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Boston's Tim Blane plans on releasing an EP online next month — for free. It's a move Blane hopes will interest listeners to pass copies to friendsand give his band some needed exposure.
"These days, the actual recordings are more like a promotional tool for the band; like any kind of ad you'd put out," says Blane. "So if someone listens to it and likes it, maybe they'll come check us out (at a live show)."
The singer/songwriter is hoping to have the album available online before his band plays at the East End Music Festival on Friday, July 10. "We're excited to get back to Rochester, it's randomly become a home away from home for us (trumpet player Matt Owens is a Rochester native)," he says. "And I'm looking forward to a Garbage Plate!"
We recently had a chance to speak with Blane about writing songs, recording in a barn and working with Apple.
Are you still recording your upcoming EP?
We're done. I recorded it down in Virginia on the producer's farm and he has this barn that he converted into a really nice recording studio, with the whole upstairs as a living quarters for the band. I was able to bring my entire band down for basically a week of recording. It is a really cool way to do it.
When and how do you write songs?
In my apartment, for the most part. Occasionally, I'll get ideas if I'm driving and I'll just pick up my phone and try to sing into my phone a little bit and record that, then try to recreate it when I get home ... I definitely write about family and friends and girlfriends and all that stuff, the traditional things. But one thing I also try to do is focus on a specific moment or a fleeting emotion — just a very small moment in time and then see if I can write an entire song about that.
You currently finished a project with Apple, becoming the new face of the program GarageBand. How was that experience?
It's been really cool to walk into an Apple store and see myself on the computers there; it's been pretty fun. It's cool and frankly it's nice that it's a program where people are learning actual instruments. Rock Band and those games are cool or whatever, but I don't think it's going to actually teach anyone how to play music.
What is your live show like?
We certainly try to put on a fun show; we're pretty light-hearted, we're not intense rockers. We basically make sure the audience — whatever they've been doing for their day job or whatever's on their minds — our goal is to say 'Hey, spend an hour with us and you won't think about whatever you've got going on.' And the hope is when they leave they have some of the songs in their head.
