Tell us about yourself and your music
My name is Tim Johnson. I’ve loved music every since I can remember. I use to sit in my room rewinding and replaying songs I recorded from the radio just to learn the words. I picked a guitar when I was seven and started learning songs that my uncle played. “Simple Man”, “Nights in White Satin” and “Stairway To Heaven” were a few that I loved to play and sing as a child. My parents moved our family from the suburbs to the country when I was 13. That’s when I started writing my own songs. In my twenties I made two albums with my previous band Walk The Earth. We split up and I continued to write. I put two songs on the radio in 2018 and 2019. The song I put out in 2019 called “Beachbound” made it to #64 on the Country Music Row Weekly Chart. My next radio single “Gone” goes out to country radio January 14, 2020. You can find my music on social media. I post videos on Facebook and Instagram. I have four songs available for streaming and/or purchase on all major platforms online. Along with releasing “Gone” to Country Radio, I’m also in the midst of releasing my new song “Fly” and making a music video for another song. A live album is on it’s way as well!
Talk to us more about your latest release
My latest release “Beachbound” is a song about hitting the road with my girlfriend. We love to travel and have fun on the road. Listening to music and just having a blast. In this song, it’s Thursday and I’m looking forward to trading in my town for one with palm trees and beaches. Fun in the sun with the radio up. Doing what we like to do! Kickin it!!
What inspired you to write this release?
When I wrote this song I had been working a lot and we had a trip planned. We were leaving Friday but I got rained out at work Thursday so I went home and picked up my guitar. It wasn’t long before this song came to me. I was anticipating the trip so much that the lyrics just kind of fell out. “Just another day in paradise. She’s got a sparkle in her pretty eyes and a dimple when she smiles. She’s driving me wild. Got me tappin the brake lights, all up on my side. Bumpin swervin it’s just right. Sayin wait a minute baby that’s my song. Crank it up and we can both sing along”
Describe the writing and recording process
Usually now days I find a riff on my guitar that I like. I record it and listen to it on the way to and from work. This gives plenty of time to be creative with the lyrics and melody. I record in a few different studios so each one is different. My dude Colt Capperune in Nashville is my go to for radio singles. I send him a mixtape of me singing and playing the song live on my acoustic. He hires musicians to play the parts that he can’t play on his own. Then, I go to his studio and record whatever parts are needed from me.
Any plans to release a video?
Any plans to hit the road?
Ive been playing local with a band called Burnt Whiskey for five years now. We play cover songs at bars and weddings for the most part. I’m waiting for my music to have a bigger following before I hit the road. Where do you want to see me play?
As an indie artist, how do you brand yourself and your music to stand out from the rest of the artists out there?
As an indie artist I stay true to my fans and myself. I love creating a story with my songs and I usually write about things that have happened to me in my life. It means a lot to me when people comment on my videos, so when they do, I always take the time to comment back as genuinely as I can. I also hired a company to make a logo and I will be using it to brand my name better in the future. Even though, I’m all over the place in genre I feel like my fans know it’s me by the sound of my voice. I can sing clean but I have a unique dirty voice that I like to sing with mostly.
Who have you been listening to lately?
I listen to music all the time. Lately, I’ve been listening to a mix of pop music and country music. I like Tyler Childers, Sam Hunt, Anderson Elswick, Post Malone, Old Dominion, Thomas Rhett, Kenny Chesney, Jake Owen, Jason Aldean and a lot of the stuff they play on the top forty stations. I could go on forever with songs I have been hearing that I like. That Maroon 5 “Memories” song is one that I always turn up!!!
Who are your biggest influences?
My influences come from 37 years of living here on this planet. Everything I’ve ever heard comes out in my music one way or another. Before I ever got started playing guitar I loved singing along with Boys2Men and Whitney Houston. Then I got big into Aerosmith with the Crazy and Crying albums. I’ve always had a thing for anything Bob Seger. I love Chris Cornell, Alice n Chains, Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, Crossfade, Tantric, 50cent, Tupac, Bone Thugs, The Eagles, Boston, Pink Floyd, Stone Sour, Slipknot, Pantera and almost everything country. There’s no way I can name all of my influences because I love almost everything.
Tell us about your passions
I love to write. My favorite thing to do is create music. Every time I write a new song I am reminded how much I love writing. I also love working out and studying martial arts. I haven’t had the chance to work out or train lately but it’s always somewhere in the back of my mind of things I want to do. I love being a Dad!! My boys are both in music lessons and wrestling lessons. Imagine that lol
What else is happening next in your world?
I asked my girlfriend to marry me last year and she said yes!! We are doing our best to plan a wedding all the while both working full time and both having side projects and such. It’s hard to find time for everything but hopefully this year we’ll be able to get married. She is my inspiration for almost everything!!
Thanks for an awesome interview, Tim Johnson
Connect with Tim Johnson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002114479204Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7JylEoTsqIh_qxJL8BKPEg
