Mandolin Moments

By Reidar Falch

Mark Knopfler has described Tim O’Brien, "A master of American folk music, Irish music, Scottish music – it doesn't matter; a fine songwriter and one of my favorite singers.”

Tim O'Brien presents himself as a singer songwriter who works primarily in the Bluegrass marketplace, "I use mandolin, guitar, fiddle, and banjo to get at the songs, and they don't always sound like Bluegrass, but the flavor is closer to that than to other American roots genres."

Tim O'Brien

"I have enjoyed travel for a long time, but I have less drive to do it now. The wear and tear on a 56 year old system is harder than it used to be. But I've built an audience and the best way to get to them remains to travel. I try cutting back a little each year. What happens is something special comes along and gets me back out there," Tim says.

Hot Rize has recently toured America, 9 cities coast-to-coast in 11 days, "The tour was great. We had great attendance and we played some good music I think. Steve Martin had a party at his New York home in our honor. The last few times I've been in NYC a lot of other bluegrass musicians have been there too. Somebody (not me) is always doing a TV taping with Elvis Costello or Willy Nelson or some other T-Bone Burnette produced act. That day it was Stuart Duncan, Dennis Crouch, Jerry Douglas, and Mike Compton with Elvis. So the day of the party we had lunch with all those guys minus Mr. Costello."

Tim O'Brien

Tim wants to get off the road and write and produce more, "I feel like my time might be better served by making things that last. Plus, I've played a lot of places, and the road isn't as interesting as it used to be."

Tim has various projects in mind, "The first one is a family band recording. My sister Mollie, her husband Rich Moore, and their two daughters Brigid and Lucy, plus myself and my two sons Jackson and Joel. We played one festival together and it looks like we're doing a few again next summer. We're going to sing various songs of Roger Miller."

"I also want to write a cycle of songs about my hometown of Wheeling WV. Hot Rize is aiming to record. And I want to make a duet fiddle recording with Kevin Burke. Then there's another Irish themed project like The Crossing, but this time with John McCusker, Mike McGoldrick, Arty McGlynn. I'm gonna be busy!" he assures.

Hot Rize has a history since 1978, "It started when I was so young! We were all sort of in school together. Nick and I were a little younger than Charles and Pete and they had more experience, but really we learned a lot together - playing and singing technique, recording and live sound tech, songwriting, how to put on a show, how to run a business. Pete was a great manager of the business, keeping us interested by keeping us busy performing. We were always looking to the next trip, to the next recording, planning, learning, trying to get it right."

"It's a challenge now to refit ourselves back into the old roles. The muscle memory is there, but you have to train a little. I have to sing higher than I usually do, play harder (no pickups and less monitor sound) and faster than I usually do," he says.

Before the latest tour he had a refresher course on Hot Rize lyrics and arrangements, "I bought a new suit. Trying to respect it all, give it the best shot."

Tim O'Brien

"It's also hard to find new material. I need to write some of it and I think the other members are doing the same. But the band has such a defined sound, it can be hard to fit just anything in. We were just talking about aiming for next fall to record," Tim says.

Tim O'Brien - Photo by Claude Rouquette/Festival Mandolines de Lunel

Young mandolinists tend to mention Tim as an influence, "I'm flattered to be an influence. When I was young, I took from those before me - Sam Bush led me as a mondolinist to David Grisman to Bill Monroe, to Frank Wakefield and so on. Musicians stand on the shoulders of those that went before them."

Tim loosely quotes Doctor John, "I stole from Professor Longhair, from Alan Toussaint, from James Booker. Face it, your own shit ain't that good!"

"It's exciting to speculate where the current generation will take the music. It adapts to new times and technology, and to different perspectives, different views of the same raw materials," Tim says.

"There are many fine players. I like Dominic Leslie, who I've known since he was really small. He's coming up with a unique solo voice. Chris Thile is bringing new peaks to technique on the instrument, and he's writing wonderful music. But even he will tell you that there are younger players nipping at his heels. We're all just stepping stones on the path of tradition," Tim states.

Tim is a traveller, "Travel is a wonderful thing. It teaches you patience for one thing. I like to return to faraway places and revisit them the friends that I make there. And I like to learn some of the history and local customs, cuisine, and music. It makes life richer, and makes my job -which is traveling, not music, which I do for free - more interesting."

"Recently, at a festival in the west of Sweden at Saltögården, I stayed in a house with a traditional nyckelharpa band called Lyy and I marveled at the sound as they rehearsed. It was a great experience," Tim says.

This is important to Tim, "The thing is, we all live in the same world, we do similar things everywhere, but little differences between cultures are the charming details that provide color. Listening to music of other cultures, and other genres helps me reinvent the music I already play, and it helps me make something of interest to others."

Tim O'Brien - Photo by Maria Camillo

Tim thinks festivals are great fun, "I like being able to listen to the other performers, and sometimes even collaborate with them. The Canadian festivals like Edmonton and Winnipeg put you on stage with interesting combinations sometimes. Like one time it was Darrell Scott and myself, Paddy Keenan the piper, and David Lindley with Wally Ingram. We all just jammed with each other. Festivals are a clearing house of ideas fueled by fellowship."

Tim enjoys living in Nashville, "There are so many fine musicians and songwriters here, plus the studios, the record labels, the publishers, the booking agents, and more. Music sorta grows naturally here. There's a lot or people to collaborate with, and the infrastructure makes your effort count for more. One bonus is you aren't so lonesome on the road because you usually run into someone from Nashville while you're touring."

Tim O'Brien

Hot Rize