Tim Knol - Cut The Wire
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In the seven years since his breakthrough in 2010, Tim Knol has had quite a few experiences. Early in his career, many boyhood dreams came true: playing on big stages, meeting big heroes and being able to make a living from his music. Even at that early stage, Tim questioned the whole rock 'n' roll thing: Not real love, only one night stands. Is that what you call Rock 'n' Roll?
Despite this warning, he walked the capricious path of rock 'n' roll for three albums, but not without some problems. Much was lost in the eye of the storm of success. “Those golden years, that was a whole different world, a kind of explosion. Pinkpop, Lowlands, I was everywhere. It just kept going. There seemed to be no end to it. When the end was suddenly drastic, just before Soldier On, I fell flat on my face. At least that's how it felt, I was 23 at the time. From that moment on I had to do it myself. Everything seemed to go by itself up until that moment. It was just too easy with my first two albums.”
Despite everything, Tim still finds exactly the same things important as when he first rummaged through his father's record collection. He was never alone during his successful years: the close friendships, deep-rooted love and of course those sweet, sweet melodies have always remained close by. These core values give the 28-year-old songwriter the courage to cut that thread and leave turbulent periods behind him.
In many ways, Cut the Wire is a beautiful song record, just as we have come to expect from Tim Knol. Each of these thirteen songs is a beautiful miniature in itself, with its own form, history and meaning. Without outside pressure, Tim was able to take his time to work out the record step by step. “I recorded Cut the Wire myself in my own little studio. I wanted to take my time this time. It is a wonderful freedom. But that can also be dangerous.”
Despite that peace and freedom, a large part of the album was created in a specific place in a short period: in a house in the provincial village of Heiloo, which Tim was allowed to borrow from the owner, a concert visitor, for a week and a half. “Then I took the songs into the studio with Anne Soldaat. I also had a few writing days with Tangarine. I like writing, but when it comes to finishing it, I like working with others. Douwe Bob also spent two days in the studio with me.”
On Cut the Wire, Tim's personal fingerprint is much more "consciously" present on the songs than before. In 2014, he made a record with garage pop clique The Miseries, which not only resulted in "a lot of fun"; it also made a light bulb go on for Tim. The unforced fun playing and the camaraderie with his bandmates made him lose a lot of his creative inhibitions. With The Miseries, he finally found an acceptable answer to that pressing question from his first hit Sam: Rock 'n' roll means embracing personal freedom, without the hindrance of fear or despair.
Although the punk energy of The Miseries is not immediately noticeable on Cut The Wire, Tim did work with a similar nothing-is-wrong spontaneity. For example, he taught himself to play pedal steel in a delightfully amateurish way. He gave certain arrangements a playful and idiosyncratic character with inventive tinkering. “Fun puzzling with synthesizer or organs, I could now play all those parts myself because I had the time.” Songs like the sun-drenched A Kid's Heart feed those feelings of wonder and euphoria. On the other hand, Tim's golden melodies form an exciting contrast with quick observations of life, such as on Echoes Of Laughter and Sweet Melodies. On the latter, also the first single from Cut The Wire, he sings longingly about “sunshine and hurricanes” and “soul remedy staring at aeroplanes”.
The life lessons are now abundant with Tim, from himself, but also from like-minded people from all corners of the world. “Someone like Kevn Kinney is my example and the way he shapes his career. He is a troubadour. Just like Townes Van Zandt, he can tell a story with three chords that will knock your style off its feet. The way he thinks about the music industry also shapes me. “Drivin N Cryin' comes from the eighties, that could have been The Black Crowes. Due to a few failed deals, that didn't happen. You can be forever disappointed about that, or you can be very happy with what you have created and continue to follow your own vision. And do what you feel good about.”
Tim Knol knows it: he has had his place in the sun. He now gazes out into the plain with his head held high. His vision is razor-sharp. Those sweet melodies of his keep shooting out of the earth.