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About Tim Lawson
The Life, Times and Today of Tim Lawson
In 2004 Tim Lawson and his band released
their 7th studio album enititled So Many Stories. B.C.- based singer/songwriter
Tim Lawson has plenty of his own to tell. The possessor of a
keen and inquiring intellect, this well-traveled troubadour is also an eloquent
teller of the stories of others. This ability has helped earn Tim a devoted
audience in Canada and Europe, and it is shown once more on this superb fifth
album
There is no shortage of stories around if
you start talking to people, says Lawson. It is just amazing, the stories they
have. I'm lucky to be a person with a microphone, but so many other people have
stories worth hearing. As Tim sings on the album's title track, Painting with
words, melodies like songs, So many stories, old and new.
His own story is a fascinating one. Lawson
was a successful businessman and entrepreneur before deciding to pursue his
lifelong passion, music. He had first picked up a guitar at age ten, after
falling in love with the music of the Beatles, still a key inspiration. "When I
returned to music, I was totally committed to trying to recapture that spark,
that energy, I had felt when I was playing music years ago."
Lawson never tackles anything
halfheartedly. The release of his debut CD, The Quiet
Canadian in 1997 signaled the arrival of a major new musical
talent. Tim's highly literate yet always accessible songs were perfectly
complemented by his warmingly mellow and melodic voice and the stellar
musicianship of a band comprising some of British Columbias very best
players.
His sophomore 1999 release, The Right Way
On helped Lawson establish a following in Europe. And in 2000,
Lest We Forget, a collection of songs around the theme of Remembrance, was
designated to help raise money for The Royal Canadian Legion's Poppy Fund by
donating five dollars from every sale.
2002 saw two new albums.
Please No
Talking demonstrated Lawson's continued growth as an artist, and
elicited more rapturous reviews. Irish journalist Lee Mac wrote that Lawson is
a poet, songwriter, singer, a man with a message and the lyrics to make it
happen. The Sunday World Eddie Rowley praised a passion that sweeps the
listener along, and concert dates in Europe were received with equal fervor.
Lest We Forget II continued the Remembrance theme with profits
to the Royal Canadian Legion. As mentioned, In 2004 Tim and the band released
So Many Stories to much critical acclaim. The album has also helped broaden
awareness, and to raise more than $50,000 for HIV/AIDS in Africa. 2005 saw the
release of the latest TLB album, At A Loss For Words. The
lyrical and musical strengths of his earlier work are both duplicated and built
upon on this, his strongest work to date.
The sterling contributions of his musical
comrades are recognized by the last three records bearing the name of
˜The Tim Lawson Band. It's not about ego, explains Tim.
It's about credit where credit is due, and to recognize that Chip [keyboardist
Richard Sera], Ray [Harvey, guitarist], and the other band members are integral
to The Tim Lawson Band. The others are: guitarist Lee Smith, harmonica
player Keith Bennett, drummer Ronnie Baran, and bassist John Dryden. They have
all graced Tim's earlier records, and their musical empathy shines through the
grooves.
Sera and Harvey are credited as
co-producers with Lawson, and Tim describes their input as invaluable. They
work in our studio on an ongoing basis. We work on a song as a team, trying to
hear the possibilities. I refer to it as musical brainstorming. We are able to
take ideas and put them on the table. It doesn't matter if they're silly ideas,
they may spawn brilliant ideas. Tim explains, the process of recording music
has never been easier, but I like the idea of "no challenge, no fun." If
you give yourself an Olympic-sized challenge and can execute the high dive,
then you have something you can take pride in accomplishing. I love that
exploration, when you are in the moment, listening to a part presented in a
certain way, or a certain effect being put in.
We then see if we miss it if it's gone. We
joke here that we want to host the annual Ismore awards, named in honor of Les!
The results of that process are audible on At A Loss For Words. The Tim Lawson
Band comprises seven musicians, plus the backing vocals of Saffron and Camille
Henderson, but their sound is never cluttered or over-produced. The focus
remains on the voice and the lyrics but the inventive arrangements and
ever-crisp musicianship certainly enhance both.
Lawson's approach to songwriting is
spontaneous and unforced, another secret to his creative success. "Often I will
just be sitting at the kitchen table and I will find a couple of lines in a
half hour. Over the course of a week, maybe the song will come through.
Sometimes I'll just leave it, as I have faith it will come on its own. If it
feels right after repeated singing, then I figure we are going down the right
track. We are following the song's lead, as opposed to trying to impose
something on it."
There are certain recurring themes in Tim's
material, such as his deep love for his wife Karola, one he has explored in
many facets. He also moves from the personal to the universal with ease,
showing real courage in tackling such global subjects as the war on AIDS, via
the powerful closing song, Why Me, the destruction of the rainforest, and the
need for Remembrance of those who have fought for our freedoms. Lawson also
profiles people whose lives well lived can serve as an inspiration to the rest
of us.
A towering figure in Tim's life was
Sir
William Stephenson, also known as The Man Called Intrepid. This
wartime hero turned humanitarian was the subject of the title song of The Quiet
Canadian, and the Lawson-owned publishing company Timberholme Books scored a
best-seller with their work, The True Intrepid: Sir William Stephenson and the
Unknown Agents. Another example is that of Lady Di, depicted eloquently in the
So Many Stories track, Barefoot Princess.
The purchase of Tim Lawson albums should
not be viewed as totally altruistic acts, however. The genuine listening
pleasures they provide surely ensures that. This is a man of So Many
Stories and his compelling recordings definitely merit your close
attention.
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