Tim Dillinger "The Muse" Interview
Monday, October 02, 2006
Shelia Goss: How long have you been singing?
Tim Dillinger: Literally since I was in the crib. I sang for the first time publicly in church when I was two or three and have had a microphone in my hand ever since. My early influences were the contemporary gospel pioneers: Andrae Crouch, The Hawkins Family and Reba Rambo. My family was very religious, so I had to sneak to hear secular music...I was in love with the music of Marvin Gaye, Rick James, Teena Marie, Chaka Khan...All of those influences started shaping me early...so by the time I was 13 I had this really big voice that people didn't expect. I sang in churches and coffeeshops all through my teens and then started doing dates with Grammy Award nominated gospel artist Beverly Crawford and that's how my professional career began.
Shelia: Tell me about your CD.
Tim: This CD was born out of so much...It's the story of my coming of age...Finding my authentic self...being willing to speak my own truth regardless of the consequences and as an artist, making the kind of album I wanted to make without commercial concerns. Most of the songs began as poems and I reshaped them to the structure of a song in the vocal booth to the very rough tracks. We took the basic tracks and built out and added a lot of live instrumentation: Strings, horns, flutes, piano, organ...so that it has a very strong live feel. Then special guests like gospel legend Daryl Coley, Frank McComb, the King of Underground Soul and some of my friends from the Nashville theatre scene came in and added their touches. I added spoken word pieces as bridges to help tell the story...and I'm so, so proud of the final result.
Shelia: What can listeners expect when they hear your music?
Tim: Something heartfelt...Something that creeps inside and unleashes a gamut of emotions...Something spiritual, sensual, honest and pure. I hope that the are "struck by the poetry", as one of my favorite writers once said.
Shelia: What makes your CD different than some of the others in your genre?
Tim: I think the intensity of the album, both lyrically and vocally, sets it apart...as well as the focus on artistry versus commercial appeal. We just had the release party on Friday and I've gotten emails from people telling me that they can't stop playing it...that it's entrancing to them, which is an incredible compliment. Critics have said that the content makes it stand out...I wish that R&B as a whole would be less concerned with the whole mainstream game and return to it's roots...People like Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Minnie Riperton, Teena Marie...who made a very spiritual and ethereal music that was poetic, political, spiritual, sexual...and served a real purpose...and provoked the listener to thought. We've got enough cotton candy...It's time to return with some depth...
Besides singing, what's something you enjoy doing?
Reading is one of my favorite hobbies...I love watching old sitcoms and movies...Going out with friends for a good meal...catching a great live show...
Shelia: How can readers get a copy of your CD?
Tim: The CD is available at amazon.com, cdbaby.com and timdillinger.com!
