Tim Hicks kicks off his Get Loud Tour on November 1st in Toronto then heads to Nova Scotia for two shows that we are going to be covering. Tim has Tebey and Madeline Merlo on tour with him for his East Coast dates. I had the chance to interview Tim about his upcoming tour, new album and more.
Here is what he had to say:
1. First off, tell us about your new album “New Tattoo”.
I’m so proud of this record! I tried my best to let go of what I felt were expectations about what a “Tim Hicks” record should sound like, and just focused on writing what I felt were good songs that would fit into my live show, and would be fun to play. It was really great to be back in the studio with Jeff Coplan producing too. We had NO fun at all…. Ha!
2. If you could pick a favorite track off the album, which one would it be and why? I personally like them all but if I had to choose it would be 1975.
I think my favourite track is “If the Beat’s Alright”. It’s just SO MUCH FUN! We were trying our best to write a really simple chorus to a song that would get people up dancing. I can’t help but smile every time I sing this song.
3. You worked with Lindsay Ell on “The Worst Kind”, what was that like?
Lindsay is great! She’s so talented and I was stoked when she agreed to play and sing on the track. As usual in this day and age, we weren’t in the same country when we recorded our parts due to both our busy schedules. It was really exciting to watch the whole thing come together because I had her in mind right from the day we wrote the song.
4. Who are some of your musicial influences?
I’m influenced by everyone from Blue Rodeo, to Waylon Jennings, to Led Zepplin, and everything in between. I listen to a lot of classic rock, and classic country. I think you can hear my influences pretty clearly in my music, I pretty much wear them on my sleeve.
5. If you could choose any artist to collaborate with, who would you choose and why?
I’d love to do something with Robert Plant purely for the road stories!
6. Tell us a bit about your Get Loud Tour kicking off November 1st? How did you choose Tebey, Madeline Merlo and Andrew Hyatt to come along?
I’m a fan of each of those artists, and they’re my friends too, so that made it easy! Tebey and I go way back. In fact our wives went to high-school together in St. Catharines. I’ve watched Madeline’s career skyrocket over the past few years and it’s been really exciting to see. She is SO talented, she’s a star and everyone needs to know that! I see a bit of myself in Andrew. He’s a working-musician, which I was (and am!) so I really respect that and I’m looking forward to getting to know him better on this run.
7. We can’t wait till your Halifax show! What’s your favorite part about the East Coast?
My favourite part is that East-coasters know how to PARTY!!! I love the energy and enthusiasm and I can’t wait to see everybody out there! Some of our rowdiest shows have been East coast tour dates.
8. Tell us something your fans may not know about you.
You may not know that I was a full-time, working musician for 18 years before I ever had a song on the radio. I played solo acoustic shows, duo shows, trio shows, tribute band shows, I did crew gigs, worked on cruise ships, any gig I could do to keep the lights on. I love playing music so much, that I wanted to learn every job associated with it. I learned a lot over those years and I’m continuing to learn, which is something I love about working in music.
Keep up to date with Tim on his socials and his website http://www.timhicksmusic.com
