Tim Seely

Funeral Music is the debut solo offering from 28-year-old singer-songwriter Tim Seely. It is a collection of sophisticated space-folk songs for hard-luck lovers.

Tim is perhaps best known as the voice behind his former band The Actual Tigers (their critically lauded, poorly promoted debut/swan song, Gravelled & Green, was released on Capitol/Nettwerk America in 2001). After the demise of the ‘Tigers and their record deal, the Seattle native retreated to the small town of Oxford, Mississippi, to write and record the majority of what would become Funeral Music. There he entered the studio with producer Dennis Herring (Sparklehorse, Modest Mouse, Elvis Costello) and local multi-instrumentalist Clay Jones, to flesh out the demos he loosely assembled in his bedroom. Dennis manned the helm for seven of the album’s eleven tracks. Tim recorded the remaining tracks at his home studio, House of Destruction, back in Seattle.

The record as a whole is a decidedly dreamy, late-night affair. Along with the usual noisemakers, Tim and friends conjure up an otherworldly musical landscape using orchestral samples, subtle electronics, steel guitar, layered background vocals, a “tiny bell” and various found sounds (“Hell Rules,” a reworking of an obscure Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 song, utilizes a toddler babbling in tongues on a voicemail message).

Tim’s narratives range from angular self-reflection, as in the opening track “6 Foot Crest” (“We built a house of shattered glass / The grommets growled as she rose / Prepared my shelf for mantle health / and wasted hours in her fold”), to dysfunctional character studies, contained in tracks like “Trucker’s Lullaby” (the tale of a lovelorn trucker’s self-induced slumber at the wheel), or the title track, in which an apparent neurotic rambles on about the object of his affection, a funeral singer.

In addition to his studio savvy, Tim is also a versatile live performer. His live set employs an instrument he invented, dubbed the “angel bar,” that tracks his voice via an extra microphone and allows him to essentially “sing” string arrangements. This along with his emotive tenor and knack for finger-style guitar playing make for a multi-dimensional performance whether performing solo or with band. He has recently landed supporting slots for such notable artists as Giant Sand, The Frames, Josh Rouse, Sparklehorse and Ed Harcourt.

When not adding to his own body of work, Tim applies his producing, arranging and mixing talents to the projects of other artists that catch his fancy. He’s also been known to offer his voice to commercial radio jingles in foreign places such as Brazil, the United Kingdom, and even Houston, Texas. His favorite food is pizza.