Upcoming 100: Who are your biggest musical influences?
Tim Wolf: For songwriting:
Bob Dylan
Bernie Taupin/Elton John
Billy Joel
Taylor Swift
Chris Stapleton
On Guitar:
Eric Clapton
SRV
Hendrix
Upcoming 100: What’s the story/inspiration behind your single “Born In South Dakota“?
Tim Wolf: I got the idea from a song on a show I saw on Netflix. “Billions”, Season 3, Episode 1 opened with the song “Born in San Antone” by Garrett T Capps. When I heard that song, I thought I should write a song about being born in South Dakota. So I came up with the line “Born in South Dakota, don’t say I didn’t warn ya” and took that into a co-writing session with my buddy and co-writer, Jimmy Davis. We then incorporated the true Old West story of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane in Deadwood, SD. Hickok was shot while playing cards in Saloon #10 in Deadwood in 1876.
Upcoming 100: What are your thoughts on the evolution of artists and music today?
Tim Wolf: I think today is the best time in history to be an artist. All the tools and paths to getting music heard in prior decades were controlled by the gatekeepers like record labels, etc. Today, the barriers are greatly reduced. Yes, labels still hold sway and get great preferential treatment on platforms like Spotify, etc, BUT, there are many other paths to success for Indie artists. You don’t HAVE to have a label deal to make it.
Also, barriers between genres are being tore down. Look at “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X. Is it Country? Is it Hip Hop? Is it Pop? It doesn’t matter. “Crossover Hits” are really a thing of the past.
Upcoming 100: What skills/personal attributes do you think are most important for music artists to possess?
Tim Wolf: Obviously, skill at writing and playing music is necessary. But the most talented artists aren’t usually the ones with the most success. It’s about having a great work ethic, building a great team, and most importantly, connecting your artist. People made decisions logically, but take action on emotion. The most successful artist with staying power connects with their artists in a primal way (“Primal Branding”.)
Upcoming 100: How important is a music video for an artist to promote a project?
Tim Wolf: Every song/release needs music videos. There are many types of music videos, and an artist doesn’t necessarily need to spend thousands of $$ on professionally story boarded and produced videos. Types of videos include lyric videos, performance videos, animation videos, visualization videos, etc. But having videos I think is paramount. YouTube is one of the major ways people find new music. But, again it doesn’t need to be high dollar. Childish Gambino’s official video of his hit song “Redbone” is one static picture as the song plays. It has over 400 million views. Just goes to show you don’t need super expensive videos if the music captures the fans.
Upcoming 100: Who’s on your playlist?
Tim Wolf: Taylor Swift
The Revivalists
Elton John
John Coltrane
Dua Lipa
Sly and The Family Stone
Rachael Yamagata
Alabama Shakes
Chris Stapleton
John Mayer
Upcoming 100: What is your basic creative/work process?
Tim Wolf: I usually start with a hook (main line of the chorus and probably the title of the song)… could start with just 1 or 2 lines, or a full chorus… sometimes, even a chorus and 1st verse. I then usually put it to music using either a guitar or a piano. Sometimes, the melody comes before the chords. Sometimes, the chords first and the melody from the chord structure…
When it comes to the time to record the song (I record and produce all my own songs so far in my own studio in Nashville, Wolfcreek Studios), I first get the BPM set (usually from the iPhone demo), then build a drum beat for the song (usually using Superior Drummer), and start laying the tracks, usually either acoustic guitar or piano next after drums.
Upcoming 100: What sets your music apart? What is unique about it?
Tim Wolf: I’ve been told that some of my lyrics are raw and deeply emotional. I’ve also been told my singing voice is very unique. Not sure if that is always intended as a positive comment (smile) but better to be different than sound like everybody else. I’ve been trying to accurately quantify what my music sounds like and I’ve even paid avid music fans to listen to my music and tell me who they think my music sounds like. I sent the same 5 songs to each respondent. Every one of them came back with radically different artists they thought I sounded like with almost no overlap or commonality. So, my takeaway is at least I don’t sound like a clone of another artist or band, which hopefully means my sound is unique. I call it Americana-Alternative with combinations of flavors from Americana and also Alternative Rock.
Upcoming 100: If you could pass on a nugget of wisdom to an aspiring music artist, what would it be?
Tim Wolf: Don’t give up! It’s a marathon not a sprint. Unless you get incredibly lucky, counting on winning the lottery is not a good plan. Strategize and execute your strategy.
Upcoming 100: Where can potential fans find out more about you?
Tim Wolf: I am on most Social Media platforms as @thetimwolf
Website: www.thetimwolf.com
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/thetimwolf
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetimwolf/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetimwolf
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thetimwolf
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/TheTimWolf
Triller: @thetimwolf
