Exclusive Q&A with Steven Tyler

It didn't take long for our September cover star, Steven Tyler, to embrace Nashville after relocated to Belle Meade earlier this year to cut his first country album with Big Machine Label Group's Dot Records (out winter 2015). Here, the rocker-turned-country artist shares a bit about his personal style, as well as some of his favorite things about living in Music City.

NL: Who all have you written with since arriving in Nashville?
The album is all co-writes. I've written with the Barlowes [Nathan and Cary], Brett James, Jaren Johnston, Hillary Lindsey, the Warren Brothers, David Hodges, Chris DeStefano, Rhett Akinsso many.

NL: Favorite local live music venue?
I've seen some great shows at 3rd and Lindsley. I saw Bebe Buell there and Alyssa Bonagura, who is this great up and coming songwriter. I also like Silver Dollar, Mercy Lounge, Cannery, High Watt, Exit/In and Marathon Village.


NL: Ideal day off.
Taking the dogs out to Percy Warner, Fontanel, or Radnor Lake, or going to see a movie.

NL: Favorite thing about Nashville.
Even though Nashville's a big town, it's still got a small town attitude. Everybody's real nice and kind of says ‘hello' to each other. I grew up in a town of 1,200 people in New Hampshire, and back in my formative years in the early ‘60s, you knew everybody in town. And Nashville's kind of like thatespecially the music community.

NL: How would you define your personal style?
I've always had a couple of John Varvatos clothes in the back of my closet, because I love his stuff, but I'm pretty much a jeans, T-shirt kind of guy anyway. I don't really go out much so for the four months I wrote songs, I kind of stayed under the hood except going for the movie theater, of course. [My wardrobe] is a collection of things I bought in stores, particularly when I was doing American Idol. I lived in LA for the time so I bought a lot of things in the stores and had some things made, so it's a conglomeration of all that stuff. I've got enough [stuff] in my closet to last me 10 years.

NL: How did the inspiration for the video of your debut single, 'Love Is Your Name,” come about?
I lived in New Hampshire as a kid and I lived in Yonkers as a little boy, and I had a pet raccoon and I lived down at the lake. I told [director Trey Fanjoy] all that stuff. It was shot in the outskirts of Nashville in this beautiful forest, and she [Fanjoy] found this tree with big, long roots and she put white doilies all over the bark. She put the cabin in the video, she put the raccoon in the video, she put in her son who was me as a little boy in the video, she put the [Nashville] band Loving Mary in the video.

The thing about it, take me out of it, take my song out of it, take all my ego out of it, if you just watch the video, two things will happen: One, you'll hear a really great songbecause it just is. And number two, you're going to see a lot of love, and you're going to see a lot of believability, and you're going to see a lot of beautiful shots. It's fun to watch. It's very gypsy chic! After I saw it, I called Trey back and I literally cried.

NL: Coolest person you've met in town?
I recently rubbed noses with Jack White. I fell in love with that guy. It's like we were best friends when we were kids and we hadn't seen each other in 30 years. He is a true mad man, he's a musical genius. Every time he gets a big idea, he moves on it. He reminds me of [BLMG CEO] Scott Borchettathey're both really committed, and they both have such a passion for the musical genre.

As seen in the September 2015 issue!