Showing posts with label Timothy B. Schmit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Timothy B. Schmit. Show all posts
Saturday, May 14, 2022
Saturday, March 19, 2022
Monday, August 15, 2016
Interview Flashback - On The Road With The Eagles' Timothy B. Schmit
I have been blessed to write contributions/reviews/interviews/opinion pieces for several country music and roots-oriented websites and publications over the years including Saving Country Music, Nashville Scene, Country California, Country Weekly, American Noise, The 9513 and Engine 145. As a regular contributor to the last two in that list, I did close to a 100 interviews with different artists- and since both of those great sites have come down, I will reprint some of those interviews here to give them a home in perpetuity. This interview was originally published in November 2009 on The 9513.
At some level, it has always been about the road for Timothy B. Schmit. Before travelling uncountable highway miles playing bass in the country-rock band Poco for nearly a decade and before charting courses around the world as a member of The Eagles, it was about chasing the song on tires. For this Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame inductee, music and home were one as a child in a trailer on wheels.
Close to 50 years after its purchase, Schmit has gotten reflective about the Expando double-wide mobile home trailer that his family upgraded to after his musician father settled down working at a club in Sacramento. After chasing the next gig with his family in tow, Schmit’s father finally put down roots when Timothy B. Schmit was roughly a tween. The brand new shiny trailer with the pop-out sides, nearly twice as big as their old home, was the place where Schmit was raised and bitten by the music bug.
Now, a worn classic advertisement for that trailer is blown up large and is mounted on the wall of Schmit’s studio- partly for inspiration, but also partly for reminding him of his roots and exactly where he came from. Expando is also the title for his latest solo album released this past month on Lost Highway Records.
The 9513 had an opportunity to sit down with the legend and talk trailers and tracks.
KEN MORTON, JR.- Let’s open up by looking back a bit. You got your start in music playing in a band called Tim, Tom & Ron in our hometown of Sacramento at Encina High School. Is that what brought you to music in the first place or was it before?
TIMOTHY B. SCHMIT- It was before. My father was a musician, that’s what he did for his livelihood. From before I was born, he played the club scene and standards of the day. They were a trio and did a little comedy. He was gone for the first part of my life a lot until I was about five years old. Then about that time, my parents sold our house down in the Bay Area (San Francisco) and moved into a trailer house. He pulled us around from town to town to wherever he was playing. He was probably my first real musical influence. From there, I started playing various instruments in early school. I sang in the chorus at school. I always took to the music thing.
KMJ- What kind of music was your dad playing in those days?
TBS- He was pretty active through the 50’s and early 60’s actually in the club scene. The club scene back in the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s was a lot of supper clubs. They would host a group for a week at a time. He was one of those groups that they would hire. It was really standards of the day. It was pre rock and roll actually. It was whatever was popular on the radio at the time. They weren’t songwriters, they’d just interpret the songs.
KMJ- Were you into his type of music back then or did you play the role of the rebellious teen and do your own thing musically?
TBS- It was the latter- a natural course of events where I would be interested in something else. But I never shunned what he was doing. I thought it was great. I was the only one in Sacramento where when they were filling out a form at school or something about what their parents did, they would write musician for my father. I was always really taken with it and he was always pretty magical in my eyes. I loved music and I’ve even purchased some of his old recordings that he did and I’ve transferred them to CD’s and gave them out as Christmas presents to significant people like family members. I’ve always been into all kinds of music. Anything I hear with my ears is really what influences me.
KMJ- That probably leads us to your newest project. You’ve got this brand new album called Expando that just came out this last month, before we talk about its content, explain the title.
TBS- I mentioned that I lived in a trailer house for most of my younger years- most of grade school and all of high school, really. Over the years, they kept upgrading our trailer house and when we started staying pretty solidly in Sacramento they got a big one and it was called an Expando. You could park it where you wanted to park it and it would literally expand out from 8 feet to 15 feet wide. That’s where the word came from. My first encounter with that word was this mobile home called The Expando. Later on, when I was making this record, I thought of that. My engineer friend and I started to look for it and do research on it. We found this old website and we found a brochure of this very same trailer house that I used to live in called The Expando. And I printed it out and I have it big on my wall here in my studio. When it came time to start to think about titles, I didn’t want to title the album any of the song titles. None of them seemed to quite get it. This word popped into my head and it seemed to sum it up pretty good. It’s such an autobiographical record anyways in many of the songs. I like the word and it’s different and it implies growing and expanding and I think that’s what I’ve done with this record. I think I’ve done on this record a bit. I think I’ve taken a big step in my songwriting and recording abilities.
