HEY MR. CARTER The Issues' vocalist has a bold voice

BY JENNA ROMAINE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYAN PURCELL

What comes to mind when you envision a bisexual rock star? Fan reactions were overwhelmingly supportive. “I think that there Chances are it’s not a heavily tatted, gold tooth-sporting metal- are a lot of LGBT youth in our scene because this scene and this core band co-frontman. But for Issues vocalist Tyler Carter, music we come from is one of the biggest and most accepting that’s the point: no parts of his identity should be defined by places there is, especially for teens,” Carter says. narrow labels. Carter’s musical endeavors began at a young age playing drums His tattoos prove as much, alternating between styles and for a praise band at a local church in Georgia. He rose through messaging to form a colorful collective that only come together the alt-rock ranks as a co-vocalist in the bands A Path Less through his own perspective. His left forearm features three Travelled and Woe, Is Me in 2008 and 2009 respectively, before disparate pieces by Keith Kuzara, owner of Sink or Swim Tattoo breaking away to form Issues in 2012. in Buffalo, NY: the mask from his favorite movie Nacho Libre, His current co-frontman Michael Bohn was a member of each of a traditional-style moth and, most importantly, a bold equality the bands as well, as he departed Woe, Is Me to joining Carter symbol that ties his body to his outlook on love. “As a member of in Issues. The band’s self-titled debut was released in 2014, the LGBT community, this symbol of equality means a lot to me,” gaining them a solid fanbase. Their highly-anticipated sophomore he explains. “I’ve come to understand the complexity of love and album Headspace dropped this past May. have no limitations on sex or identity.” “I’d like to think it’s doing pretty well. I try not to pay too much The Issues vocalist came out as bisexual to the world in 2013. attention on the business side or really focus on the numbers,” While he was never “in the closet,” as he told Alternative Press, he says. Even with that attitude, the numbers are more than he felt the he could no longer stay silent after a Nashville venue, good, with the record debuting at number one on Billboard’s Rocketown, fired an employee for wearing a shirt in support of Alternative & Hard Rock Albums chart. “But as far as the touring gay marriage, causing major controversy in his corner of the side goes it feels like everybody is really enjoying the songs, music industry. learning the words. That’s always rewarding.”

AUGUST 2016 | 69 Carter won’t be tied down to just one style of music, the LGBT, have faced tragedy in Orlando in one week- either. His influences extend well beyond the rock and end in June. Following the murder of Christina Grimmie metal world, as he reaches to the stylings of R&B and and the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub, he was pop artists like Bryson Tiller and Drake to find inspira- affected personally and professionally. tion. “We just come from all sorts of backgrounds in “I think it’s heart-wrenching, a chilling situation,” he music so everybody’s got their own flavor, their own says. “I think everyone thinks that, why Christina? inspiration,” he says. Because she was so pure, you know? I think it’s very The broad range of influences extends further to the shaking because it could have happened to any of us. page and screen, personified in the music video for the We all do soft-club tours and we all are very trusting of single “Coma,” inspired by the movie If I Stay (based on our fanbase. We go out and try to meet fans and not be the young adult novel by Gayle Forman). too high [with] security, we try to be personable. And it “The lyrics of the song are basically just the plot of the sucks because now there’s such precautions and we’re movie and how she was really fighting through this coma not able to do that anymore because of the break in and how the love of her life and his constant reminiscing, safety.” being there and talking to her kind of brought her out,” As the lawless nature of the internet gives trolls easier Carter explains. access to get off on creating hateful comments from The music video stars albino male model Shaun Ross behind the safety and anonymity of a screen, Carter has sporting anatomical ink across his body: a brain on his taken to avoiding the comment sections. back, heart on his hand and lungs on his chest. “It was “There are people who are like, ‘Well they’re fags, they just an artistic visual that the director Dillon Novak and I deserved to die.’ It’s fucked up, and I just don’t have discussed. It doesn’t specifically have this crazy detailed room for that negativity in my life with all the stuff that’s story other than it’s kind of the emotional elements of it,” going on,” he says. he explains. “Shaun Ross and the tattoo thing just kind “And for somebody who is in the scene and is also a part of helped portray the emotion behind the song.” of LGBT it’s almost double the danger. Those paranoid Unfortunately, creative movie tie-ins and the success of thoughts definitely cross my mind. But I have a really Headspace haven’t been the only thing on Carter’s mind good foundation, and I try not to dwell on it too much.” as of late. Both of his intimate communities, music and He cranks up the music and cleanses his headspace.