The Tim William Music Show

Daily News > – Feb 17, 2009 – by Eavvon O'Neal

“Do ya’ll know how to fuckin party?” screamed Tim William, to the crowd at the Kidz In The Hall album release party. High end syths spilling out of his Roland Phantom X6, and splattering onto an unreceptive audience. The rise of an artist is never easy, and while this outing was rather mild, Tim’s efforts won’t go for naught.

Tim William, is a Queens Borough native with insurmountable talent. While just getting his start while in college, you would guess he’s been working keys his whole life, and singing even longer. His talents, which were realized through a music appreciation class, quickly landed him songwriting work with Double O, producer and ½ of the Kidz In the Hall duo. “We met through MySpace, where he put out a call for songwriters. We linked up, started working together and soon afterward I was working through Major League Entertainment.” To put that in perspective, most of his progression, at least with more focused attention, has happened this year. In truth, within the past 4 months, he has experienced two full tours, first with the Kidz, and now with his heroes; Gym Class Heroes.

“This tour has been crazy- it’s an amazing experience. The last tour, we were in a van, but now I’m on a bus and just wake up every day in a different city, with new experiences and growth.” This growth, chemically enhanced by star power, is acclimating Tim to what he foresees his career to be like in upcoming months. “When I first started out, I didn’t know what to expect. Now that I’m in it, I’m just trying to take what I’m learning and turning to my own work.”

The Arcade All-Stars is his updated revolution like band, with falsetto-fronted lyricism, provided by Tim, and Tim’s ultimate focus. It’s not even totally fair to place the band within the confines of 80’s juggernauts, just for fear of limiting or building up their expectations. The All-Stars are fusion, and the expression of pop music and those who listen to it, trying to take music into a different direction. Their album, titled Him After Her, is the most current realization of this direction. “With this tour, and possibly future touring with Gym Class Heroes, my album’s release is still up in the air, but I’m on the phone every day with my band, talking about different ideas and stuff to work with…We’re going to be fucking huge, and when it’s our time, you’re gonna know.”

When that time is to come, is still unknown. The thing to notice with Tim is that success, as it often does with the music industry, can come from anything, and he is consumed by this world right now and reveling in its spoils. Whether it’s hanging out on top of the W hotel in Dallas or just riding from venue to venue, he’ s in the best place & potentially the worst place for a young artist. Exposure is a fickle, two-timing whore, and has broken the foundation of countless careers. But with that, it makes you value & question the light artists receive and their backing.

Perhaps the most admirable thing about Tim and his fast paced progression, is that it is done through his credible work with other artists, who each have seen his potential, and utilized him as a songwriter, backup vocalist, and exceptional keyboardist; a credit to his talents, and a justification for his place in this summer’s Warped Tour. Not only that, but it brings a new light to the image of the cutthroat music industry which we all fear. Everything Tim has been involved with (which fairly, he doesn’t deserve all the credit for, but does get props for inclusion) has been focused on a nu age in musical hype generation. “Warped Tour is great because its like being with family. There’s no animosity, just great relationship. It’s like summer camp for music & its great making money off of what you like to do.”

“Since I’ve come on [tour] I’ve just been exposed to so much. I’m on the same bus with Tyler, Gym Class Hero’s other keyboardist & Disashi, and they have been sharing their musical influences and guitar skills, and I’m, I’m just growing.”

When you read this, glance at his picture, or peep his MySpace, it’s fair to say you still won’t have a full assessment of Tim as an artist. Candidly, not even Tim has a full assessment of his talents or direction. A few months after speaking with Tim during the summer tour, we had a chance to catch back up prior to Lego Heart Rock Band party Tim was headed out for. “Things are just really taking off now. I’ve started working on this whole Acoustic album, which is called Flowers and I’m just going to release Him After Her for free via friendsorenemies.com, just to get it out. I’m passed that album now, and am going to put all of my tour experience into this project. It’s all live instruments, since live instruments are timeless and canned effects get corny. It should be sick. Travis is helping me of course, and I’ve been talking back in forth with Pete Wentz, who said it helped him get trough the day, once.”

In the 8 months that it took to work on this piece- the various encounters and performances and texts, I far from know him as an artist or just as a person. However, from the songs I’ve heard, conversations had, and most importantly his music, I do know that he is a musician; a musician that is in the process of proving himself to everyone, and moving at a clip that mirrors the tastes of the consumers. When his album drops, more can be said to his contributions to music and its relationship with progressing all the aspects of culture we always look to music for, but for now, we can see that he’s doing it, and doing it big & has the support that talks for him. If we didn’t know how to fucking party, Tim is hell bent on trying to show us how.