KMJ- For someone that hasn’t heard the album yet, describe what they’ll hear.
TBS- For people that are familiar with my solo work, and even for those that aren’t, this is the best work I’ve done to date. It’s something I’ve done in my spare time with the time off with the Eagles. I’ve been really busy with the band for a long time. And we’re gearing up to go back out again after the first of the year- probably in the spring. For awhile, we’ve been working all the time, but have a month off here and there. That’s when I would write and record a little at a time. It’s the truest music I’ve done. I chose not collaborate with any other songwriters- even though I know plenty. I didn’t want to go down that path this time. I decided to do this all on my own just to see what would happen- no matter how long it took. And it did take awhile. I thought I would start everything with my roots which is kind of a type of folk music. I would come out to my studio on a regular basis and these songs kind of came together that way. I would figure out how I would want to treat them and then record them. I think it’s the truest representation of my music and partly me than anything I’ve done.
KMJ- Fans know you well for your work with the Eagles. How would you say your solo album is different from your stuff with the other guys?
TBS- I’d say it’s way different. Certainly there will be hint of that, because that’s what I do on a regular basis. I think it’s quirkier and at times, more raw than the Eagles. It’s looser than the
Eagles. It is two different types of things for me. In a group situation, you have parameters. In my case, it’s the Eagles. You stay somewhat in those parameters. People look expect certain things from the Eagles. They expect lots of harmony and melodic songs- and whatever else the Eagles might imply to the fan. When any of us go into the studio alone, we don’t have those parameters any longer. We can do whatever we want. I did a lot of experimenting. I didn’t do anything extreme, but I definitely wasn’t as careful as maybe the Eagles are.
KMJ- You have some special guests play with you on the album as well, don’t you?
TBS- When it came time for extra singing or extra instruments, I would literally sit down and think of who would be great on this or that. If I could have anybody, who would I choose? I would think of somebody and I would find out their info and I would get a hold of them. I would personally ask if them if they were available and if they’d do this. Luckily, the majority of the people I asked took me up on my offer. Some people I already knew, some people I didn’t. That’s how it happened. I did it all myself. I used management to get a few phone numbers, but I would do the legwork.
KMJ- Who are some of those people you felt important enough to ask?
TBS- One is a really great new friend who I didn’t know before I contacted him and he’s on the first song “One More Mile” and that’s Keb Mo. He’s a really terrific musician and a really sweet guy. He took my call right away and he came right out. I have the legendary Van Dyke Parks who is more known as a write and an arranger. He played accordion on some things. I had Benmont Tench from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers who did a lot of organ and keyboards for me. I had Garth Hudson from The Band- which is one of my favorite bands of all time. He was over here and did some organ on a song. I had Dwight Yoakam and Kid Rock on the same record. They’re both hard workers- in fact everyone was. On “White Boy,” my son Ben played drums and a little guitar. I have the Blind Boys of Alabama even on a song called “Secular Praise.” I ran into them on an elevator and got talking to them one night and that’s how that got started. And of course, Graham Nash, who is an old friend of mine. When I first wrote that song, “Parachute,” I figured out that I shouldn’t be in denial that it sounded like the Eagles. I decided just to not take it another way and have Graham sing harmony on that.
KMJ- Do you have a favorite track on the album?
TBS- Not really. Everything on here is on here for a reason. I don’t really have a favorite track- I’m happy with all of it.
KMJ- We mentioned your work with the Eagles a couple times. You guys finished an amazing 16 month international tour this summer, how was that experience overall?
TBS- It was great. We had a really good European run. And before that, we were doing most all of the states. It’s been an incredible experience for all of us. The fact that’s still alive and vibrant is amazing. The music still means a lot to a lot of people. We have a lot of people come experience it with us. I couldn’t have imagined that it would be going this strong at our ages. It’s still very exciting and pretty great. And now with some stuff that’s new in my life, it’s recharging me in another way too. It’s great to have the newness in my solo career and then the thing with the Eagles. I couldn’t really ask for anything more. I hear people around my age talking about
retirement and it’s just not something that is in my future. There’s no stop sign out there. And luckily, I don’t have to. I have a great job.
