Tim Carroll
Click to see tour schedule and visit
Tim Carroll’s myspace.com
page. It stands to prove that a good song
comes down to the writing. Tim Carroll
writes good songs. His songs are easy rolling narratives, which make way for
hook-laden six-stringing. That's why the unjustly left-at-the-altar Carroll
(jilted by Sire in the late '90s) still remains poised on the brink of big
things. A childhood in rural Indiana didn't
keep Carroll from succumbing to the fate of most college students, however,
when he wound up at Indiana University. He joined a punk band the Gizmos.
That band carried Tim to New York, released a 12" called Hoosier
Hysteria, and then went the way of most bands. Tim stuck around
though, and after a stint in an office on Wall Street, formed the Blue
Chieftains, a legendary New York bar-band that mixed country and rockabilly
and gave Tim "an excuse to play guitar." The Chieftains knocked out about 200
shows a year for 5 years, everything from a two-and-a-half year standing gig at
The Continental Divide to a show at Macys. But soon enough Tim felt the lure
of Nashville, the songwriter's Mecca in Tennessee. A vanishing publishing
deal in that town didn't stop folks like John Prine and Robbie Fulks from
using Tim's material, known for its witty realism as well as its
country-rockin' heft. Next up, a critically acclaimed album
for Sire Records generously outlined the ultimate music industry lesson; that
is, major labels don't know what to do with a good thing. The album lived in
limbo, never making it to retail, while the label floundered and failed.
Finally fed up, Tim seized the reins and released the album himself under the
none-too-subtle title Not For Sale. Another indie recording Free
Again, released in 1999, once again showoff his prolific writing and
endless gigging. Tim keeps busy as one of the most
sought after guitar player on the Nashville roots-rock scene. Recent
highlights include playing with 5 different acts at SXSW 2001, over 30
appearances at the Grand Ole Opry and guitar player for Nashville bad boy,
Lonesome Bob and Warner Nashville artist Elizabeth Cook. All these endeavors
have kept Tim's chops razor sharp and placed him firmly in the center of the
roots-rock / alt-country scene. With all his popularity, one would be
hard-pressed to open an issue of No Depression and not find Tim's name
somewhere within. And now… Tim graces Sideburn Records
with his new release Always Tomorrow. 14 stampeding tunes that
somehow marry the heart-broke soul of Roger Miller and Hank Williams with the
rock and roll attitude of Chuck Berry and The Ramones. The penultimate title
track, "Always Tomorrow", relaxed tone and all, brings things full
circle. An expertly written hopeful lament, it epitomizes the lessons learned
in Tim's life in the music business. For a musician with the indomitable
attitude and skills of Tim Carroll, the point is taken, if the industry
knocks you down, you get right back up and keep swinging, after all, there's
always tomorrow.
Click the album cover to listen to song
samples and purchase a copy of Always Tomorrow. |
