A local musician, Tim Philpot (pictured), who regularly performs at The No Cove`s Club in Moseley, is to appear on The Ian Henery Show on Black Country Xtra.
"I’ve been playing music since the age of 5, when I first sat at a piano and began picking out tunes I had heard" explained Tim. "At 15, I saw the film of the Woodstock Festival, and from that moment on I knew I wanted to be a songwriter. Nearly fifty years on I’m a fixture on the local music scene playing mainly guitar and singing mostly my own songs, with a few choice cover versions thrown in for good measure."
Over the years Tim has worked on many musical projects. Some of these come from his lifelong involvement in Scouts.
"Playing music for concert parties and gang shows has always been a lot of fun" said Tim. "I’m currently the Musical Director for the Sutton Coldfield Gang Show. If you think Gang Show is just about cheesy camp fire songs and bad jokes, think again. The Sutton Gang Show is full of well-known contemporary songs played by a dedicated band of skilled musicians with a cast of all ages who sing their hearts out. The next show is in February 2027 and is already shaping up to be a great night’s entertainment."
Tim has also played guitar and keyboards in a recent production of The Addams Family musical at the Highbury Theatre.
"That was quite an experience: the score is very complex and demanding, and we were cramped into a tiny orchestra pit, six musicians and the director, for the duration of the show. But this is how memories are made" said Tim.
"But most often I am just playing guitar and singing my own songs at a variety of locations. I’ve recently had great nights at the Atherstone Folk Club and the Burntwood Electro-Acoustic Club. I’m a member of the No Covers Club which promotes original music and have a circuit of performance opportunities which I move around and advertise on my FaceBook pages."
Tim and his wife Maria organise music nights periodically. These are designed to do three things:
Give the audience a great night of entertainment
Help local musicians reach an appreciative audience
Raise money for various charities
"In doing this we get a lot of support from the local Scout Group which provides the venue, and from artists who kindly give their services free of charge so we can make maximum donations to charity" explained Tim.
Tim believes that the local area boasts a fabulous local music scene. "We have a fabulous musical heritage to draw from and musicians can, if they choose, have a wonderful time playing and singing existing music" he said. "Clearly there is a lot of appetite from listeners to have familiar music played and there is a thriving industry which supports this through tribute acts, cover artists and more.
For me though the real frontier is in writing and playing original music. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I am happy to keep looking for new audiences who do appreciate and are prepared to listen to music they don’t already know. Remember, every beloved classic was once an original piece of music which only got into the public consciousness by people being prepared to listen.
When you hear someone playing their own work you could be listening to the next big thing in music, and what is more, your support and encouragement could be pivotal in helping them get there."
How does Tim write a song. Where do you start? Is there a formula? What comes first, words or music?
"For me it usually starts when a phrase stands out as a potential title or concept" he said. "That then gradually develops into some full length lines, possibly a complete chorus. From here you can start to imagine an outline and structure to the song. The words will suggest their own rhythm and you can start to experiment with what melody would work.
To get from the initial idea to a completed song takes a lot of experimentation with alternative lyrics and chord sequences, and you have to be open to undoing and rewriting if you want to come out with a satisfying result. I rarely complete more than 2 songs in a year, some are in gestation for many years.
When I write songs I aim to ensure there is something happening all the way through, so in between the lyrics there are instrumental fills. Because my songs are generally sung just by me with guitar accompaniment, I try to weave the words and music together. I avoid a lot of repetition because I tend to find it uninteresting to play and assume listeners would think the same."
The world is full of guitarists and there is an extraordinary amount of talent and innovation. What is his guitar style?
"It is naïve to think that you can always come up with something that is truly original" he said. "Nonetheless I get enough compliments about my guitar playing to think there is something distinctive about it. I mainly use a finger-picking style and draw on knowledge of how to form chords in a lot of different variations and create transitions between them. Whether I’m writing my own tunes or preparing a cover version of an existing song I pay a lot of attention to creating an arrangement which fits my vocal range but also conveys the best possible musical content.
I also sometimes accompany myself on piano although for practical reasons not so often. (I try to go to venues walking or on public transport where possible, which rules out carrying a stage piano, and it also takes more setting up when I can just step up and play with a guitar). Also strangely, when I play guitar I stand at the mic full of the passion and fire of a young man, but when I play piano I sit at the keyboard full of nerves and apprehension just like a small boy."
Tim has a new album out called i-Spy that he`s been taking out on tour. "I write whatever comes into my head" he said. "I don’t major on love songs and I try not to be too “issue-based” because life is rarely as simple as protest songs would suggest. I try to capture truth from my life experiences but also embellish it, draw out the humour and the incongruity of everyday life.
The songs on i-Spy range around in style and content from ballad to blues-rock. This was an opportunity to take my songs out of the one voice/one guitar format and go for fully produced versions complete with drums, bass and even saxophones on one track.
Driving with the windows down – a happy song for a good day
i-Spy – a sinister reflection on consequences of risky choices
Unfinished business - a jazz/blues tune contemplating ambitions yet to be achieved
Easy friends – intricate song tracing the quest for fame and fortune to a tragic outcome
Some other time – pop ballad about a relationship in which people have different goals
The spotlight and the microphone – sultry blues telling how it feels to be driven to perform
Fast ‘n’ loose – outright rock ‘n’ roll song about fancying someone
Fragments – reflection on seeing the creative spirit in others and nurturing your own
Walk the walk – angry blues/rock about people in power who tell you how behave but do not do so themselves
Voyager – we are all on a journey, we begin with our parents and end with our children.
I am indebted to Phil and Jane at Beehouse without whose support the album would not exist."
The album is currently only available on cd, details through FaceBook Messenger or tim.philpot@outlook.com
