TIMBER TIMBRE – Photo by Jeff Bierk
Mystic palm, gem and tarot / A few escape your magic arrow/
I saw you reel them in for miles / Each captivated crooked smile
If you are a fan of Breaking Bad, you’ve probably heard these lyrics before. They belong to TIMBER TIMBRE‘s song Magic Arrow and can be heard in the cult series’ episode Caballo Sin Nombre.
TIMBER TIMBRE‘s music – vintage blues meets ghostly folk – definitely is more than suited to give a film scene the certain something or even a whole movie. In 2012 the Canadian band scored the film Foxfire by the French director Laurent Cantet. Beyond that the songs Black Water and Demon Host were used in the soundtracks for the comedy For a Good Time, Call… and The Last Exorcism 2.
It was Taylor Kirk who founded the project in 2005. He is writing the songs and together with the more or less permanent members Simon Trottier und Mika Posen responsible for the instrumentation. On April 1 their fifths record Hot Dreams will be released via Arts & Crafts.
NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION met Taylor Kirk and Simon Trottier in Berlin to speak about photographers with silly ideas, the ghost of JIM MORRISON and ended up watching a GEORGE MICHAEL video.
Your new album ‘Hot Dreams’ will be out soon. Compared to your last work ‘Creep On Creepin’ On’ are there any changes?
Taylor Kirk: I would describe it as warmer, brighter, more lush and friendlier. (looks at Simon)
Simon Trottier: Western, Hollywood…
T: …American.
S: Cinematic.
T: Oh yes, cinematic.
That is exactly what the press release says.
S: Because we told them what to say. (laughs)
Sounds more like you were looking what it says and just repeat it. So is this your opinion as well?
S: It is less dark than the one before, it’s friendlier and warmer. So I think that’s true.
Is there a certain topic?
T: I was in California and there is a very different, exotic kind of landscape. I was thinking a lot about this. Even just simply the vegetation and the weather, the cars, the people and the industry there. The kind of mythology around that place was really interesting.
You spent time at Laurel Canyon which was and is a notorious hotspot for celebrities like Orson Welles, Frank Zappa, Iggy Pop and Jim Morrison. Can you say that the spirit of those great minds lives on there, maybe Jim Morrison’s ghost hanging around?
T: Yeah, I was possessed by the ghost of Jim Morrison. He came to me.