Birds Had Flown | Rave and Roll Blog

The Interwebs is a wonderful place—well, most of the time. What makes it wonderful is the world that opens up so easily that includes new knowledge, new music, new friendships, and so on.

I stumbled upon Timothy P. Green on Twitter. Through his daily tweets, he comes across as a likeable, funny, upbeat man, who also happens to be a passionate musician. You can’t help but follow his urging to sample his work, if only to see what makes this interesting guy tick.

Rather than take his music in little bits and pieces, I decided to look him up on YouTube where I found a comprehensive playlist. It’s a delightful package of tracks that seem to sum up Green’s array of music-making talent, complete with engaging lyrics that weave short stories the listener can relate to.

The joy that Timothy has for his craft is so evident in his music. It’s infectious and draws the listener in, even though it may not be of a preferred genre. If you feel you’re stuck in a comfortable groove and are looking to expand your musical horizons, Timothy P. Green’s creative streak is a great place to start.

Timothy P. Green

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Missparker: On your website, it says that you have been writing most of your life. What finally prompted you to put your music all together, record it, and market it?

Timothy: Time is movin’, keeps us groovin’ (laughs)! I wasn’t getting any younger and Bradford Rogers my friend, producer, arranger, believes in me, so when I said I wanted to do an EP, he said “Let’s do a whole CD, and market it.” The rest, as they say is, Birds in your Belfry.

Missparker: You’re primarily a drummer, right? What got you started with drums?

Timothy: That is correct. I really can’t say why, though? My mother did tell me that I was always tapping on things as a baby and I assembled kitchen pots and pans into small kits, using wooden spoons as drumsticks. Somehow a drumset landed in my hands on my fifth birthday and I have played ever since. No one in my immediate family is musical. I just fell in love with drums and asked for new sets until I received my first professional drumset around 12 years old. That’s when I started playing in bands at parties, get-togethers, teen halls, etc.

Missparker: Have you supported other bands, or have you always been a “lone wolf?”

Timothy: Yes, and I still do. I started performing on drums as my livelihood around 18 yrs. I started out in traveling lounge/dance bands, then moved on to larger show bands, some with top names. This whole time while I was playing in clubs across the nation, I was writing my own songs on cassette tapes and then just tossing them in a shoebox and forgetting about them! I had no intention of being a singer/songwriter; it was just something I did for fun. I was content making my money just playing drums.

Missparker: Your current music is published as an album Birds Had Flown under your name, but you have other musicians who work with you. Who are they and what are their roles?

Timothy: Well, basically, the band is comprised of some of the best studio and live players based here in Atlanta. Several I have done performances with, others not. They are all awesome musicians and are all usually available for live gigs, when needed. The biggest credit goes to my longtime friend, producer, arranger, musician—Mr. Bradford Rogers. He and I work intrinsically well together. He has never offered up a bad idea, as we think musically alike for the most part. It was Bradford’s job as producer to get the best possible performances out of the various members that still conveyed the mood, feel, and intention of my songs. He also mixed much of the album in conjunction with Mr. Thom Kidd of Silent Sound Studio here in Atlanta. Thom is a gold and platinum engineer and a kind, talented soul. Between these two gentlemen and the smoking players, I couldn’t have asked for a better team and I am very well pleased with the results.

Missparker: I hear so many different inflections in your music, from funk, to rap, to rock, to jazz…for me, it’s like trying to determine where a person comes from by their accent. Who are some of the major artists that have influenced your music?

Timothy: I grew up on classic 70s rock and pop music. Later I delved into jazz, funk and Indian Classical music. My first major influence was The Doobie Brother’s music. As I grew as a drummer, I started listening to Genesis, Rush, Supertramp, Bowie, more prog rock stuff. Then as prog rock started to fade out, I went to jazz music for my inspiration. I love Thelonious Monk, Sun-Ra—all of the old masters and inventors. I should also mention that I grew up half an hour from Montreal, Canada in New York State, so I always heard the best from the Canadian air waves, too, which included groups from Canada, France, Germany, Britain—the world basically. It’s funny, but many of the artists only sang in French or French Canadian, but it was killer music.

