Bringing The Darkness To The Light with Catherine Nadal
From Operation Babylift to Rock Stages:
Guest, Tyson Leslie on Vixen, Collaboration, Nashville, and a Life in Music
Catherine Nadal Opens Bringing the Darkness to the Light
In this episode of Bringing the Darkness to the Light, host Catherine Nadal welcomes musician Tyson Leslie, a keyboardist, guitarist, bassist, vocalist, songwriter, and performer known for his work with multiple bands, including Vixen. Catherine explains that she met Tyson about a year earlier at M3 through her friend Jack Frost, and she opens the interview by noting how impressed she was after learning more about Tyson’s wide-ranging music career and ongoing projects.
Operation Babylift and Growing Up in Colorado
Tyson shares that he came to the United States through Operation Babylift after the Vietnam War. He explains that, after the war ended, many orphaned babies were flown out of Vietnam on cargo planes and Pan Am planes, sometimes in difficult and unusual conditions. Tyson was brought to the United States, placed in the Midwest, and adopted by a Caucasian family in Greeley, Colorado. He says he is grateful for that outcome because he knows his life would likely have been very different otherwise.
Discovering Music as a Child
Catherine asks when Tyson first became involved with music, and Tyson says his mother remembers him playing piano at about age three, picking out simple melodies like “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” His father did not play music, but often gave him toy instruments, including small organs, drums, and guitars. Tyson later took classical piano lessons, then became inspired by bands and artists he saw on MTV, including Mötley Crüe, Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister, Prince, and Michael Jackson. After winning a talent contest and earning $100, he bought his first guitar from a pawn shop and taught himself to play.
Learning Instruments by Necessity
Tyson explains that much of his musicianship came from necessity. If a band lost a bass player, he learned bass. When he worked at the piano bar Howl at the Moon in Kansas City, he had to jump between instruments and became a better drummer by playing regularly. He listened to drummers such as Neil Peart, Mike Portnoy, and jazz-fusion players, while also exploring many different styles. Although he is known as a rock musician in Nashville, he says he plays country, R&B, hip hop, classical, fusion, and whatever else he is hired to perform.
Corey Taylor, Vixen, and Major Career Moments
Tyson identifies Corey Taylor from Slipknot as the first major artist he worked with, in a project that later connected to Corey’s CMFT material. He then discusses moving to Nashville in 2015, briefly playing country music with Tracy Lawrence, and eventually joining the Vixen camp. Tyson also recalls Eddie Trunk’s 40th anniversary show as one of the most surreal moments of his career because he shared the stage with artists he grew up admiring, including Alice Cooper, Sammy Hagar, Kevin Cronin, and others. He also mentions playing before an enormous crowd with Bret Michaels at the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.
Life with Vixen and the Fan Experience
Catherine asks about Tyson’s role in Vixen, and he explains that although the band’s brand is built around being an all-female hard rock band, male keyboard players have been part of the live setup in different ways over the years. Tyson says he was originally asked to remain somewhat invisible in photos and videos, which he understood, but that his role has evolved and he is now included more openly in certain moments, such as end-of-show bows. Catherine and Tyson also talk about how bands from the 1980s still transport fans back to earlier times through songs that carry memory, identity, and nostalgia.
Tyson’s Original Music and “Little Green Honda”
The interview turns to Tyson’s solo work, beginning with “Little Green Honda.” Tyson explains that the song was inspired by a female singer in an early-2000s band whose worn-out Honda Civic could not go in reverse, had a cracked windshield, and had to be pushed out of parking spots after gigs. He wrote the song as a tongue-in-cheek, high-energy power-pop track influenced by Butch Walker and Marvelous 3. Tyson says the album was his first solo record, and he produced it, wrote it, and played most of the instruments, with friends contributing drums, guitars, and backup vocals.
Collaboration, “Burning Time,” and the Mercenaries Concept
Catherine then highlights “Burning Time,” which Tyson released under the concept name Mercenaries. Tyson explains that he chose that name because the idea was to bring in “badass” hired musicians to execute the job. The track features major players including Billy Sheehan on bass, Roxy Petrucci from Vixen on drums, Jimmy Bell on guitar, and Todd La Torre from Queensrÿche on vocals and co-writing. Tyson says Todd rearranged the song and elevated it beyond what Tyson had originally imagined, reinforcing Tyson’s belief that collaboration often makes music stronger.
Rock Cruises, Nashville, and Musical Community
Catherine asks about rock cruises such as Monsters of Rock and the ’80s Cruise, and Tyson describes them as uniquely fun because musicians and fans are all together on the ship, with nowhere else to go. Artists watch each other’s shows, run into fans in cafeterias, sign memorabilia, and sometimes join unexpected late-night moments such as karaoke. Tyson also describes Nashville’s Broadway scene as sensory overload, with multiple floors of live music, constant requests, country and rock bands, and musicians moving quickly between venues. He explains that his own schedule is driven by a busy calendar of piano shows, downtown Nashville gigs, Vixen dates, travel, and special events.
“Cradle to the Grave” and Closing Thoughts
The show closes with Tyson discussing “Cradle to the Grave.” Catherine says the track felt country to her, while Tyson explains that his influence was more T. Rex, with big vocals, a big sound, and a fun party energy. He says he wrote lyrics while stopped at traffic lights, then developed the song with collaborators who added drums, backing vocals, and guitar. Tyson describes the song as playful and somewhat nonsensical, with the feeling of going as hard as possible and having fun as if it were the end of the world. He directs listeners to find him by searching Tyson Leslie on social media, YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple Music, and other platforms before the episode ends with the song.
