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Thursday, October 30, 2008
High Country Press by David Brewer

Tim Reynolds is NOT Just That Dave Matthews Guy

Virtuoso Guitarist Plays Canyons with Band TR3 November 9

Story by:
David Brewer
Staff Writer
High Country Press
brewer@highcountrypress.com

High Country music fans will undoubtedly remember Tim Reynolds from his last performance in the High Country. In 2003, he plied his considerable acoustic guitar skills alongside singer-songwriter and all-around rock star Dave Matthews at the sold-out Holmes Center. On this trip however, it’s all about Tim.

On Sunday, November 9, Tim Reynolds, along with the current members of his long-running band TR3—bassist Mick Vaughn and drummer Dan Martier—will take the stage at Canyons in Blowing Rock. Local band Do It To Julia will open the show.

TR3 dishes out a steady diet of progressive, funk-infused rock including a number of Reynolds originals and eclectic covers from artists as diverse as James Brown, Prince, Led Zeppelin, Pat Metheny and Wayne Shorter.

Fully capable of peeling off lightning fast runs up and down the neck of the guitar, Reynolds’ style encompasses more than just speed shredding. His melodic and rhythmic sensibilities set him apart and imbue his music with equal amounts of soul and technical brilliance.

Born in Germany and moving frequently, Reynolds has been playing music since childhood, getting his first performance experience at age 12 as a bass player in a gospel band while growing up in St. Louis. Tiring of the constraints of imposed conservatism, he secretly plunged into jazz and “forbidden” late ‘60s and early ‘70s psychedelic rock.

At age 18, he left home to join a group of experimental musicians. After absorbing much from them and the dozen other bands (from disco to country) that followed, he eventually settled in Charlottesville, Va., where he founded TR3, became an integral part of the music scene and remained for 17 years. Through the town’s tight-knit music scene, Reynolds eventually connected with Dave Matthews.

Since the band’s inception and through it’s revolving cast of characters, TR3 has provided Reynolds an environment where he could explore his art, with impromptu performances on sitar, solo jazz guitar, solo djembe, twelve string guitar, violin and mandolin.

“Stylistic openness is the common denominator,” said Reynolds. “[TR3 has] always been its own kind of animal.”

After living in New Mexico for the last eight years, Reynolds recently relocated to North Carolina’s Outer Banks, where he ran across Martier and Vaughn—two seasoned local players who formed the new version of TR3.

“They’ve been playing together for a long time,” said Reynolds. “We just kind of hit it off when I moved here and it turned out really good. We’re just kind of feeling out how the band works together.”

After the three talented players’ chance meeting, the newly minted trio convened a few rehearsals and several stealth appearances around the North Carolina shore. Reynolds quickly realized it was time to get back to the basics of rocking out.

“The way that they play is really consistent and really solid. I think this band plays the songs how they are and does less jamming around, even though there’s still a lot of improvisation in the show,” said Reynolds. “It’s still really fresh and I see that there’s a lot of things we can do. There are a lot of places we can go.”

As for the future of the band, Reynolds isn’t one to put all his eggs in one basket. With multiple projects requiring his attention, he’s content to go with the flow and enjoy the ride while it lasts.

“I never really have super long-term goals other than to keep playing music,” said Reynolds.

Tickets to TR3 are $15 and are on sale now at Canyons. The show will start at 9:00 p.m. For more info, call 828-295-7661 or click to www.canyonsbr.com

http://www.highcountrypress.com/weekly/2008/10-30-08/tim_reynolds.htm