Music Style General

Similar Artists Jeff Buckley, Jason Mraz, Oasis, John Mayer

Instruments Accoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, bass

Press Reviews Review by Emily Pettigrew: "It's a big world, and there's a lot of music out there to experience. That fact isn't lost on Tim Porter, the Boston-based singer-songwriter whose sonic worldview acknowledges the aural treasures in musical idioms that are both emotionally austere and layered in complexity. But while lesser talents clumsily wield musical styles like a wedding band trying to land a job, Porter is only in service to his songs. 'I'm only influenced by my own personal experiences,' says Porter. 'Every lyric I write and every tone I set is an indication of what I was living through at the time I wrote a particular song. I just want to convey the emotions behind each song, and get them down in some sort of concrete form.' Porter's major musical experiences began in Boston, Massachusetts, where he was an in-demand DJ in the city's rave scene. After three years of spinning in clubs, parties and underground raves, Porter had cultivated a steadfast appreciation for the powerful beats and brash melodic themes inherent in the club music at the time (Porter still acknowledges a love for Orbital and The Prodigy). At the same time, however, he realized that the genre wasn't the optimum vehicle to express his personal feelings and emotions. He soon sold all of his gear and records, commandeered a roommate's acoustic guitar and taught himself how to play. 'I was writing music as soon as I learned two chords,' Porter recalls. 'I borrowed a drum machine and a four-track recorder and within a year, I was recording my songs at home. I was still spending time at the clubs and I almost exclusively listened to and continued to buy trance and other electronica. I think this has influenced me, even subconsciously, as to how I write music.' If there is one thing that the seemingly disparate realms of the singer-songwriter and trance electronics have in common, it is the goal of exploring the possibilities of mind expansion. While trance music utilizes repetition and slight sonic tweaks, the songwriter's trade is much more direct and literal. Porter's body of work is not only an honest representation of where he is as a musician, but also as a person. He sidesteps the clichés of the oh-so-heartfelt coffeehouse crooners in thoughtful ways ranging from the plaintive 'I Don't Know,' the concert-hall desperation of 'Waiting,' the clicking mechanics in the vitriolic 'Corrode,' the aching of 'Hey,' and the marriage of jangling guitars and sequenced beats at the instrumental 'Altar.' Clearly, there's no hipster cache or contrived careerism in this music. Tim Porter sounds as familiar as an old friend, only twice as honest. It's time to re-introduce yourself."

Location Boston, MA - USA

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