th at 8:29pm:

Hahaha! I’m sure Josh would love the reference! He’s definitely one to leave it all on the church floor.

I think one of the key things that I’m constantly trying to remind myself from my many years in Least of These is that everything I’m doing, everything I’ve been working on, every time I perform, is 100% worth it if one person connects with it.

We played many “sound guy” shows in our time, but we always worked to keep our focus on giving our best to whoever shows up because even those nights where it was just the sound guy, we would often get the response “You guys ruled! Please come back through so I can get you a better draw!” And then when we would come back through, that was usually the case. I don’t need to be famous to make an impact in someone’s life. I don’t need a record deal to make a difference in the world. All I need is a heart that cares, which I definitely have.

Dane wrote on June 3rd at 11:45am:

Well said. There's a Front Bottoms song that goes "I just want this to mean something to anyone even if they don't know who I am." And I've always felt that when I try to make anything. It's all an effort for connection, for understanding, for bringing people together no matter how small of a scale it may be (and for me, it’s usually a super scale we’re talking here).

Whew. So the last week has been a particularly rough one in the world. I've been encouraged to see you voice support on your various social media platforms in raising awareness of white privilege and racial inequality. As a fellow white dude, what do you think our roles are during this time?

Tyler wrote on June 3rd at 12:13pm:

I really like that line! I’ve never heard of Front Bottoms, but I definitely feel that line just as you described it for yourself as well. It’s all about connection, understanding, and bringing people together no matter the size of the scale.

Honestly, I think that analogy goes hand in hand with what’s transpiring in our country right now. The scales won’t tip unless we’re willing to get up, get uncomfortable, join in the weight, and shift the balances toward true equality. Right now is the time to jump in the scales however we can. As white American citizens, I really believe we can use the privilege maliciously given to us to topple the scales! I didn’t ask to be a white man the same way someone didn’t ask to be a black man. I didn’t ask for someone to consider me more so than they consider someone else on the basis of our skin color.

But I firmly believe that what the devil intended for evil, God will and wants to use for the good of His glory, His people, and His Kingdom. So there are people who are out there who will listen to me more so than others simply because I’m white. Well, that evil intention is getting a rude awakening now because we’re no longer buying the narratives sold to us. We’re calling back. We’re calling for justice. We’re calling for equality. We’re calling for freedom.

Dane wrote on June 11th at 2:25pm:

Hey Tyler, sorry for the delayed response! I've just been distracted by everything.

You said it well in your last email though. I'm no longer a Christian, but I definitely agree in the battle between good and evil, and doing what we can to fight for justice. As a white dude, I used to get caught up in not saying too much on social media about social justice issues because I was so afraid of coming across like Bradley Whitford's character in Get Out ("I would've voted for Obama a third time if I could"), but I've gotten past that. I would rather come across as virtue signaling or something rather than coming across as apathetic, or, worse, allowing someone on the other side to think that I'm with them.

Over the years, I've done well at speaking up on those issues in face-to-face situations, but I've always struggled with the audience aspect of social media. I'm finding my voice there too though. Like you said, there's a good chance, that as a white man, as wrong as it may be, that other white guys are more likely to listen to me than someone else. So I'm going to do better at deciding when i need to speak up and when I need to get out of the way to amplify the voices of those who truly need to be heard.

Since we last spoke, your new EP In the Mo(u)rning was released. How're you feeling with it now being out in the world? What was the recording process like for it?

Tyler wrote on June 12th at 3:43pm:

It’s totally fine, dude! Times are certainly challenging right now! No worries.

Yeah, Dane. Finding your voice during times of seeking justice today is a little difficult but still so crucial. I’m loving all of the collaborating and unity that I’ve seen stretch across the globe. Sure social media has a way of distorting even the best of situations (which can be quite overwhelming), but now is the time for change. It just has to be.

In The Mo(u)rning... is now officially out for the world to hear! Just like with any release from my past, I have a myriad of questions and hopes. “Will people like it?”, “Will people talk about it?”, “Will this EP make an impact somehow?”, “Is it possible for this EP to get attention from various music groups, companies, and organizations?”, etc etc.

The recording process was super smooth and exactly what it needed to be with the Eric Jones and Jonny Gore from HoneyGold Records! It was all in house, literally, and the timing of the release was just perfect for me personally. I finished tracking everything in the summer of 2018, but I wasn’t anywhere near emotionally ready to release anything back then. I’ve grown and healed so much since then that playing and listening to these songs no longer hurts.

Dane wrote on June 16th at 11:54am:

Speaking as someone that has listened to your new EP several times, I can at least answer the first of your questions: "Will people like it?" Yes, I believe they will. I really love the vulnerability and honesty presented in these songs, how raw and real your vocals come across (which is to say, they sound awesome), and I love the acoustic guitar tone where it feels like I'm sitting in the room as you play. So props to Eric Jones and Jonny Gore, they did an excellent job. Did you have any experience working with them before this?

Then, last question, can you give a quick track-by-track breakdown of the EP? Just what the songs are about or if you don't want to go into that, just any interesting insight into the writing process of those tracks, any lines you had to work for, any parts you're particularly happy with etc.

Tyler wrote on June 16th at 1:41pm:

Well thank you! *insert very wide smile* I really am proud of these songs and I do think people will like them. Vulnerability and transparency are basically what Bareheart is all about for me, so I love hearing that those elements translate in such a vulnerable way like feeling like you’re in the room with me while you listen to them.

I’ve never worked with Eric before in a recording studio setting. He’s played a couple of shows with Least of These in the past, but I have WAY more experience with Jonny since he and I actually played in Least of These together over the years. Working with Jonny on Bareheart stuff was great because with our chemistry of writing styles, he knew where I was trying to go even before I did.

This EP, which is half of a collective album, is about the emotional ins and outs of the demise of my marriage back in 2017-2018.

-“Parados” is meant to set the stage for the whole EP. (I also love the risk of it being strictly a cappella).

-“Nothing Wrong” is my mental rehearsal of dealing with my wife leaving me for someone else. “There’s nothing wrong. There’s nothing wrong with a broken heart.”

-“Home” was written a few weeks after my wife kicked me out of our apartment. I wanted to be home with her, but I knew it wasn’t gonna happen.

-“Wild Eyes” is about my contribution of the demise of the marriage: my struggles with pornography. “You call it affection, but it only diverts your attention.”

-“Rain”, my personal favorite, was written a week before my wife kicked me out. I didn’t even know what I was writing when I wrote it, but I knew once everything started falling apart. Honestly, “Rain” kind of saved my mind and heart from totally breaking.

-“Outcast” is my emotional summation of the end of the marriage and just feeling like I could never be loved or accepted again, especially by God. I felt so alone and so rejected. I truly never thought that I would recover. “Will you take me, dirt and everything?”

All in all, the story only gets better from here though. This is just the first half of the story. I’m writing the second half now and I’m already in love with the songs I have for it.

Dane! Thank you so much for taking your time to ask me these questions and engage with me about everything!

Thanks Tyler!

In the Mo(u)rning is available now wherever you stream music. You can follow Bareheart on Instagram (@bareheartmusic) and Facebook.