Much to the
excitement of Prog fans worldwide, keyboardist Tim Morse will be
releasing his 3rd album “Tim Morse III” featuring songs about spiritual
epiphanies, longing, friendship and loss. The original idea for Tim's
third album was that it would be a completely solo project where he
would play all the instruments and sing all the vocals. However, even at
the demo stage he missed the input of others, and decided to bring in
some of his favorite musicians for cameo appearances (mostly drummers
and guitarists).
Says Tim, “I'm not really a multi-instrumentalist - I'm a pianist
and guitarist. By extension I play other keyboards, bass and a little
bit of percussion. Anyone can play drums as good as I can! You can hear
me play everything on one song 'The Marquis' and I play most of the
instruments on 'My Ally' and 'Talisman' as well.
“It was very important to me to get to the 'emotional core' of the
songs on this recording and so I looked for ways to eliminate some of
the fiddling about - don't get me wrong, this is still a progressive
rock album - but I wanted to make sure the message was clear. My work
with The Mangoes and the music of some of my favorite recording artists
like Field Music and Kevin Gilbert influenced this approach. Also, I
knew from the start that there would be a vinyl release and so that was
an exciting aspect of the project. It's been a dream of mine since I was
thirteen to release a vinyl album of my original music and it's finally
coming true! I'm very proud of the songwriting on 'III,' I definitely
feel that it features some of my best work.”
When the writing was finished Tim decided that it was essential to
record on as much vintage gear as possible - Hammond organ, Fender
Rhodes electric piano, Mini-Moog, and Mellotron samples. He spent a day
at the Oakland Vintage Synthesizer Museum tracking songs with all kinds
of analog synthesizer goodness (including the mighty Moog Taurus Bass
pedals).
Says Tim, “On this recording I wanted to find the right balance
between structure and improvisation. Of course, all of my solos were
improvised (most of them are first takes done on the original demos),
but even parts that might seem structured were done one pass on the fly.
I believe that adds a vital feel to the music. I also kept a lot of
scratch tracks where some precision may be sacrificed because the feel
of the music was right.”
Most of the recording was done in Tim's home studio (and others
contributed parts from their project studios). However, he did track
drums at Andrew Glasmacher's Studio 12 West in Utah over a few days.
Also, all of the lead vocals were recorded at Paradise Studios with
Craig Long. Craig is a mini-local legend in northern California, having
worked with multi-platinum acts like Cake, Tesla, Bobby Brown, Tony,
Toni, Tone! and many others. Tim wanted his expertise for the vocal
sessions and Craig also made important contributions to the mix and did
the final mastering of “Tim Morse III.”
Tim Morse began
his instrument instruction at a young age and started composing
immediately upon picking up the guitar. He later moved onto the piano
and studied as a music composition major, writing extended pieces such
as a string quartet and two piano sonatas. During this time Tim
performed with various rock and fusion bands and played on many
recording sessions. Tim's first album of original music was entitled
“Transformation” and was released in 2005. The album was well received
by the Progressive Rock community and recognized as an original voice,
in the tradition of Yes and Genesis, yet recorded and performed with a
modern edge.
His second album “Faithscience” was released in 2012 and musically
it picked up where “Transformation” left off, continuing to explore the
best of Progressive Rock. In addition to this release Tim became a
member of the Jerry Jennings band and formed The Mangoes with Bret
Bingham. The Mangoes released their debut album in 2014 and it was
embraced for its pop sensibility and quirky humor.
Tim Morse is also a published author and his book “Yesstories” has
sold over 20,000 copies worldwide. His book “Classic Rock Stories” was
published by the St. Martin's Press and was featured on the Howard Stern
show. He has also written for music magazines over the years including
Mix, Guitar World, Keyboard and Bass Player.
“Tim Morse III” will be released on CD and digital download on October 22, 2018 by Cymbalick Music. There will be a limited edition vinyl LP release of
the album in January 2019. Plans for live performances in support of
the new album release are in the works.
In closing Tim has this message for listeners: “I'm always grateful
when anyone takes the time to listen to my music, whether they loved it
or were critical of it. In this modern age of endless distractions it is
a lovely thing when someone will truly listen to music.”
Official website: http://timmorse.com/
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