Interview by Chris Dornan
Just recently playing live shows up and down the East Coast are the highly successful band CROOKED SAINT with their new album “SWEATING BULLETS”. Chris Dornan (LMM) caught up with solo artist, songwriter and the front man for Crooked Saint, Tim Wheatley.
Chris Dornan: It’s been a great year for you and Crooked Saint with your newest EP SWEATING BULLETS. An EP completely full of a mixture of cool rhythms, harmonic melodies and a simplistic journey of brilliant songwriting. A perfect album to play at the beach this summer. With such a great band behind you including Michael Badger, Johnny Grant and Troy Ramaekers. Are you pleased with the early success so far?
Tim Wheatley: Thank you very much for that. I’m over the moon with everything. When we started this I just wanted to keep myself a little busier and once we finished up recording that first EP “Every Angry Inch” I got a bit of confidence in the tunes as I was a little uncertain at the start. Then I thought let’s take it to the next level and get the band and promote that record and push it and see what happens. I started hanging out with those guys and working with them and doing the shows. Going through the highs and lows I formed a bond with those boys and I’m happy having them on board and contributing now it feels a lot better. As for the shows, the response couldn’t have gone any better.
LifeMusicMedia: The mixture of laid back sounds and easy going styles on all the singles including the title track “Sweating Bullets” really show your diversity as a songwriter and to the simplistic single “Man In Waiting” which I felt was so true to life and the lyrics about “…for me to slip… for me to lose my grip. “I think it’s true of how society looks at us to sometimes fail. Was my interpretation correct or totally off the mark?
Tim Wheatley: Your interpretation was spot on. It’s funny because it comes across to me as a real happy highway song. Ironically I was writing it originally in a state of angst. There was a lot of pressure on me to be writing and progressing and moving forward. All the demos I was listening back to and I would say I don’t think I like that one or that’s good or there is some potential there. I was very angst to find the good ones to progress with. When I wrote that song I was struggling to find some stuff that was convincingly better. I got those lyrics from the feeling that there is someone there waiting to take my place and slip right in if I don’t up my game.
LifeMusicMedia: How much of your song writing is true to your life or the people around you?
T.W.: It’s very true. I sing about my surroundings and my environment and try to make it imaginative. I do take a little bit of poetic license here and there. Kind of fast forwarding the boring bits. It’s so very true. I stand by that because the songs that I’ve falling in love with growing up. People like Paul Kelly and Tim Rogers and The Band. They sing about stuff that can be occasionally self deprecating. A lot of the music out there these days is safe people just glorifying themselves. It is just a general statement. My favorite songs are the ones about the guy down in the dumps and it’s most likely his fault he got there.
LifeMusicMedia: What would be the biggest obstacle as a single artist and for your band Crooked Saint in the music industry today?
T.W.: Bands are really putting themselves out there. The harder they work and the more they get their name out there increases their chances of getting lucky and finding that support. The more time you spend out there you’ll win when the time is right. That’s the way I look at it. I think the biggest obstacle is being able to spend enough time and dedicating enough time. On a whim to be there at the right time. If that made any sense at all it increases your chances of lightning striking you and getting the push that you need.
LifeMusicMedia: Do you think the days gone where everyone had stacks of Albums, CD’S and cassette tapes? Do you feel that purchasing music online has hurt or improved the independent artist like yourself?
Continue reading Interview: Tim Wheatley – Crooked Saint
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