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Under-the-Lights

Guitarist

As with most aspiring musicians, this local guitarist began very humbly…”…I saved for my first guitar and bought a Mexican made Strat at a Boxing Day sale.  I actually still have it.  It’s a great guitar.  Besides changing the pickups, I’ve done nothing to it.  It sounds dynamite!”  And so does he, oh!  who exactly is he? 

Mr. Tim Holman, an extraordinary guitarist that you may well have seen on area stages, as the lead guitarist for Kevin Foley’s “Forever Young” tribute band.  His teaming up with Kevin is also unique…” As I assume most musicians do at one time or another in their careers, I paid the bills by teaching.  Now, one of my students, Kevin Foley, had been given a gift certificate for four free lessons and wouldn't you know it, he wanted to learn as many Neil Young songs as he could.  So the lessons came and went and I never thought another thing of it until I got a call from Kevin asking me to play lead in a Neil Young tribute band.  I signed on and had so much fun that I continued.”  Now, Tim is a dedicated musician, one that has been playing guitar for over eighteen years, and you can tell just by talking with him he is very passionate about his craft.  He not only plays well, but he is deeply affected by the music that he plays…“Neil Young music is also quite freeing as his rock stuff is very much jam material.  I probably bring a very decided edge to the show but I try to remain true to what I'm feeling and consequently I feel like I am remaining true to the music.”  As you can see, staying true to the music is all important for this young aspiring musician!  Tim is not satisfied with just playing, no he must push that envelope—constantly practicing and elevating his abilities:  “I have always been attracted to very technical guitar playing or "guitar gymnastics" as some say.  This suits me well as I absolutely love to practice.  I really get a thrill from starting the metronome and working a new lick up to speed.  I've been known to almost wear holes through my fretboard as I incessantly noodle away!”

Have I mentioned Tim is very humble?  He is, as I’ve just recently met Tim and had a very enjoyable conversation with him in a social setting—both Tim & Kevin attended a relaxed musical get-together set-up by the Karroll family, and both had opportunity to perform acoustically around a good old fashioned camp fire!  Of course if you were out walking about that night, in the area, you would have sworn you heard Neil Young himself singing!  Kevin’s voice is that pure…and the guitar sounds?—pristine and crystal clear.  It was after the two’s performance and with much prodding from me that it was revealed the Tim has a distinct different style of playing that one can say is his first love.  “I first grew interested in learning the guitar through such bands as Guns N’ Roses, Metallica and Megadeth and indeed, my early playing and composition idolizes these bands and other ‘80’s metal.”  Tim continues…”However, after a little maturation, beyond a doubt the players who have influenced the sound of my playing the most are Michael Angelo Batio, Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani.”  Wow!, these three are some of the top Progressive musicians around!!  Then Tim, Kevin and I got talking about what musicians talk about—our aspirations, whether we have some original material and on and on…and Tim does!  And it is amazing!

Tim is also a sought after session guitarist…”Practice is also what gave me a start as a session musician.  I was recognized for my lead capabilities and have thus, been attempting to spray burning guitar over everything that a producer will let me get away with.  In contrast, working on my own solo material is so freeing because I can play as unrestrained as I like.”  So, wanna hear just what Tim is talking about?  You can discover his fine talents here at:  www.reverbnation.com/timholman and prepare yourselves for being amazed!

   I needed to ask Tim about the way he writes, as his pieces are so complicated…. could you describe the creative process that comes over you when you write?

“…songwriting is a very artistic and creative process.  Once a song is written and completed, it seems so simple, as if it just flowed and was always there to begin with.  However, there is often a lot of labor that goes into song creation.  Getting an initial spark of inspiration is the key to fueling the imagination and keeping the composition afloat.  I find that focusing on an emotion helps immensely and I continually ask myself, “What am I trying to say?  Does this section say what I mean?”  One little trick that sparks my imagination is having a good song title to work with.  I’m always writing down titles.  I have a little notebook that I record them in and when it’s time to write I skim through the list and ask, “Which title fuels me today?”

As with most talented musicians, Tim is ready to go to that next level…ready to move forward…” I want nothing more than to hit the road with my music and play live….I want to play proper shows to an appreciative audience, and to this end my dream has always revolved around theatres.  To pull this kind of a show off, I will need a serious band with serious players.”  And no doubt he will discover those players, if he hasn’t already!  One thing I said to Tim after I listened to some of his demos was…when listening to your material, I envision you in front of a full-fledged orchestra!  Any aspirations to that type of situation…say a one-off showcase?  “Honestly, I have never thought of doing that sort of a show, but it is a viable thought.  I would have to think of how to attack that.  It was all the rage for a while a few years back.  I know that many rock/metal acts including Metallica and the Scorpions were performing with orchestras.  If I was to do a show with an orchestra, I would compose the concert specifically with that goal in mind and I would capture it on film as a never to be repeated occurrence.”

--Hopefully, for us music lovers, this will happen for Tim, and we can watch as his music career continues to blossom!

  I want to thank him for this opportunity of chatting and letting me discover some truly inspired music!  Please check out his site and keep checking back here as I continue to put Extraordinary Talent “Under The Lights”


Under The Lights
Upcoming Club/Concert Highlights:

The Blue Gator: Linus:  Sept. 17th  The Goods:  Sept. 18th & 19th   Zamboni Brothers:  Sept. 24th & 25th 26th

Doc Willoughby’s:  Northern Coast Band:   Sept. 18th   Big John Bates:  Sept. 19th   Andrew Judah:  Sept. 25th   Open Air:  Sept. 26th

 Dream Café:  Ron Sexsmith:   Sept. 24th

Fernando’s Pub:  Honest Woods:  Sept. 17th   Michael Averill:  Sept. 18th  The Pick Brothers:  Sept. 19th  The Karpinka Brothers:  Sept. 24th   The Decoys:  Sept. 25th

Minstrel Café:  Kirby Sewell Band:  Sept. 17th  Paul Byrne Trio:  Sept. 23rd 

The Naked Pig (Vernon):  Local talent highlighted every Sunday Afternoon!!

O’Flannigan’s Pub:   (every Tuesday it’s a Local Talent Night!)  Rockaholicks:  Sept. 18th & 19th            Linus:  Sept. 25th & 26th

Whiski-Jack’s:   Hank Stallion:  Sept. 18th & 19th   Rumble 100:  Sept. 25th &  26th

Notable Concerts:   

Prospera  Place:  Dean Brody/Paul Brandt:  September 26th  Bare Naked Ladies:  October 25th  Shania Twain:  October 27th   Three Days Grace:  November 24th

South Okanagan Events Centre:   The Tenors:   October 3rd  Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band-(featuring Todd Rundgren, Steve Lukather, Gregg Rolie plus others!!)   October 10th 

Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre:  The Tea Party:   September 29th

   …if you have a musical story or news and would like me to write something… drop me a line at:  [email protected]  and let’s celebrate Kelowna’s rich and varied music community together!!.....

 

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.



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About the Author

We call him the Professor of Rock: With a career in music, television and media arts spanning 30 years, Atkinson knows music. He's traveled as a professional musician and he loves Rock 'N Roll. He is a music journalist who writes internationally for Frontier Records' Melodic Rock magazine and he owns FBA International a multifaceted management, consulting, promotional entity.



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The views expressed are strictly those of the author and not necessarily those of Castanet. Castanet does not warrant the contents.

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