Balancing The Different’s Tyler Gonzales talks about chasing his dreams, the punk world and the bands goal

The world we live in today is a very tricky place. You grow up being told what to do, what path you should follow, and what your future should be. Sometimes, you take on those offers believing that they’re the one’s best fit for you. At the time of your choice and getting a taste of what that life could be, you might enjoy it. However, some people find that everything they’ve ever wanted isn’t what makes them happy. For Tyler Gonzales, lead vocalist and frontman of the California based punk rock band Balancing The Different, he had everything he could ever want, but instead followed another dream he knew would make him happier than he could ever imagine.

All Punked Up was given an amazing opportunity to talk with Tyler, who was in the recording studio with his band prior to the interview working on some guitar riffs and what could be their new batch of songs.

Tyler has been the frontman of his band for years, as they’ve been pumping out singles, EP’s, and albums since 2013, their most recent album being released just a month ago titled, “Villain”.

Despite the amount of work they’ve done and the success he’s had, Tyler doesn’t have the same punk rock upbringing as most musicians. His story involves a lot of challenges, risks, and a ton of self-knowledge that was built over time.

When Tyler was 18, he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the first round of the MLB draft in 2012. During his time with their affiliate team, the Lakewood Blue Claws, Tyler spent a lot of time playing guitar, writing music, and recording it.

After spending a lot of time making music that people supported, he had found a love greater than the one he had for baseball, the game he had spent all of his life on.

“I always took baseball so seriously. But when I started to grind out music more and more, I started to think baseball had been great to me, but I wanted to live a dream. I left professional baseball when I was 21 years old and me and my ex girlfriend moved out to L.A.”

Leaving professional baseball was a hard decision for Tyler, but he had a dream; one that would leave him in a happier position, doing what you love, no matter the consequence of that action. He felt he was too censored and couldn’t be who he wanted to be within the sport. Tyler knew he would have to make a lot of changes to his life to make his musical dream work, but his enthusiasm and dedication to his cause allowed him to open some doors and fill in the blanks of Balancing The Different.

After spending some time in L.A, talking to numerous people who would end up being in the band, Tyler got in contact with Travis Juch, who is the drummer for BTD. Travis, however, had already established connections within the music world, allowing Tyler to come in and join in on the fun.

The two connected so well musically that they established BTD, gathering members from friendships to create the band and take over the airwaves. This is where guitarist Rease Kraml and Darin Rinn decided to join the group and start the journey.

“I never thought i’d be standing here in life.” Said Tyler, who continued, “Im in a studio with so many friends doing what we love…I’m blessed, I feel blessed.”

Despite Tyler’s blessing, it came with many sacrifices. The music industry isn’t forgiving to anyone who enters it. Anyone who gives in to such a competitive market and such a time consuming career, they’re most likely going to have to give up a lot of things they love. For Tyler, he had to just that when he had to split with his girlfriend for his greater good.

 “I gave up so much to go and do this. I gave up a dream job, seeing my family all of time, and my girlfriend. We ended up breaking up halfway through, but it’s just amazing how much you’ll do for something you really want. It took me to lose so much to understand how much you have to sacrifice to take steps in the right direction for what you want. But still, I’m so happy.”

From there, Tyler hasn’t looked back and he is living the life he never knew that he truly wanted. It took time to find the confidence within the band that has reached them to such heights, but Tyler explains that it was such a growing experience as a musician, but more importantly as a person.

“The day that I got over the fact of what people thought of me is when I knew Balancing The Different was going to make noise. Not only myself, but the other members of this group who have put so much into the band have grown not only as musicians, but as people.”

Tyler’s journey even now has been dependent on hard work, but most importantly the belief that anything is possible. It may be drastic to quit your dream job, but sometimes if the stars align, like they have for Tyler, anything is possible as long as you believe.

“I would definitely give a second opinion if you go jumping off of a ledge, or anything!” Said Tyler jokingly. He continued, “If you work hard enough for something and you don’t give up you will not fail. You’re not going to let it. Everybody in this industry understands that.”

Tyler’s inspiring story has not only given his band the great height they’ve reached, but it’s continuing to make them rise, and has endless potential for growth.

BTD has recently released their second studio album, “Villain”, which has 10 songs, all of them satisfying listening pleasures of fans in the punk world (click here to listen). They’ve been in the studio working on an EP that will come out before or after their eleven day tour on the west coast, but they’re comfortable with what’s going on and how smooth it’s moving along.

However, in the end, it’s all about the music and what BTD can give out to the world. Tyler’s main goal is to give the public something that could help them get through a tough time, or just something to jam to.

“We want to spread our music like religion, man. I just want everybody to give it a listen, and I hope it gets them through their day…We’re ready to move onto the next platform.”

We wish the best of luck to Tyler and his bandmates, who are certainly on track to becoming the next big band in the punk world. With their dedication and love for the dream they’re chasing, it seems like that goal is within reach.

Tyler and I talked about many other topics as well in the interview, which you can listen to in the link below! Also, follow them on their journey by following them on their social media sites that are also listed below!

 

Balancing The Different: Twitter | Facebook |

Follow me on Twitter: @Johnaubert97