Who is Tim Reynolds?
The quick answer is that he is the guy who played guitar with Dave Matthews. Reynolds played with the Dave Matthews Band on all its albums except the most recent recording, “Everyday.” He also played exclusively with Matthews on the “Live at Luther College” album, which lead to a subsequent tour for the duo. The two appeared together in a similar setting on VH1’s “Storytellers.”
Pieter VandenBerge is one of Reynolds’s fans won over from the Dave Matthews days. His only encounter with Reynolds’s original music is from a solo track on “Luther College” called “Stream,” but VandenBerge was excited to learn that Reynolds was coming to town.
“(The song is) kind of alien-jazz,” he said. “But I really don’t know the Tim Reynolds style, and that’s why I want to go see him.”
Reynolds began playing music with a bass guitar in the church band, but by the age of 18 he was out of the house and exploring the jazz and rock of the late ’60s. Those who know Reynolds from his acoustic Dave Matthews affiliation may not know of TR3, which is the rock group he formed, or his solo albums which indulge his more eclectic tastes.
Reynolds’s style is a combination of acoustic tradition and electric technology. On the new album, “Nomadic Wavelength,” which Reynolds is touring to promote, he began experimenting heavily with samples and looping machines with his 12-string guitar to enhance his sound.
“It’s something that I’ve never done before, and I really like having fun with it,” he said. “I have cloned myself in my samples.”
This tour marks a return to acoustic performance for Reynolds. After finishing the acoustic tour with Matthews, Reynolds put a band together, picked up his electric guitar and embarked on a tour across the states.
Before the acoustic stuff, “people used to say ‘Yeah, that’s Tim. He likes to get up on the ropes and do crazy shit,’” Reynolds said. “I was out humping my guitar all across the country.”
Reynolds confessed that the tour was very self-indulgent and was facilitated with the profits of the “Luther College” album and tour.
“When I was out making money with Dave, I just wanted to go out and have fun,” he said.
Reynolds was not rebelling in anger, he was just doing what was enjoyable at the time. After a break from the acoustic scene, he realized that not only was there a public interest for him to do it, but he had gotten the passion back.
“The acoustic guitar is a more focused thing,” he said. “I neurotically practice and over-practice.”
Even with his technological companions, Reynolds is alone on stage during this tour, so he spends time with his songs to ensure they will come off well. He said he likes to keep improvisation to a tolerable level with structured songs, knowing that he can get lost in it and then lose the audience.
“Improvisation is like meditating,” Reynolds said.
Before shows, Reynolds said he doesn’t get nervous, he just goes blank and gathers energy. If he pulls into a town with enough leisure time, he just takes walks outdoors.
“(Performing solo) suits my personality,” he said. “I like to be alone a lot of the time.”
For a while, that tendency made Reynolds gravitate toward small venues and college areas. But while such places are frequent stops on his tours, Reynolds said, “I realized that small clubs can be just as scary (as big clubs) if there’s drunk people all up in your face.”