KMJ- The relationship dynamic between the group members has been well-documented, how is that today?
TBS- It’s really good. Basically, we all have our separate lives and our separate families. We come together and we work. And we work very hard. And when it comes to take breaks, we scatter. We don’t socialize all the much together outside of work. And that is okay, it doesn’t mean that anyone is having problems. It simply means that we have our own things going on. It just means that we’re not young and sharing a big house together. You know what I mean? The other three guys have young children that they’re raising. My youngest is 19 and in college. So things are really good. We have a really good work ethic. We come together to go to work.
KMJ- Will we be hearing new music again from the Eagles anytime in the future?
TBS- You know, that’s hard to say. It was pretty difficult to get out this last record. It took a long time. There’s a lot of elements to take into consideration. We’re a complicated group of people- including myself. I think we’ll just wait and see. My tendency is to say probably not. But I’m not so sure. I’ve learned to not make statements like that. So we’ll have to wait and see.
At some level, it has always been about the road for Timothy B. Schmit. Before travelling uncountable highway miles playing bass in the country-rock band Poco for nearly a decade and before charting courses around the world as a member of The Eagles, it was about chasing the song on tires. For this Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame inductee, music and home were one as a child in a trailer on wheels.
Close to 50 years after its purchase, Schmit has gotten reflective about the Expando double-wide mobile home trailer that his family upgraded to after his musician father settled down working at a club in Sacramento. After chasing the next gig with his family in tow, Schmit’s father finally put down roots when Timothy B. Schmit was roughly a tween. The brand new shiny trailer with the pop-out sides, nearly twice as big as their old home, was the place where Schmit was raised and bitten by the music bug.
Now, a worn classic advertisement for that trailer is blown up large and is mounted on the wall of Schmit’s studio- partly for inspiration, but also partly for reminding him of his roots and exactly where he came from. Expando is also the title for his latest solo album released this past month on Lost Highway Records.
The 9513 had an opportunity to sit down with the legend and talk trailers and tracks.
KEN MORTON, JR.- Let’s open up by looking back a bit. You got your start in music playing in a band called Tim, Tom & Ron in our hometown of Sacramento at Encina High School. Is that what brought you to music in the first place or was it before?
TIMOTHY B. SCHMIT- It was before. My father was a musician, that’s what he did for his livelihood. From before I was born, he played the club scene and standards of the day. They were a trio and did a little comedy. He was gone for the first part of my life a lot until I was about five years old. Then about that time, my parents sold our house down in the Bay Area (San Francisco) and moved into a trailer house. He pulled us around from town to town to wherever he was playing. He was probably my first real musical influence. From there, I started playing various instruments in early school. I sang in the chorus at school. I always took to the music thing.
KMJ- What kind of music was your dad playing in those days?
TBS- He was pretty active through the 50’s and early 60’s actually in the club scene. The club scene back in the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s was a lot of supper clubs. They would host a group for a week at a time. He was one of those groups that they would hire. It was really standards of the day. It was pre rock and roll actually. It was whatever was popular on the radio at the time. They weren’t songwriters, they’d just interpret the songs.
KMJ- Were you into his type of music back then or did you play the role of the rebellious teen and do your own thing musically?
TBS- It was the latter- a natural course of events where I would be interested in something else. But I never shunned what he was doing. I thought it was great. I was the only one in Sacramento where when they were filling out a form at school or something about what their parents did, they would write musician for my father. I was always really taken with it and he was always pretty magical in my eyes. I loved music and I’ve even purchased some of his old recordings that he did and I’ve transferred them to CD’s and gave them out as Christmas presents to significant people like family members. I’ve always been into all kinds of music. Anything I hear with my ears is really what influences me.
KMJ- That probably leads us to your newest project. You’ve got this brand new album called Expando that just came out this last month, before we talk about its content, explain the title.
