Friday, April 27, 2001
Collegian.com
Guitarist Tim Reynolds prefers simple performances without props
By Jennifer Slivka
Collegian Staff Writer
Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave. right before the sound check was almost completely devoid of human presence. The club was dark, not like it usually is at night when it's filled with concertgoers — but dusky, like an empty house.
Late day sunlight that peeked through the front door and upper-level windows was the only source of illumination, giving the club a sleepy atmosphere.
A man of small stature and altogether unassuming nature strolled into the Crowbar with his hands behind his back. He quietly absorbed the dark club surroundings and studied the pictures of musical acts on the walls like he was at a museum.
Later that night this quiet man, otherwise known as the 'guitar wizard' would have an attentive Crowbar crowd in the palm of his hand.
All Tim Reynolds needed was his guitar, and nothing else. Well maybe some floor pedals to add some experimental flavor to his solo acoustic performance, but that's it.
"I love the simplicity of it, but it's more of a challenge with no vocals and no props," Reynolds said. "If I don't do it, I'm taking the easy way out."
Reynolds knows what it is like to have those props, when his rock band TR3 would perform. According to Reynolds people had certain expectations from the band and it was harder to put everything together. It just wasn't generating enough business.
His solo tour however is generating enough business; therefore he has no plans in the near future for TR3. But he hopes eventually he will have enough money from his solo work to allow his to return to TR3.
But Reynolds really doesn't do it for the money. "For me, I can stretch this (acoustic performance) more," he said. "It's like meditation because you're physically there but not mentally."
Reynolds said that he often loses himself during long improvisations on stage, sometimes forgetting where he is. "If I start thinking about it, I'll get intimidated because of the surroundings," he said. "There's only microseconds of thought, but mostly nothing."
The current tour is in support of his recently released album Nomadic Wavelength, which Reynolds said is about trying to be an individual in society.
"This album has a lot of sonic experimentation with digital delays," Reynolds said. "It becomes electric even though it's acoustic."
He likens his new album more to his first solo acoustic album Stream because for half of the album he plays on a 12-string guitar, and the songwriting has "more interplay between time signatures."
Reynolds welcomes his fans to tape record his live performances because each performance is unique and he likes people to have access to his music.