About us
Biography
I (yes Turophile is not my real last name) was raised in Texas on a cattle ranch, which fled as soon as I could. Only to see the the world, become an entrepreneur, and finally achieve my dream of: returning to the same ranch.
I think I wrote my first “song” when I was about 12. I started banging on a piano around age 6, took up guitar a few years later, and am still picking up new instruments and learning them as a hobby. My older brother and I started a “band” with me on a Casio keyboard / donated crappy organ and him on various percussion like drums; meaning gas cans, a piece of sheet metal, and various other non musical items. My dad was a Baptist preacher, so i played organ at church from a young age, despite not having any musical training. Non religious music was forbidden, so I got into Christian rock as the primary source of musical interest, outside of sneaking around listening to a Sony headset radio to listen to taboo pop.
In college I kept writing, mostly heart on the sleeve self indulgent its all about me numbers which I would occasionally play at the local coffeehouse or late at night in common areas when people were coming back to campus after partying. A college buddy wrote some poetry and lyrics and I put many of these to music. My writing started to develop as I started to write some songs that were not about me. Later I was in a pop rock band in Austin that seemed always on the cusp; we opened for some bigger names, played some big shows, played a small festival or two. It had a 4 year run, before imploding the way it always does-over a fight between the singer and guitar player over a random girl that no one remembers now.
Some of my favorite bands that have influenced me are The Band, Beatles, Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Willie, Son Volt and Jason Isabel.
After moving back to the ranch, I decided to get serious about putting some of these songs that existed only in my head out for others to hear. Maybe only friends and family who I personally ask them to listen to. Hopefully a few more. It’s personal, and I enjoyed the process of recording and working with other musicians again. I am not a singer; I have never done anything vocally other than sing background vocals. But being a songwriter is tough hen you aren’t a singer, and I have always liked singers who have a strong character kind of voice. People like John Hiatt, Levon Helm, Tom Waits, Jay Farrer, and Gord Downie. So maybe someone won’t hate my white bread vocals as much as I do, or can look past it for the song. I guess if I had to project my winning the lottery moment, it would be for other artists to sing a song or two that I write someday. Not that I expect that. It’s tough out there with limited physical media and a zillion songs on streaming services that are good that no one ever hears.
I hope you give it a listen, and if you like it I hope you share it with someone you think might also listen. I am already thinking about the next batch of songs after this
Peace,
Tim