Wednesday, November 20, 2002
Tampa Tribune
Tim Reynolds
Matthews' Friend Doing "Solo Thing'
By Curtis Ross of The Tampa Tribune
Published: November 20, 2002
Guitarist Tim Reynolds has "always kind of done a solo thing."
He's alone on stage for his current tour, with his guitar, keyboards, drum machines and samples making "a lot of noise," Reynolds says, and taking the place of a band.
But it's his collaborations with a friend which have given him far greater name recognition.
Reynolds has been a frequent contributor to live shows and recordings by the Dave Matthews Band. "Live at Luther College," a 1999 double-disc live set, features the acoustic duo of Matthews and Reynolds.
It's not unusual for the uninformed to attend Reynolds' gigs expecting a vibe like that at a Matthews show.
They're in for a surprise.
"That's why we go to great pains to get press that describes it in accurate terms," Reynolds says by cell phone, traveling in a van from Georgia to Florida.
So let it be known that while Reynolds' music doesn't lack for grooves, it draws from, among other things, his background in jazz, his use of electronics and his love of darker, heavier music.
Of late, Reynolds has been absorbing the metallic sonics of bands such as Mudvayne and Meshuggah.
"I got into harder rock because I was doing a lot of nighttime driving," says Reynolds, "just finding what would keep you awake."
"Different styles of music get invigorated over the years," Reynolds says. "In the early '70s there was really good, serious progressive rock and then it all got watered down. Then jazz-fusion became interesting for a while."
Reynolds grew up in a strict, religious household. His first playing experience took place in church.
"I only played in the church because I couldn't play anywhere else," Reynolds says. "I did it until I graduated from high school and then I ran away and did what I wanted to do."
Reynolds played in numerous groups, performing music that ranged from experimental to disco to country. Even on his own, he's fond of bouncing from style to style.
Reynolds says has played "a lot of different styles and when I get tired of one I just go to the next for the different challenge."
The solo setup allows plenty of room for improvisation but Reynolds isn't a one-man jam band.
"It's very arranged," Reynolds says. "It's definitely songs and arrangements. There's improvising inside of that but it's not like a jam band thing at all, like Nine Inch Nails."
"But there's also reggae and funk," Reynolds says. "It covers a lot of different areas. To me it's just all music. The styles to me are just different ways to order basic structures of a song."