Cuckoo and the Birds hail from Chicago, IL. The name dates back to when Tyler tried his hand at a solo project in high school after getting kicked out of the band he was in. He played one show in the basement of a house party. While performing, the drummer of the main band started blasting his double bass pedal behind him to "test it out," which inspired much of the audience to generally talk over him until finally that band played, when in the excitement someone rammed their friend's head through the drywall. Several years later, Tyler resolved for better or worse to bring Cuckoo and the Birds back from the dead—but this time around, he rams heavy metal drummers through the wall.

Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.

Well, the only permanent member of Cuckoo and the Birds at this time is Tyler Earls (me), but I have played out with Zachary Taylor on drums, and Wes Nelson on bass. In a lot of ways, this project still functions as a solo project. That is to say, I'm the one who manages everything right now. I’m still navigating how I want to move forward in terms of a permanent lineup, but those two dudes are the first I’d call to play with me.

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Cuckoo and the Birds? How long has the band been around?

Cuckoo and the Birds has been around in its current form for about two years now, though in the first year it mostly existed in the confines of my bedroom, when I was just hammering out ideas on my acoustic and trying to figure out how to sound like me in the best way I could. Before that, I was in another Chicago band called What About This, which I recently departed primarily to focus on this as my main project. Prior to that, I was in another band called Bloom (the Rockford one, not the Chicago one), which broke up due to personal conflicts within the band.

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?

Cuckoo and the Birds started out as an acoustic side project that existed briefly when I was a senior in high school. To be honest, at the time I just thought it was funny to have a name implying a lineup of multiple people but actually be playing by myself. I also think of it as a more eloquent “Me, Myself, and I”. I have never changed this name, because over the years it took on a bigger meaning for me: it harkens me back to that first endeavor to write music on my own.

When I was in Bloom, I was encouraged to contribute to the songwriting, but when I had presented some riffs or song ideas to the band, I was shut down in a condescending way. I’m sure anyone who endeavors to create art would tell you how soul-crushing a cruelly harsh criticism can be, especially early on. Maintaining the Cuckoo and the Birds moniker, to me, signifies the continued defiance of that criticism. I’ll be the first to admit my songwriting isn’t conventional and may not be for everyone, but if I changed it, or the name, to appeal to some imaginary audience it wouldn’t be authentic to who I am, in which case I honestly don’t think there’d be any point in continuing this.

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?

I (Tyler) write the songs. Most of my songs deal with feelings of alienation, loneliness, and deteriorating relationships. They tend to be meditative, and any anger found in them is expressed in terms of sadness. I would like to think that these themes will change, but historically I’ve never been one who feels like I need to write when I’m feeling acutely happy.

I’ve always used writing as a source of refuge. T.S. Eliot once said that poetry is not an expression of emotion, but an escape from it. When writing songs, I constantly rediscover the truth of this statement as it applies to music. Seasons Change, for example, was written entirely in one sitting, which may account in part for why it moves around so much harmonically and lacks formal repetition. In that moment, I was feeling particularly down about having to blacklist someone who had been my best friend for most of my life, because sadly he turned out to be a toxic force to me and many others around me. In a sense, I was simply following the path of that feeling to its conclusion, which is essentially all I really try to do when I’m writing a song. My songs don’t need to tell a story, but I do want them to evoke a feeling.

So no, I don’t think these themes will ever disappear for me, but I have been challenging myself to use different topics as vehicles to express them. For example, I recently wrote a song about the existential threat of climate change, and how it’s impossible to lose myself in nature since it only exists in terms of human regulation.

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?

This is a difficult question, because I find inspiration in many genres of music that bear no immediate correlation to what I play. For example, I listen to a lot of Romantic composers like Beethoven and (my favorite) Schubert, who was the first person to write formal songs (as opposed to orchestral compositions) as we know them today, and the first to perform in people’s homes and bring music to the working class.

I can, however, say for certain that Neil Young, Elliott Smith, and Big Star have been foundational influences for me over the years. I don’t think my songs would sound how they do without them. Currently, I have been obsessed with Teenage Fanclub and The La’s.

I don’t mean to disparage anyone, but it is difficult for me to find contemporary indie or rock music that truly excites me. Generally as a listener I am disinterested in noise and guitar-driven music unless it exists in the context of a melodic arc, but in that regard, I think I tend to be pretty outspoken. I’m just a simple man who’s a sucker for a pop hook. Instead, I love listening to artists like Solange and Lizzo who bring something fresh and authentic and catchy as fuck.

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?

I think when I was in high school, I was listening to a lot of Neutral Milk Hotel, Red House Painters, and Nick Drake, who all inspired me at that time to start Cuckoo and the Birds. When I started the project again two years ago, it was more so because Bloom had broken up and I wanted to keep playing music, but I wasn’t ready to dive into another project with others after dealing with the fallout of that band.

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc.

Mostly, I try to warm up my voice. Singing is the most vulnerable part about performing these songs for me, so I’ll sing a bit leading up to the show, do some vocal sirens, and make sure I’m hydrated.

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

Recently, I played an EP release show for Twin Stars at this venue called Tonic Room in Chicago. It was the first show I played with a full band, and it marked my first official release with Cuckoo and the Birds, so playing that definitely felt like a milestone for me.

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

For me, all I really want is to tour with bands that I get along with and wouldn’t lose my mind sharing the adventure with every day. That being said, some of my favorite current bands include Alvvays, Courtney Barnett, and Cate le Bon. Playing with any of them would be life-affirming and fun as hell.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Music is hard as fuck, but what’s even harder is not losing sight of maintaining healthy relationships along the way. After being in two bands that ended on bad terms, as I continue on this project I’m constantly interrogating how best to approach everyone I work with. I never want anyone to feel like my relationship with them is lesser than the music, because I feel the exact opposite. Speaking from experience, when those relationships erode is the exact point at which the band starts to erode, too. I’ll say it again: music is hard as fuck, but I’m trying my best.