TBS- I mentioned that I lived in a trailer house for most of my younger years- most of grade school and all of high school, really. Over the years, they kept upgrading our trailer house and when we started staying pretty solidly in Sacramento they got a big one and it was called an Expando. You could park it where you wanted to park it and it would literally expand out from 8 feet to 15 feet wide. That’s where the word came from. My first encounter with that word was this mobile home called The Expando. Later on, when I was making this record, I thought of that. My engineer friend and I started to look for it and do research on it. We found this old website and we found a brochure of this very same trailer house that I used to live in called The Expando. And I printed it out and I have it big on my wall here in my studio. When it came time to start to think about titles, I didn’t want to title the album any of the song titles. None of them seemed to quite get it. This word popped into my head and it seemed to sum it up pretty good. It’s such an autobiographical record anyways in many of the songs. I like the word and it’s different and it implies growing and expanding and I think that’s what I’ve done with this record. I think I’ve done on this record a bit. I think I’ve taken a big step in my songwriting and recording abilities.
KMJ- For someone that hasn’t heard the album yet, describe what they’ll hear.
TBS- For people that are familiar with my solo work, and even for those that aren’t, this is the best work I’ve done to date. It’s something I’ve done in my spare time with the time off with the Eagles. I’ve been really busy with the band for a long time. And we’re gearing up to go back out again after the first of the year- probably in the spring. For awhile, we’ve been working all the time, but have a month off here and there. That’s when I would write and record a little at a time. It’s the truest music I’ve done. I chose not collaborate with any other songwriters- even though I know plenty. I didn’t want to go down that path this time. I decided to do this all on my own just to see what would happen- no matter how long it took. And it did take awhile. I thought I would start everything with my roots which is kind of a type of folk music. I would come out to my studio on a regular basis and these songs kind of came together that way. I would figure out how I would want to treat them and then record them. I think it’s the truest representation of my music and partly me than anything I’ve done.
KMJ- Fans know you well for your work with the Eagles. How would you say your solo album is different from your stuff with the other guys?
TBS- I’d say it’s way different. Certainly there will be hint of that, because that’s what I do on a regular basis. I think it’s quirkier and at times, more raw than the Eagles. It’s looser than the
Eagles. It is two different types of things for me. In a group situation, you have parameters. In my case, it’s the Eagles. You stay somewhat in those parameters. People look expect certain things from the Eagles. They expect lots of harmony and melodic songs- and whatever else the Eagles might imply to the fan. When any of us go into the studio alone, we don’t have those parameters any longer. We can do whatever we want. I did a lot of experimenting. I didn’t do anything extreme, but I definitely wasn’t as careful as maybe the Eagles are.
KMJ- You have some special guests play with you on the album as well, don’t you?
TBS- When it came time for extra singing or extra instruments, I would literally sit down and think of who would be great on this or that. If I could have anybody, who would I choose? I would think of somebody and I would find out their info and I would get a hold of them. I would personally ask if them if they were available and if they’d do this. Luckily, the majority of the people I asked took me up on my offer. Some people I already knew, some people I didn’t. That’s how it happened. I did it all myself. I used management to get a few phone numbers, but I would do the legwork.
KMJ- Who are some of those people you felt important enough to ask?
TBS- One is a really great new friend who I didn’t know before I contacted him and he’s on the first song “One More Mile” and that’s Keb Mo. He’s a really terrific musician and a really sweet guy. He took my call right away and he came right out. I have the legendary Van Dyke Parks who is more known as a write and an arranger. He played accordion on some things. I had Benmont Tench from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers who did a lot of organ and keyboards for me. I had Garth Hudson from The Band- which is one of my favorite bands of all time. He was over here and did some organ on a song. I had Dwight Yoakam and Kid Rock on the same record. They’re both hard workers- in fact everyone was. On “White Boy,” my son Ben played drums and a little guitar. I have the Blind Boys of Alabama even on a song called “Secular Praise.” I ran into them on an elevator and got talking to them one night and that’s how that got started. And of course, Graham Nash, who is an old friend of mine. When I first wrote that song, “Parachute,” I figured out that I shouldn’t be in denial that it sounded like the Eagles. I decided just to not take it another way and have Graham sing harmony on that.
KMJ- Do you have a favorite track on the album?
TBS- Not really. Everything on here is on here for a reason. I don’t really have a favorite track- I’m happy with all of it.
KMJ- We mentioned your work with the Eagles a couple times. You guys finished an amazing 16 month international tour this summer, how was that experience overall?
