CONNECT | Timshel Release Celebration
Some of our talented musicians are celebrating the release of a new album on May 17th at Art Bar.Here is the press release and show details. See you there.
_ Columbia Rock Band Timshel Invites Catharsis With Shouldering The Rubble
Columbia, SC - “Initially, I think Daniel and I just wanted to get loud,” says vocalist, guitarist, and cellist, Alderman Douglas, when asked to explain the origins of Timshel, the five-piece rock band he and drummer, Daniel Wilson, formed in 2010. Mission more than accomplished. Joined by Michael Shaming on guitar, Ben Irons on bass, and Mario McClean on piano and vocals, Timshel’s soulful euphony hits with an intensity that goes beyond audio perception.
Inspired by Steinbeck’s East of Eden, Timshel lives up to its name through a musical exploration of free will and all of its trappings, both material and visceral.
“Timshel represents that conversation I have with my conscience one hundred times a day,” says Douglas, “I can go with or against God. It’s just a contemplative idea that keeps me present when I am consciously sound.”
The band’s newest release, Shouldering the Rubble, confronts this struggle head on. The juxtaposition of Douglas’ controlled tenor with explosive bluesy rock (think Jeff Buckley meets Zeppelin) adeptly betrays the curse within the gift. While traditional verse/chorus/bridge structures are a rarity for the album, each track provides narration for a meandering, but entirely relatable, journey from painful self-doubt to an almost manic determination to overcome past failings. Douglas’ musings, however, remain tethered by an empowering self-awareness. Therein lies the hook. The other side of spiritual growth can feel akin to surviving one’s own personal war. Timshel invites veterans and current warriors alike to share in a collective catharsis.
With drums recorded in the old-gym-turned-machine-shop at 701 Whaley, rather than in a traditional studio, the album successfully captures the feel of a live performance.
“We wanted those giant When the Levee Breaks kind of drum sounds, and I think we got them. It [recording this way] really appealed to the guys producing the album and gave us all a chance to create a rock ‘n’ roll record we really enjoyed,” Douglas explains.
Shouldering the Rubble is currently available for download, and the band will celebrate its release at Art Bar on May 17 with fellow Columbia music staples The Restoration, Post Timey String Band, The Marshall Brown Band, and The Fire Tonight.
