Dan Tyminski – I’m with the band
The best lesson the success of O Brother taught Tyminski was that emotion is always better than perfection when it comes to recording. “The main thing is having a personal connection, for sure — not being in perfect tune,” he says. “And I learned that from working on that record.”
But his heart wasn’t in becoming a big solo artist. “I’m just not a solo career guy,” he says. “That’s probably not what I should be saying, since I’m going out with a band called the Dan Tyminski Band — but it’s a band. I’m a band person. I really wanted to record with these particular people. We all wanted to get together and create. We wanted to capture that spark we have when we play together.”
The particular people are mandolin great Adam Steffey; fiddler and banjo player Ron Stewart, who appeared on a live album with Lester Flatt at age 9; fiddler and dobro player Justin Moses; and his AKUS bandmate Barry Bales on bass. Special guests Vince Gill, the Whites, and Ron Block show up on the disc as well.
“Hopefully we’ll be judged as an entity, as a collective that plays together,” Tyminski says. “These musicians are the best of the best. I’m so proud of them all and their craft.”
He’s also proud of the songs on the album, but admits that he picked the tracks as it was being recorded. He believes in being organic all the way, letting things fall into place as they will. “It’s just by the grace of God that we got such great songs,” he laughs. “I’m not a song-hunter, or much of a writer — that’s more of a forced effort for me than the playing.”
Close to half of the album’s material was selected while the band was in the studio, culled from recordings that the musicians and crew members brought in.
One personal pick for Tyminski was “Whose Soulder Will You Cry On?”, originally recorded by Kitty Wells (she also co-wrote it, with Billy Wallace) and later by Don Paisley. “My mom used to sing that one,” he says, “so I remember hearing it when I was a very young boy.”
He was also excited to include a Del McCoury cover, “Who Showed Who”, which was suggested by Krauss. “The phone rung at about 6:45 a.m., and I answered groggily to Alison hollering ‘Who Showed Who!’ over and over. And of course she was right. I hold McCoury in very high regard and the song fit this band perfectly.”
Tyminski is joined by Sharon and Cheryl White on the tear-jerker “Some Early Morning”. While laying down the track, he kept hearing the Whites singing with him, and he knew he had to ask them to be a part of the project. “Their voices are so fragile and powerful at the same time,” he says. “This song is so dark, but it’s also about hope, about a better time a-coming, so we needed that hope that’s in their voices.”
There are also a couple by his AKUS bandmate Ron Block (who also does some guest rhythm guitar picking on Wheels), including “It All Comes Down To You”, which AKUS had recorded for 2001’s New Favorite with Block on lead vocal. “I debated on doing that one or not, since we already had a version, but I always wanted to sing it,” Tyminski admits. “I just connected with it, so that’s a selfish one, just for me.”
Tyminski himself penned “How Many Times”, a number that grew out of his frustration with songwriting. “I thought, ‘How many times have I sat down to write and produced nothing?’ — and then the song wrote itself,” he explains.
Tyminski chose Tim Stafford’s “How Long Is This Train?”, a beautiful tune about a man awaiting the arrival of his soldier son’s casket, for its storytelling qualities — not to make any kind of political statement about the war.
The songs are all solidly written and delivered with Tyminski’s trademark smooth baritone. Although he claims he’s not much of a songcatcher, he interprets every word with a deep understanding.
“I try to not be too conscious of creating music. I just try to let it be,” he says. “That’s what makes great music, I think.
“A good musician is someone who listens and is conscious and has a heightened awareness of everything. The song should pull the music out of you. You can’t make something special; it has to present itself naturally and be real.”
Tyminksi says the thing that’s most exciting for him is that the band will actually get to support the album on tour together. After years of searching for the right moment when they all had time off, everything seems to have aligned to make it happen.
Although he says he doesn’t relish being away from his three children (who are 10, 12 and 14) and his wife, Tyminski still loves playing live music. “I don’t know anything else but being on the road,” he says. “I get stir crazy if I’m off the road.”
The band will tour coast-to-coast in the United States, and up into Canada. They’re getting overseas offers, but they’re still not sure if they can swing those. Wherever they go, Tyminski looks forward to going out and sharing the music with the audience — and showing off the band.
“I’m not a bandleader, even if it is my name on the album cover,” he insists. “I’m just a band member, and that’s the way I like it.”
Contributing editor Silas House is a novelist living in Eastern Kentucky who is currently grieving the loss of No Depression.