FEATURES
One-man band shows off chops at WOW Hall
Adam Amato Emerald
Tim Reynolds plays his unique blend of acoustic and new age sounds to a sold out audience
at WOW Hall Friday night. His one-man band style caught the ears of many.
r
■ A sold-out audience grooves
to acoustic and electric guitars
and new-age echoes
By Anne Le Chevallier
Oregon Daily Emerald
Guitar virtuoso Tim Reynolds
could have signed with a major
record label. Reynolds, a long-time
friend of Dave Matthews, could
have joined the Dave Matthews
Band. Many DMB fans might won
der why Reynolds would trade his
ticket of fame and fortune for a
solo tour in the small bars and the
aters of America, but those attend
ing his performance Friday
evening at WOW Hall may have
understood.
Taking away the band, set and
lyrics, Reynolds gave the audience
of all ages his most personal form
of self-expression: electronic wiz
ardry and the intricate rhythms of
his guitar.
“He didn’t have to sing. He
spoke through his guitar,” said
concert-goer Jesse Williams.
Reynolds waited until after his
first song to welcome the crowd,
which showed that his music,
rather than his stage presence, was
the entertainment.
With his soft, scratchy voice,
Reynolds also showed his playful
side. He spoke with an accent, but
it was hard to tell if this was a
product of his diverse background
or his sense of humor.
University student Ali Himes
Ferris said she thought the Ger
man-born musician was having
fun.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he
was feigning an accent for kicks,”
she said.
After a round of applause, he
told the sold-out crowd, “Spank
you very much.” And he later told
them about the genitals of the rub
ber alien taped to his microphone.
Reynolds, wearing a gray Coca
Cola tank top, jeans and silver and
orange sunglasses, said few words
throughout the night, but what he
did say was revealing.
“The system is controlling the
masses and keeping them stupid,”
Reynolds said. Thus, the creator of
six CDs set the stage for a perform
ance about individuality and versa
tility.
Because he wasn’t limited by
other band members, he experi
mented and improvised his reper
toire. In a song he called “Congo
Masturbators,” the audience heard
bongo drums, shakers, heavy in
dustrial sounds and an acoustic
guitar. In other songs he brought
out 12-string electric and acoustic
guitars, thumping bass, stomps, riff
changes, new-age echoes and dark,
ominous sounds.
Reynolds’ onstage behavior
might have confused fans at first.
-He would record a track, repeat it
with his equipment, switch guitars,
record another track and switch
guitars again to produce a full song.
But soon, it became clear that with
just four guitars, some electronic
equipment and some unusual ac
tivity, Reynolds could produce the
sounds of three guitarists and a
drummer. In effect, he was a one
man band.
For most of the night, the focused
crowd stared in awe as Reynolds’
fingers flew over the strings in fast
forward mode. At times, his fingers
seemed invisible and surreal.
Because Reynolds could tune his
guitar while the equipment played
his previous melody, Himes-Ferris
said she thought he had perfect
pitch. She also said the reach of his
left hand was “amazing” and his
right hand’s picking was “precise.”
She said she felt like she was
watching a virtuoso.
Despite Reynolds unique style
and technical mastery, some of his
long, harmonious rhythms started
to lull the audience to sleep.
Observing the audience’s fading
attention, Williams said, “You can
only take so much guitar.”
Himes-Ferris said she was frus
trated by the constant murmur she
heard in the small, intimate hall.
To her, the concert seemed like a
clash between the quiet, respectful
world of classical music and the
brash concert halls of rock.
“I felt like he was playing at a
recital, and you don’t talk at a clas
sical recital,” she said. “You just sit
quietly and listen.”
Surprisingly, Reynolds left the
stage on a quiet note, but he re
turned after a round of applause.
Carrying roses in his teeth and wip
ing sweat off his forehead,
Reynolds picked up a guitar again
to play an energizing Spanish tune
mixed with “X-Files” sounds.
Senior journalism major Dan
Hendricks observed, “He’s one of
music’s best kept secrets.”
Anne Le Chevallier is a features reporter for
the Oregon Daily Emerald. She can be reached
at annelechevallier@dailyemerald.com.
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