TBS- It was great. We had a really good European run. And before that, we were doing most all of the states. It’s been an incredible experience for all of us. The fact that’s still alive and vibrant is amazing. The music still means a lot to a lot of people. We have a lot of people come experience it with us. I couldn’t have imagined that it would be going this strong at our ages. It’s still very exciting and pretty great. And now with some stuff that’s new in my life, it’s recharging me in another way too. It’s great to have the newness in my solo career and then the thing with the Eagles. I couldn’t really ask for anything more. I hear people around my age talking about
retirement and it’s just not something that is in my future. There’s no stop sign out there. And luckily, I don’t have to. I have a great job.
KMJ- The relationship dynamic between the group members has been well-documented, how is that today?
TBS- It’s really good. Basically, we all have our separate lives and our separate families. We come together and we work. And we work very hard. And when it comes to take breaks, we scatter. We don’t socialize all the much together outside of work. And that is okay, it doesn’t mean that anyone is having problems. It simply means that we have our own things going on. It just means that we’re not young and sharing a big house together. You know what I mean? The other three guys have young children that they’re raising. My youngest is 19 and in college. So things are really good. We have a really good work ethic. We come together to go to work.
KMJ- Will we be hearing new music again from the Eagles anytime in the future?
TBS- You know, that’s hard to say. It was pretty difficult to get out this last record. It took a long time. There’s a lot of elements to take into consideration. We’re a complicated group of people- including myself. I think we’ll just wait and see. My tendency is to say probably not. But I’m not so sure. I’ve learned to not make statements like that. So we’ll have to wait and see.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Timothy B. Schmit Plans New Solo Album Leap of Faith For September Release
Artist: Timothy B. Schmit
Album: Leap of Faith
Label: Benowen Records
Release date: September 23, 2016
Schmit, the Hall of Fame bass player from the legendary rock groups Eagles and Poco, will release a solo album, Leap of Faith, Friday, September 23 via Benowen Records. The project was recorded at his Los Angeles studio and co-produced with engineer Hank Linderman.
On his new album he goes further up the path he began to explore on his 2009 solo album Expando. "Again, I wanted to write this album on my own." Timothy further explains,"In any collaboration one has to make a series of compromises. That's not a bad thing, it's simply not what I've chosen to do with this project. I'm just putting it out there, and maybe some of these ideas might resonate with listeners."
For all their diversity, these songs are bound by a candor and craftsmanship that are rare in today's music. Schmit says: "I don't feel confined by any outside perceptions about what I do. I just try to pull songs out of the ethers and shape them as they come, whatever the genre."
"I hired Hank quite a few years ago to help me learn how to maneuver through my then-new demo studio. But as the studio grew I eventually chose to concentrate on my craft, so I put him in charge of the technical part, among other things. He is an excellent engineer, musician and singer."
"Over the last ten years or so, I've felt like I'm finally getting the hang what it is I do best," Schmit sums up with his knack for wry understatement. "Although this project took some time to complete, this is what I came up with... This is who I am. This is a Leap of Faith."
Album: Leap of Faith
Label: Benowen Records
Release date: September 23, 2016
Schmit, the Hall of Fame bass player from the legendary rock groups Eagles and Poco, will release a solo album, Leap of Faith, Friday, September 23 via Benowen Records. The project was recorded at his Los Angeles studio and co-produced with engineer Hank Linderman.
On his new album he goes further up the path he began to explore on his 2009 solo album Expando. "Again, I wanted to write this album on my own." Timothy further explains,"In any collaboration one has to make a series of compromises. That's not a bad thing, it's simply not what I've chosen to do with this project. I'm just putting it out there, and maybe some of these ideas might resonate with listeners."
For all their diversity, these songs are bound by a candor and craftsmanship that are rare in today's music. Schmit says: "I don't feel confined by any outside perceptions about what I do. I just try to pull songs out of the ethers and shape them as they come, whatever the genre."
"I hired Hank quite a few years ago to help me learn how to maneuver through my then-new demo studio. But as the studio grew I eventually chose to concentrate on my craft, so I put him in charge of the technical part, among other things. He is an excellent engineer, musician and singer."
