Toby Hyson

About Me:

Hi there, my name is Toby Hyson. I'm a rock and roll musician with a love for The Beatles and everything 1960s! I like to write and record my own music, and I can play a variety of instruments in order to do so. I wouldn't say that I fit under a specific genre. I like to play all sorts of styles, but you could sum up my music with the description of space rock, classic blues and rock and roll. 

Current Musical Projects:

I recently completed my second studio album called 'Curiosity Killed The Cat', and I've previously released my debut album '(It's Not) Rocket Science', as well as two singles called 'Madman' and 'I Get It'. I'm currently working on a single called 'No Place Like Home', as well as brainstorming ideas for the concept for my next studio album, 'Spitfire'. 

Musical Information:

I am a multiinstrumentalist. I first learned to play percussion in Infants' School, but I learned to play the drum-kit in 2015. The next year, as part of a compulsory class, I learned to play the ukulele. My love for the ukulele led to me branching out towards the guitar, which I picked up pretty quickly. Learning to play the bass guitar after playing the guitar was also very easy to pick up. And whenever I've had the chance, from the start to the end of secondary school, I've taught myself how to play the piano / keyboard. Since 2021, I've had a MIDI keyboard in my room, and so learning to play the instrument properly has been made much easier. Vocals are a bit of a mixed bag for me. I like to sing, but I really don't think my singing voice is very good. That's why I'm trying to get better by forcing myself to add vocals to my songs. 

Other Musical Skills:

I've been "producing" music since the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. By learning to use a jack lead adapter with Garageband on my iPad, I began bouncing my own tracks for my own enjoyment. In recent months, I've become more professional, in that I've been learning to use Logic, a proper digital audio workstation on an Apple iMac. Through the completion of two studio albums, each with twelve original songs, I've learned a whole manner of skills like overdubbing, automation, panning, compression, equalisation and much more. Knowing these skills has helped me massively to have more fun with my music, rather than playing the safe card and just layering basic audio tracks on top of each other. My two albums have been written, recorded and "produced" (I say "produced" - I'm not a producer, and I definitely can't claim that my music has been professionally recorded or anything). I don't just write music for potential records however. I like to compose too, and this has always been a more prominent skill on top of writing potentially commercial tracks. I like to think that if a "music career" isn't possible for me, I could enter the film and TV world and compose scores for the big screen. Or, even beyond that, making music for other consumer products like video games and promotional videos could be a way to get my music out there, and has always been a skill I've kept on my belt. 

Music I Enjoy:

I have my soft spots for certain albums and time periods, but I've never been more obsessed with a decade than I have been for as long as I can remember with the 1960s. I've always been a big Beatles fan, and I know lots of interesting stuff about them and the stories behind some of the greatest music ever written. My favourite album ever is Rubber Soul, which was released by The Beatles in 1965. However, I don't just draw the line between their formation in 1960 and official breakup in 1970. My favourite Beatle is Paul McCartney, and he's always been my favourite musician too, and aspire to be lots like him as an artist. I'm a huge fan of his solo band Wings, which formed in 1972 and dissolved somewhere between 1980 and 1981. Beyond this, I love his solo work and everything about it. In particular, some of his more recent musical ventures like 'Egypt Station' and 'McCartney III' hold very special places in my heart. In addition to the Fab Four, I'm also a huge fan of bands like The Rolling Stones, The Who and Pink Floyd, all bands that formed and became well-known in the sixties.