Timothy B. Hewitt Interview, Former Trooper Bassist

Timothy B. Hewitt, Bassist for Canadian Rock Legends Trooper and Prism. Timothy toured with Rock Canadian Rock Icons Trooper from 1991 – 1997. Interview March 20, 2012

Trooper Interview

1. How is 2012 coming along for you?
2012 is off to a great start – I have a happy family and a new house in Vancouver that is allowing me to expand my home studio. Over the past years, I’ve moved into more of a production role. My new space will accommodate a large mix area, mid sized live room and separate voice over booth. My production suite – Small Corner Sound, has welcomed everything from Montreal punk legends Genetic Control to west coast classic rockers Prism. Being able to offer ground up services is an exciting time. It is quite fulfilling to see a project through from zero to a completed work. A web series I’m the producer and audio consultant with (MùMù Ci), is getting off to a running start and that’s a new outlet I’m thrilled to be part of. The way music is delivered these days is changing quite rapidly it’s great to be part of something cutting edge that includes music as a huge part of the production.

2. What are your current projects and bands?
Although I don’t tour as often since my daughter came along, I’m still very active in the Vancouver scene. myself and Chad Oliver released a CD as ‘Oliver’ before he was on the road with Cirque Du Soleil. It was that record and his wonderful vocals that landed him the gig with Delerium. The MùMù Ci gig is an ongoing effort that is really ramping up and promises to keep me busy through the rest of the year. I also have a working band I’ve been with for a few years, ‘Faith and Desire’. It’s a collection of all-stars with former members of the Northern Pikes and Strange Advance. We’ve performed all across Canada and everywhere from Anchorage, Alaska to Orlando, Florida. It’s a great band and keeps my chops up. When not doing that or studio work, I also perform solo around Vancouver. That was a great challenge after many years of ensemble work. I love playing live and this is a great learning experience.

3. Since your days with Canada’s Rock Icons Trooper, which notable bands have you been a part of?
I left the Trooper gig to focus on Juno nominated Rymes with Orange. Trying to break a band takes a lot of time and focus. The gigs with Trooper were coming fast and furious at the time, not allowing me to work on an original project and get that off the ground. After ‘Trapped in the Machine’, which brought the band the Juno nomination for Best New artist, we were writing and recording the follow up ‘Crash’. I had to bid my friends farewell and focus on breaking an Indy band.

More recently I was brought in when Prism was gearing up for a comeback album. I moved from an engineering position to co-producer and playing in the band. The album Big Black Sky was done almost entirely at Small Corner Sound. And despite being met with not the best response, is still sonically a great sounding album. I spent a few years touring with them, as well.

4. What’s your vision of the Internet as a tool to promote and get your music out?

I’m a huge fan of music and the connectivity we share these days. The fact that music is available in so many different mediums is both exciting and refreshing. These days, with more of a focus in song writing, you can write, produce and deliver a song to music buyers and supervisors in an amazingly short period of time. Sites such as Broadjam, MySpace, BandCamp and Reverb Nation give the artist an outlet and the buyers a place to find those artists. Did the Internet and downloading hurt record sales? I think that is hard to pin on anything specific, but it certainly changed the model of the music business. I believe there will always be artists selling music song-for-song and album-for-album, but there are many different ways to sell your product, and I believe more options for artists to make a living.

The MùMù Ci project is a great example of really working the new system. The 2 writers had songs, but a hard time keeping a band together. So they developed an animated web series and placed their music as the focus. It’s not music videos but videos with music. They are on YouTube and starting to get attention. It’s a wonderful case of reinventing the wheel. When an outlet doesn’t exist, you can create your own.

5. What years we’re you with Trooper and how was life on the road for you?

I toured with Trooper from bout 1991 – 1997. It was one of my first gigs when I decided to call Vancouver home. I met (then drummer) John Stoltz while playing in a club band. We became fast friends and a pretty tight rhythm section. When the bass chair in Trooper opened up, it was a pretty natural move. I was, of course, excited to play with a band that I grew up hearing and the years I spent with them were a real treat. We would perform from coast to coast and top to bottom of Canada. Regardless of the city or size of venue, the great thing bout every gig with that band were the smiles in the crowd. The set was non-stop hit song after song that everyone knows. Ra McGuire and Brian Smith are absolute pros and aside from being great performers, were great bosses and friends. You sometimes forget that music is a business and as a sideman you do have someone to answer to, but those guys were the best.

Being a Canadian band, there are only so many major cities to perform. So, to keep the calendar full, touring took us from huge summer festivals to clubs in the smallest cities across Canada. Some of the best times were being close to the fans in the smaller venues. Canadians are great people and when they love the music, they share that love with you.

6. Could you tell us about your main influences as a musician?

Without knowing it, I was lucky enough to evolve at a time when some of the best songwriters were also bassists. The pinnacle would be Paul McCartney, and I love the Beatles to this day. But I also listened to prog-rock and metal. In those camps, Chris Squire and Steve Harris were very influential as I embarked on being a bassist. Later, The Police came along and Sting’s simple lines made a big mark on my playing, as well as song writing. I certainly can’t leave out Gene Simmons – the minute I was introduced to Alive II, I was, hooked. I believe that’s when I gave up 6 strings for 4.

I grew up with a strong father who only cared for traditional country music. I might have been 4 when I discovered there was more then a country music station on the radio. Even today, I can still play Hank Snow and Patsy Cline songs by heart. I didn’t realize the ties to jazz and blues at the time, but it’s more than apparent now. It wasn’t long after that I was raiding my older relative’s record collections for everything from Jimi Hendrix and Rolling Stones to Joni Mitchell. I would then and still do, listen to almost anything. I love Bach and Miles. John Mayer and MGMT are big on my playlist right now.

7. What could we find interesting in your Music collection?

Being a father, I’m always thinking about surrounding my daughter with music. Given the choice, she’ll pick jazz or blues, but #1 will be ‘kids’. Chris Ballew from Presidents of the United States of America produces kid’s music under the moniker ‘Caspar Babypants’. The same hooks and humour he brought to POTUSOA are present in the 2.5 minute songs on these albums. Smart and witty pop tunes, they are worth listening to even if you don’t have kids. If you liked Lump or Peaches, it’s the same style and I get a real kick out of it.

8. Could you describe what goes on in a day in your life as a musician?
A day in the life? Music happens at night, doesn’t it? Days are for business – Booking shows, making phone calls and answering email. I believe that being able to make a living in this business is 50% talent and 50% work ethic. There are lots of opportunities for people that go looking for them, but you have to do one thing – Go! I still consider myself blessed to be in this industry and be able to support my family. I’ve worked hard and never turned down a gig. I’m still playing 7 gigs a week when I can.

9. Are there any products or projects we can see from you in the future?
Look for another Oliver album at some point. But if I haven’t mentioned it enough, MùMù Ci will have my fingerprints all over it.

10. Timothy I appreciate you taking the time on this interview.
You’re very welcome. Thanks for reading all of this.

Check out Trooper with Timothy B. Hewitt Online http://timothyhewitt.com/