Other major inspirations come from my readings, and Eastern religious teachings. I had a long hiatus in which I studied the differences between soul, mind, and body. In some of my lyrics you will hear those concepts—OSHO, Gita, Joseph Cambell, Ayn Rand, Aristotle, to name a few. I’m surprised how many musicians fail to mention literature, poetry, and art as part of their influences when asked.

Missparker: Some of the tracks I listened to have female back-up singers, which adds another dimension to your already multi-dimensional music. Who are they and how did your musical paths cross?

Timothy: To be honest, they were recommended by Mr. Thom Kidd and Bradford. Those songs just screamed for background vocals, so we did it; same with the horn sections. Bradford would say to me, “I think you were hearing horns there?” Having similar musical minds, it was just, “So it is written, so it shall be done (laughs).” All of the musicians are listed in the credits on the CD.

Missparker: I think you can tell that as a non-musician, I am fascinated with the nuts-and-bolts of music creation. When I think of a drummer, I think of the rhythm of a song (obviously), but I’m curious how you create a melody. Do you play other instruments, use a digital application, or do you hum a few bars and have someone else translate it?

Timothy: All of the above! I play very basic keyboard. Melodies come out of the ether to me, usually as background music in dreams while I’m asleep, or in quiet states. I record those melodies singing the melody, then later make adjustments and form them into structured songs with either a real drum or drum machine. Lyrical ideas come last, in most cases, and are based upon my own life experiences, concepts, or sometimes they are just total fabrications, like you have seen in my Tweets (laughs).

Missparker: You mentioned that you’re based in Georgia. I lived outside of Atlanta for about 6 years spanning the turn of the century (ouch, that sounds so old), and I remember the city as a hotbed of creative talent. Do you play live?

Timothy: Yes, I do both as TPG (Timothy P. Green) and as a drummer with different bands. I also record with different artists—anything that pays the bills and makes the muffins.

Missparker: Something I don’t hear very often in contemporary music is flute. You use it very well in “Dreaming, #1.” In fact, it reminds me of a long-lost favorite, Jethro Tull. It’s such a great fit, I wonder if you wrote that particular song with that instrumentation in mind?

Timothy: I was up for anything, really. Bradford is the flautist on that and the song had a slight eastern flavor to it so…? If I recall, that was probably Bradford’s idea and yes, I like Jethro Tull—so why not?

Missparker: “Mommy’s Little Darlings” has a rap riff that’s so reminiscent of Beastie Boys in a light-hearted, hilarious way. Where did that come from?

Timothy: “Mommy’s Little Darlings” is a true story! You know—single musician, divorced girl, and several rather lively little children! The rap-type riff was an attempt to make the song sound a bit more recent, as that was written around 1990!

Missparker: I really had a blast listening to the tracks from your album Birds Had Flown. There is so much variety in styles, lyrics, melodies, instruments, that I think it’s a fair statement to say that the collection has something for every taste. What can we expect from you in the future?

Timothy: It’s hard to say—more of the same variety, or perhaps a concept album on one particular style and go with that? I have entertained the idea of a world beat album and an instrumental jazzy pop album, but probably will go with “Monkey Brain Stew” world beat, jazzy, punk, pop with a twist of lime (laughs)!

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Much appreciation to Timothy for his time and participation in this interview. Here are some links to sample his music, and support an artist that has a lot of talent to share with the world. Don’t just give this music a cursory listen; I have found that the more I listen, the more I hear, making it a really enjoyable journey of discovery.

The Official Timothy P. Green Website
https://www.timothypgreen.com/

Contact Bradford Rogers
https://www.themultimedianinja.com/

Cross That Bridge (Video)