"Over the last ten years or so, I've felt like I'm finally getting the hang what it is I do best," Schmit sums up with his knack for wry understatement. "Although this project took some time to complete, this is what I came up with... This is who I am. This is a Leap of Faith."
Monday, January 28, 2013
Cancer Scare Behind Him, Timothy B. Schmit Readies For Eagles Film Debut In February
Longtime Eagles member (and former Poco band member) Timothy B. Schmit just recently announced his fight and subsequent recovery from throat and neck cancer. His struggle with the disease was first made public in late-December by his assistant, Julie, who told fan site Timothy B Schmit On-Line that:
In October, Timothy was diagnosed with throat and neck cancer. He flew to New York right after the 11/17/12 Las Vegas show for surgery with a top surgeon. He was only in the hospital for three days.
The good news is that the surgery was successful and Timothy has received a clean bill of health. The final pathology report stated that he appears to be cancer free, both in his throat and neck. He does not need to have chemo or radiation. Now he just has to keep an eye on things every month for about a year to be sure it stays away, and then not so often.Last week, Schmit posted his own update and thank you on his website:
I’m way past due in expressing my sincere gratitude for the outpouring of get well wishes I’ve received over the last few weeks. They have come in various forms, like the great e-card that was signed by many, many people through the L & M’s Eagles Fastlane website, as well as all the touching cards I’ve received via snail mail. I very much appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers regarding my health. But, let me give you a brief update. Although my issues were disheartening, and I went through what the doctors called, “major surgery”, the truth is I was only bedridden during my three night stay in the hospital. I was up and about right after, starting with daily walks on the streets of Manhattan. After another week I received a clean bill of health and headed for home on the west coast. My voice is coming along nicely, and as many of you know, I was able to perform with the Eagles just before the new year. So … All is good. The brief synopsis is: I discovered a problem and took care of it; simple as that.
So, not to worry … I love my work, and plan on doing it for as long as possible. I’m chipping away at a new solo album, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you hear of more Eagles action in the near future.Schmit's recovery comes just in time to participate in the festivities surrounding the debut of a brand new film about The Eagles. Fans will be able to watch the official trailer for History of the Eagles – The Story of an American Band this next month. A two-night premiere event Fri 2/15 & Sat 2/16 8PM on cable television's Showtime will kick it off. Visit www.eaglesband.com for more details and updates. You can watch a preview of the movie HERE.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Thursday, November 19, 2009
An Interview With Timothy B. Schmit Of The Eagles Over On The 9513
In 1977, Timothy B. Schmit joined the Eagles after playing in the band Poco for nearly a decade, replacing Randy Meisner. To this day, Schmit continues to be part of the Eagles lineup along with Glenn Frey, Don Henley and Joe Walsh- and he's also a member of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a member of the band. This month, he has released a solo album of all original music called Expando (which we reviewed yesterday). I had a chance to sit down and talk about the new album and life on the road with the Eagles over at The 9513. A snippet of the interview is below but you can check out the balance of the interview HERE."I mentioned that I lived in a trailer house for most of my younger years–most of grade school and all of high school, really. Over the years, they kept upgrading our trailer house and when we started staying pretty solidly in Sacramento they got a big one and it was called an Expando. You could park it where you wanted to park it and it would literally expand out from 8 feet to 15 feet wide. That’s where the word came from. My first encounter with that word was this mobile home called The Expando. Later on, when I was making this record, I thought of that. My engineer friend and I started to look for it and do research on it. We found this old website and we found a brochure of this very same trailer house that I used to live in called The Expando. And I printed it out and I have it big on my wall here in my studio. When it came time to start to think about titles, I didn’t want to title the album any of the song titles. None of them seemed to quite get it. This word popped into my head and it seemed to sum it up pretty good. It’s such an autobiographical record anyways in many of the songs. I like the word and it’s different and it implies growing and expanding and I think that’s what I’ve done with this record."
