TRISTAN BUSHMAN BREAKS DOWN HIS INTIMATE NEW SONG, AND PREMIERES ACCOMPANYING ACOUSTIC VIDEO.
ILLINOIS IS A VERY PERSONAL SONG TO YOU. WHAT INSPIRED IT?
I wrote this song in October of 2018. I had lived in Nashville for about 6 months at this time. I got together to write with my friend Alexander Wren, and we sat in my living room and just talked for an hour or so. I was telling him how much I was loving Nashville, but also missing my family. My little brother Griff’s birthday was coming up and I was just thinking about how it would be weird to not be there for it. We started to pull from that thought, and I made a list of other events or traditions that I would miss. One of those is sending up balloons on my late sister Eden’s birthday every year. Eden (my sister) was born with a rare metabolic disorder called NKH (Non-ketotic hyperglycinemia), and only lived to be about 2 years old. She passed away on February 21, 2002. Seven years later my Nana (Grandma) very suddenly passed away from meningitis and it happened to be on the same date February 21st. This date will always be one of the most significant in my life, I decided I want to celebrate something positive on this day this year. This song is about family, friends, and growing up.
GIVE US THE DETAILS ON THE ACOUSTIC VIDEO
Josh Kranich shot the video and did such a killer job! We shot it a few weeks ago out at The Castle Recording Studio in Franklin, TN. I’ve been working on a record out there for the last 3 months or so with Brad Stella, and those songs will be coming out in the near future (!!!) We really wanted to capture this song on video and in it’s stripped down, most raw form. It’s a song that means so much to me and when I play it live, it’s just me and an acoustic guitar.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU AS AN ARTIST AND WRITER?
My biggest influence is my dad. He is the reason why I started playing, so I will always say that. Some artists/songwriters that have really influenced me are: Noah Gundersen, James Bay, Donovan Woods, and Ruston Kelly. As far as finding inspiration daily in my writing it stems from a lot of different things love, loss, heartbreak, something I saw on a TV show or read in a book. The beauty of Nashville, and co-writing is on days when I feel like the tank is empty, someone in the room will say something that I never would have thought of. Like, I don’t know if I would’ve written this song that day a little over a year ago if Alexander Wren didn’t start singing “my baby brother’s birthday is next week”.
HOW HAS YOUR MUSICAL JOURNEY IN NASHVILLE BEEN THUS FAR?
Coming up on 2 years of living here, I feel like my time here has been really great. The incredible friends that I have made, and getting to know people through collaboration almost everyday is a pretty magical thing. Coming from Ashton, IL a small town of about 800 people, being surrounded by so many talented and creative people has been super inspiring and eye opening for me. It pushes me to want to get better, and I think that’s what it’s all about. That’s why I moved here, and I’ve still got a lot to learn.
WHAT ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT RIGHT NOW?
First off, I’m really excited to finish up recording and get this music out. I’m also stoked to be going out on the road and supporting Daniel Donato for a handful of shows in March.
Daniel Donato/Tristan Bushman Tour Dates
3/20 Pittsburgh, PA – Club Café
3/21 Columbus, OH – A&R Music Bar
3/26 Urbana, IL – Blackbird Urbana
3/27 Columbia, MO – Rose Music Hall
3/28 St. Louis, MO – Blueberry Hill Duck Room
FOLLOW TRISTAN’S SOCIALS FOR DETAILS ON THE RELEASE OF “ILLINOIS”
