For this edition of Spotlight we did things a little different and went the more conventional route. Last week the band Tim Be Told took some time out of their hectic touring schedule to chat with a-Tunes for a little Q&A. They were a great group of guys to talk with who are clearly passionate about their music. We’re working on having a follow up, in depth video interview in the future but for now here’s a little something to keep you TBT fans occupied =).
A huge thank you to the band and make sure you download their free single Analyze and try to catch them on tour!
You can find the interview and some bonus footage from their tour after the jump!
GT: Hey guys. Just wanted to thank all of you for being here and for taking the time from your busy schedule, I know you’re in the middle of touring right?
TBT: Yea man, thanks for having us!
GT: To start off, could you all introduce yourself?
TBT:I’m Andrew, I play guitar for the band.I’m Tim, I play piano and I sing.My name’s Parker, I play bass.My name’s Luan and I play guitar and sing background vocals.I’m Jim and I play drums.
GT: I saw your blog in Iggy about how you try to do some recording on the road while on tour. Do you mind describing what kind of mobile set up you got going there?
TBT: It is literally Tim’s Macbook Pro, a set of headphones, and whatever we could find in the car to make noise. [Laughs] It’s a little more experimental.
GT: So how would you (the band) describe your music and genre?
TBT: I think we would say that we play a genre of music that could be classified as pop/rock with a little bit of soul to it. With a caveat that it’s kind of evolved from where we first started till now. Because when we first started it was literally just Tim doing singer/songwriter type of music but when Andrew and Luan jumped on board it became a little bluesy acoustic. Parker and I [Jim] joined the band a year after that and we started performing and writing more music and just being influenced by all the different genres of music we listen to and this is what ‘s come out of it. It’s just a little more rock than before. Tim’s voice is pretty soulful so whatever he sings will be pretty soulful, no matter what genre. [Laughs]
GT: What’s it like being on tour? Have you embarked on such a packed tour schedule before?
TBT: It’s tiring.. It’s a lot of fun but most of the time we don’t even know what city we are in. We just kind of show up and just play but it’s been a really good experience, a really good bonding time [with the band].
GT: Were all of you friends before the formation of the band or did you all get to know each other better after you started playing together?
TBT: Uh, pretty much the second thing that you said. Some of us knew each other before hand but most of us met each other through the band and we became closer through the music and through just spending countless hours together.
GT: What’s the funniest tour experience so far?
TBT: Oh! We were driving around in San Francisco, trying to find parking and maybe like 45 minutes before we came in Tim told us he had to pee really bad. So we all started describing different bodies of water and how fast they would flow, making water sounds, and yea… that bathroom humor gets us through the day [Laughs].
GT: So was Tim able to hold it in!?
TBT: I just ran to the nearest place, I went to three different stores trying to use their bathroom!
GT: What’s the worst tour experience so far or is that the pee story too?
TBT: The two 24hr drives! We did a drive straight from Charlottesville, VA to Austin TX, it took about 24,25 hours. And then we did a drive from San Antonio TX to Irvine, CA… that took about 22,23 hours… straight!
GT: What’s the story behind the single ‘Analyze’ ?
TBT: When I [Tim] wrote this song, it was actually really late at night, probably 3 in the morning, I was just trying to figure out what was going on in my mind, and reflecting on life or things I’ve been through. The song is just about being kind of confused, not really knowing yourself, just trying to figure out who you are and.. talking to somebody asking them to help you figure yourself out and heal from wounds from the past and stuff. The idea of the song was to be this very contemplative, redemptive kind of thing.
GT: Do you all share writing duties for the music?
TBT: Right now it’s just me [Tim] writing the songs. When I first started out as a singer/songwriter it was very much geared towards the piano driven soul singing. But now I’m starting to write more for the rock… mainstream pop sound, so there is definitely influence from the other guys in terms of instrumentation and that kind of thing.
GT: How has the feedback been for the ‘From the Inside’ EP?
TBT: I think it’s mostly been pretty positive. People seem to appreciate the variety and the different stylings of the EP. Yea, I think it’s been well received overall.
GT: Where can we find more information about the band and the tour?
GT: What’s the best way for fans to communicate with you and keep tabs on what’s going on with the band?
TBT: We’re pretty good about responding to the Facebook fan page. People leave comments and we try to acknowledge them and respond. In terms of tour schedule our Myspace is always the most up to date. But we check the Facebook fanpage the most to interact with fans.
GT: What’s next for Tim Be Told?
TBT: We are recording tracks for a new album that should come out hopefully this year, if not this decade [Laughs]. And uh… yea just more shows, maybe some music videos too.
GT: Thanks for taking the time to chat, anything else you wanted to say before we wrap things up?
TBT: Thanks again for having us. We’re looking forward to your review of our next album!
a-Tunes 
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