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
CD Reviews- Timothy B. Schmit- Expando
The Background:Timothy B Schmit launched his solo career late - in 1984, after the Eagles disbanded and right in the thick of the era of shiny, synthesized production. Schmit released three solo albums, all big and glossy, between 1984 and 1991, then reunited with the Eagles in '94, so he never quite had a chance to record an album as relaxed and natural as 2009's Expando. Ditching all the sheen, but not professional panache, that lingered all the way to 2001's Feed The Fire, Schmit returns to his country and folk-rock roots here, creating a record that has a clear through line from his early days with Poco, bears echoes of early Crosby Stills & Nash - a resemblance underscored by Graham Nash's occasional guest harmonies and the howling harmonica on "A Good Day"
The Review:
With a little gospel, folk, country and rock and roll, Expando proves to be pure Americana. While it’s a little more mellow sound than traditional Eagles music, Timothy B. Schmit’s new album could be called relationships. He’s utilized great guest appearances that utilize and play to the guest’s strengths in nearly every case. On “One More Mile,” Keb Mo plays a beautiful slide dobro on this catchy little number about travelling down the road. “Parachute” is the most Eagles-ish song and features terrific harmony vocals with Graham Nash and lead guitar from Kenny Wayne Shepherd. On “Compassion” and “Ella Jean”, Schmit does his best John Fogerty And The Rangers impression and plays all the instruments including providing his own falsetto choruses. The best track on the album is his most autobiographical in “White Boy From Sacramento.” The song celebrates his non-funkiness including his youthful affection for Pat Boone, Pepsi Cola, the suburbs, flat tops and the Kingston Trio. It’s a fun upbeat track backed by an almost ragtime piano bounce and is a great reminder of how one of the biggest rock and roll legends in the world can celebrate his inner nerd with the rest of us. Dwight Yoakam and Kid Rock sing back-up on the R&B/Soul tinged tune “Downtime” about shutting down on the front porch and turning off the mind. And then there’s the great gospel themed song with Schmit and the Blind Boys Of Alabama called “Secular Praise” with it’s rising and soaring chorus of “Hallelujah.” While I’d wish for a couple more up-tempo songs to go along with “White Boy From Sacramento” to help fill out the album, it’s a great and fun listen- particularly for the Eagles fan uncertain to when they’ll hear new music from the band.
Sounds Like:
A softer more stripped down version of The Eagles
Track Highlights (suggested iPod adds):
One More Mile
Parachute
White Boy From Sacramento
Secular Praise
The Verdict:
Three And A Half Stars Out Of Five
Sunday, October 11, 2009
The Eagles’ Timothy B Schmit Readies Album For Release Next Week
Timothy B. Schmit is set to release Expando, his first solo album in eight years, on October 20, 2009 on Lost Highway Records. Written and produced by Schmit, Expando features some of Schmit’s most autobiographical and musically diverse solo work to date.Expando implies growing and expanding and I feel like that’s what the music on this album represents for me,” said Timothy B. Schmit. “I guess the word is a bit mysterious, but I’m trying out all these different things I’ve always wanted to do.”
Schmit recorded the album entirely at his home studio near Los Angeles and hand-picked the musicians who worked with him, including Keb’ Mo’, Graham Nash, Kid Rock, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, The Band’s Garth Hudson, Van Dyke Parks, Dwight Yoakam, The Heartbreakers’ Benmont Tench, and Timothy’s son, Ben. Hank Linderman, who recorded Schmit’s 2001 Feed The Fire, also engineered and performs on Expando.
Expando Track Listing:
1. One More Mile (Featuring Keb’ Mo’ on Slide Dobro)
2. Parachute (Featuring Kenny Wayne Shepherd on Lead Guitar, Benmont Tench on Organ, and Graham Nash on Background Vocals)
3. Friday Night (Featuring Garth Hudson on Organ and Van Dyke Parks on Accordion)
4. Ella Jean
5. White Boy From Sacramento (Featuring Benmont Tench on Electric Piano and Ben Schmit on Drums & Lead Guitar)
6. Compassion
7. Downtime (Featuring Kid Rock and Dwight Yoakam on Background Vocals)
8. Melancholy
9. I Don’t Mind (Featuring Van Dyke Parks on Accordion)
10. Secular Praise (Featuring Van Dyke Parks on Accordion, Benmont Tench on Organ, and The Blind Boys Of Alabama on Background Vocals)
11. A Good Day (Featuring Donna De Lory on Background Vocals)
“I feel like after all these years, I’m finally tapping into all that experience,” Schmit went on to say. “This time, I decided to do it all on my own. I come from a folk and early rock background, so that’s how I started every one of these songs - on acoustic guitar.”
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