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www.myspace.com/timgearan
Tim and his daughter were recently one of the families photographed by Kelly Davidson for her "Rock N Roll Parents" photo project. Visit her blog at http://etchedonfilm.blogspot.com/ to read more about her and the project. Tim spent his childhood years in New York, traveling back an forth from NYC to the suburbs. In Tim’s home growing up, there was always a guitar handy to hack around with, and so he was inspired to pick it up at a young age. Tim started to take his practice more seriously in his teen years by learning to sing and play like his heroes; The Beatles and The Stones, of course, and subsequently many of their influences (Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddly, Bob Dylan) to name just a few. For a long time after that, Tim was a real nose to the grind stone blues student. While learning the ins and outs of traditional blues, he always had one iron in the songwriting fire. By the time Tim was in his twenty’s he was playing for audiences and creating a style of his own. Since then he has made a living playing music in New Orleans, Los Angeles, Martha's Vineyard and has been in Boston since the 1980's. Around 1992, Tim began playing guitar with and writing songs for W.C. Handy nominee Toni Lynn Washington. During that time, Tim toured clubs and festivals in Europe and the U.S. The release of his debut cd, “Back Home” has allowed Tim to reveal his enormous creative range and delightfully understated song writing, exposing the emergence of a talent to watch. Along with playing his music for crowded rooms around Boston at venues such as Club Passim, Johnny D’s, the Regent Theater and others, Tim has enjoyed about a 10 year residency on Monday nights at TOAD in Porter Sq. Cambridge. Tim’s Monday night gig has been called “one of the premier hangs of the Boston music scene.” At the 2004 Boston Music awards, Tim bashfully received a Gibson Guitar “Unsung Hero Award” presented by long time supporter Billy Conway (Treat Her Right, Morphine). Tim's wide range of writing styles is a reflection of the music he loves to listen to, with influences ranging from Randy Newman, and J. J. Cale to Ray Charles and The Band. Comparisons have also been made to Doug Sahm, Guy Clarke and Chris Smither. Call it American music, rich in the traditions that have surrounded this talented songwriter. With a gifted cast of musicians, Tim has crafted a refreshing but familiar acoustic down-home feel that has been and will continue to connect with audiences for years. ![]() Quotes: The Boston Phoenix’s Ted Drozdowski on his visit to Monday night at TOAD: “When I arrived, there was a line outside waiting for local guitarist- songwriter Tim Gearan’s second set, but after a few minutes, I was let into the pub and bellied up as Gearan and his four musicians took the stage. From the first fat notes of Gearan’s slide guitar, it was obvious why he’s held down the Monday second shift for years. He seemed to play anything that popped into his head, from bluesman Fred McDowell’s spiritual “You Got To Move,” done up-tempo, to a funky original “There You Are” that segued into the Isley Brothers’ “It’s Your Thing.” His debut album, Back Home (Guernica), captures the subtler side of his original songwriting while showcasing a voice that evokes the dusty back-roads of the rural South. But at Toad on Monday nights, Gearan owns the place.” The Boston Globe’s Michael Saunder’s words about Tim: “He’s been playing since four days short of forever on a guitar discovered under a Mississippi Delta levee, still warm from the hands of the old bluesman who buried it there just before the Big War. We’d like this legend to be true of blues guitarist Tim Gearan, but it;s enough to say Gearan’s slide tones are legendary around these parts.....” Boston Globe review of Session Americana: Tim Gearan, whose Gram- Parsons-like “Touble Wheels was a recent showstopper. It’s a great way to wind down a weekend.” Mark Wilmot (of Used Sound/ disc review in Metronome) "It won't be long before this powerful performer will be recognized not only for his guitar work and elegantly gravelly singing, but also for his extraordinary song writing that transcends labels." Scott McLellan (Worcester Telegram and Gazette) "His songs display a warmth and human touch in tone, but at the same time, tell convincing stories about people with less than fairy-tale lives. He balances humor and sorrow and sells the goods with a backing band that knows when to let songs simply breathe."
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