A Tim O'Brien Story

This was inspired by the post about missing O'Tim this year.

Oh yes the original O'Boy is sure to be missed. I met someone once (a festvarian newbie) who axually said that he didn't care for him. I told him to give him another listen as he hadn't fully experienced the true sound yet!

Chatting with him backstage last year, he told me that he had over done it a bit and was going to settle in for awhile, like three years! Can't really blame him, its tough on the road, tough on the family, tough on the creativity. I am certain he has been on the road nonstomp for nearly 30+ years. As a former road warrior, I can see that he wants to enjoy that really cool recliner, catch up on a few movies and see where the creative juices flow now.

Each time he re-creates himself (to be sure) we always get the benefit. Time to load up the ippood and the media machines and give another listen to see where we left off and what we have missed. Sometimes the 'B' sides are better than the 'A' sides after a time.

I am in awe of his tenacity, diligence and raw emotional talent. Tim walks the walk, talks the talk, and sings the damn song! He knows it cause most likely, he wrote it! An amazing feat time after time!

I have the chance to take the band to dinner alongs way back when the second generation of the Road O'boys were in play. I chose the most unique mexican food place I knew down in Tempe, near Arizona State called Restaurant Mexico, a place that served the foods of Mexico City. Its still in business today, although the premises has had to move a few times, the food is sooooo tasty.

There is nothing quite like sitting at a round table with Tim, Mollie, Mark, & Scott and meeself crunchin chips, dipping salsa (don't forget the warm salsa verde, and smoking some beers and having some of the best mex in the country. It was like sittin down with a musical family. Good natured, sarcastic, funny and intelligent all at the same time, lovely, really! Si! It was great Craic! The nice thing is, when we by chance bump into each other, that luncheon is brought up in conversation by all present that day! Great memory!

If you look at all this man has accomplished, the magnitude and incredible volume of work that spans for such a long period of time is absolutely stunning. Hey Brother O'Tim, here's your lifetime acheivment award! (For the first half of life, anyway)

Do yourself a flavor, if you haven't already get that disc called Odd Man In. Read the liner notes written by Lyle Lovett. Listen with headphones, then blasting on the home unit or the bose car system. The clarity is there to be taken. Can't wait till they remaster the tracks! I'll be the first in line. O'Tim did a major right turn from his previous life and he really sets the tone to what was, things to come.

Somehow in all this harmonic convergence, I was fortunate to be in Boulder to visit some very nice people and Tim and his enormous new band would be trying out the new material of Odd Man In and of course we all went and we watched this amazing talent on the stage (the whole band that is) and all of the sudden one tall couple get up and start whirling away, using the whole dance floor to show what they could do! Then another couple and another, till the entire dance floor was full of graceful pairs. What a sight! What incredible memories. Tim remarked that he wondered if anyone would dance to the new stringband ... and certainly got his answer!

Okay, I may go on a bit, but I am a big fan. Think of this, you learn about New Grass Revival and Hot Rize and the plucky Twailblazers all in the same week! Even though your little brother has been trying to get you to listen all along back from the old days. What a momentous occasion! And the fact that were all headed to Telluride that very summer with money in our pockets and a shared condo and we were going to see them all, LIVE! What a *&%*)&)-in RUSH! and from that point on, a pilgrimage was born all the way to this day.

I also have O'Tim to thank for bringing another muscian into my life: Paul Brady. If you haven't taken the time to hear Paul, its now the time.

The year I was internationally dating my soon to be Irish (Dublin) wife, she happened to be in Phoenix and I had planned a camping roadtrip to see the National Perks of Utah (Bryce, Zion) and all the petrified sand dunes in between. We set out from Phoenix and overnighted in Page, came to the crossroads.

I told Avril that I could probably rustle up some tickets to the show if we took the right fork in the road and went to Telluride, but I was certain that it would be sold out. Or, if we took the left hook, we would wind up in the Utah perks. We sat there overlooking Lake Powell Marina crunching on cereal watching the sun dance on the mighty waters early in the day. Suddenly the C-phone rang and my Bud, Markis called from Telluride: "DEEEEEWWWWWWEEEEEYYYYYYY? where are you buddy? You're coming right? Are you almost here? Can't what to see you!!!" And that, as they say, is that. Since we were loaded for bear (camping gear) I made an executive decision right then and there: Telluride it is!

Now I am very excited, I have the most wonderful and sexy fiance beside me, and now goin to Telluride to meet up with friends. I think it was a year that Del McCoury band wasn't playin... It was a Wednesday arrival ( a great time to arrive, unless its Tuesday). We played around a bit and tried to contact the Fergusons, Sally or Craig. Of course, they are incredibly busy and the team does their best to protect them from outsiders cause its ... SHOWTIME BABY!

Finally, after speaking to the VIP reps several times and getting nowhere, a lovely gal recognized me from several previous years and I unravelled my story one more time and started to get out my ID ... she said, Dewey, I know you very well, you don't need ID with me... I was astonished and relieved all at the same time. She told me to give her a minute and got on the radio, directly to the big boom chick herself. "Sally? This the VIP desk and I have Mike Bub's Brother in front of me and would like to come back and say hello ... Yes, they are here for the whole weekend... ok, will do! And that lovely gal got out our backstage wristbands and trimmed them all nice and fine and told us: Nice to see you again Dewey and very nice to meet you Avril, Have a great weekend! So, so sweet! And a great weekend we had...

During the concert, a man came on stage with somewhat of a rock set. Avril's ears pricked up and we watched the show called Paul Brady. In a word, he ROCKED!! Afterwards, we went back to the Merch Tent and bought every CD he had for sale. Turns out that O'Tim had recommended him to Craig and Sally and he had a great first weekend as well.

Avril had a small world moment when she realized that it was the same Paul Brady sound up on stage that she grew up with in Dublin! What a coincidence 6000 miles from home! It made the Irish connection even stronger!

And to Tim I say, if he gets a chance to see this whilst taking a bit of a break (Of course, his marketing guinness oops, genius is just trying out different venues on a slower pace while he gets his newest act together), that I would be happy to buy himself a Guinness pint (or more) and talk about all things right in the world, musically, of course. And O'Tim, you're always invited to dinner or lunch when you and the band are in Phoenix.

Cheers Mates!
Slanche

Dewey J Bub
Phoenix

PS, I enjoy your comments!

Listening to: Red Knuckles and the Twailblazers! Always Late, With Your Kisses