By Cary Rosenbaum of the CUJ
If you’ve ever listened to Tylor & the Train Robbers, you’ll hear a lyric-driven blend of classic roots, country and modern Americana music.
But a more subtle part of their band identity can be found by looking at the bass cabinet of Jason Bushman, which dons a CTUIR flag.
Bushman, a CTUIR descendant, says the flag travels the country with the band.
“We travel all over the country playing shows, and by flying the Tribal flag on my bass cab every night, I get to represent the Tribal community, family and friends which I’m connected to and am proud to do so,” Bushman said.
Bushman plays bass and provides backup vocals, while his brother Tommy is on the drums, step-brother Tylor Ketchum is the lead singer and plays acoustic guitar, and Johnny Shoes Pisano, Ketchum’s father-in-law, is the lead guitarist.
The band’s third album, “Non-Typical Find” will be released on July 9. The group believes they have reached new heights on the 11-track album, thanks to finding a new producer, Cody Braun, of Reckless Kelly.
“We were fortunate to bring him in,” Ketchum said. “He is someone we’ve looked up to for a long time, not just as a producer, but also as a musician and having the opportunity to work with him and bring his vision to the record was really incredible.”
“We are also looking forward to people hearing the record because it feels like a step forward from our previous projects,” Jason said. “This album is our first working with a producer outside of the band and it was also the first time we’ve recorded an album of brand new songs that we had not already been playing live for months, or years.”
According to the band, that relationship will continue on the road this fall as Tylor & the Train Robbers goes on tour with Reckless Kelly.
“We’ll be touring parts of the country we haven’t performed in before,” Tommy said. “We’re really excited to get back out on the road and play these songs live for an audience.”
For the band, and many other musicians and groups, COVID-19 shut down live performances. They’re excited to bring their sound to the public again.
“It’s been a long year of not being able to play live very often, so putting out this album and going on tour is going to be great,” Jason said.
Reflecting on their upbringing, the Bushman brothers are proud to represent the CTUIR. Jason and Tylor graduated from Helix High School, while Tommy graduated from Nixyaawii Community School.
“We grew up on the Umatilla Indian Reservation,” Jason said. “Making music is just what we do. All of us in the band have committed our lives to this because it’s what we love. Our goal is to keep making albums, writing new songs, touring and growing our fan-base for as long as we can.”
“We all played sports on rez teams, whether it was AAU basketball, the BAAD Tournament, basketball camps or open gyms,” Tommy said. “Tylor also played football for NCS.”
Their first band, the Bushman Brothers, played local gigs, including at Hamley’s Steakhouse, gaining a local following. They formed The Train Robbers in 2014 and are officially based out of Boise, Idaho, according to their website, http://www.tylorandthetrainrobbers.com.
Their first two albums — Gravel (2017) and Best of the Worst Kind (2019) — are available online on Amazon Music and Apple Music.
