9/9/2004 12:00:00 AM
Musical Messenger by Beth Farnham
Musical messenger
Tim Reynolds' jam rocks crowd at Field House
Beth Farnham
Issue date: 9/9/04 Section: Style
It's amazing how one man and his instrument can awe a room.
Guitar guru Tim Reynolds performed a solo acoustic set in the field house Wednesday night. To a crowd of several hundred students, Reynolds strummed a variety of genres, from jazz to blues, modern rock to experimental.
Reynolds, who is best known for his collaborative efforts with Dave Matthews, has been in the music business for over two decades. He has contributed to almost 40 albums since 1984, including Matthew's hits "Under the Table and Dreaming", and "Crash". Reynolds has several of his own releases, including 2003's "Chaos View".
Influenced by many varieties of artists and styles over the years, Reynolds transitioned the mood throughout the performance. He opened with a combination of ambient sounds that, according to him, sounded more difficult than they really were.
"All I use is a volume pedal and a delay," he said.
Reynolds makes his guitar tell a musical story with background effects, similated percussion, and melody.
In between a mix of highly-orchestrated instrumentals, Reynolds would include a variety of vocals, from rustic, deep blues to spoken word. Soft spoken at first, as the night went on, Reynolds came out of his shell and gave the people what was on his mind.
Known for his political motivations, the guitarist sang about his dislike of the current world. Through hearty blue chords he sang, "We're governed by asses," and "The media's a weapon of mass destruction."
Reynolds also did covers of some of his influences, including Bob Marley, Led Zeppelin and the Beatles.
Despite the hustle and noise of the gymnasium setting, and people coming and leaving, hundreds of students sat on the floor with their mouths open, dazed by Reynold's fast fretwork and intelligent musical composition. While most were seated and mellow, several students danced along the sides of the stage. By the time his encore came around, everyone was standing near the stage, ready to dance and sing along. Comically, Reynolds came back on stage wearing a baseball catcher's mask, and performed John Lennon's "All You Need is Love".
Most concert-goers left completely happy and satisfied with the unbelievable performance. Erin Kennedy, a student who danced happily all night, commented on Reynold's covers.
"I'm all about the Bob Marley and John Lennon - now that's where it's at," she said.
Her friend Brad Witham was equally impressed. "I really like the use of the pedals. Normally I don't like stuff that's nonvocal, but this was really cool," he said.
Reynolds himself was happy with his performance. Sitting backstage, he sipped a soda and reflected on the experience.
"I looked at the gym at first and was a little afraid, but I just thought it was a really nice crowd. To have a night that intimate is great. I had a fun time playing here," he said.
Tim Reynolds is a perfectionist with fretwork and a genius with orchestration. He showed Wednesday night's crowd what it really means to be a 'guitarist'. With poignant chords, effects from outer space, and innovative rhythms, he proved himself an incredible artist.
FROM: The Maine Campus
http://media.www.mainecampus.com/media/storage/paper322/news/2004/09/09/Style/Musical.Messenger-714429.shtml