We Speak With Tim Snider And Find Out More About New Single, ‘By Your Side’, His Favourite Instrument, And Band Wolfgang Timber

We wrote about Tim Snider’s new single, ‘By Your Side’ last week, and we were intrigued by his musical talent, as well as the name of his band, Wolfgang Timber. Naturally, we asked him about all this, and found out a few more things along the way! We hope you enjoy our interview!

Hi Tim, thanks for speaking to us today!

We’ve been listening to ‘By Your Side’ and we’re loving the deceptive simplicity of it. On the surface it’s a simple love song, but there’s so many different layers to it. What was your inspiration for the song?

First off, thanks so much for having me and for listening to it. Secondly, I think a lot of things in life are that way, especially relationships. They might appear to be simple on the surface but as you dive in you begin to realize there is often more to the story.

I’ve been writing love songs to my wife now for a long time and at this point there is bound to be some more depth than there was 10 years ago when we first met. I think a lot of people get stuck in chasing the initial spark of love and miss out on what comes with deep partnership. I feel so blessed to have experienced the level of commitment that we’ve shared with one another so far and I hope we are blessed enough to continue that journey.

It’s not always easy. Our lives are in constant change, we change, and everything around us changes. But to have someone willing to go through life with you and all your bullshit, is a pretty incredible thing. I’m a very intense person and I’m fully aware that my wife puts up with a lot from me. I wanted to write a song to let her know that I got her back too and I’ll always be there for her like I know she is there for me. 

How many musical instruments do you play, what’s your favourite, and do you have a brand you prefer? If so, why?

Man, I play a lot of instruments! As many as I can get my hands on. It’s kind of a problem to be honest. How many I play well is another question entirely, haha. For instance, I LOVE playing drums and all percussion instruments but I’m terrible at them. Mostly I’m a strings guy. If it has strings, or as they say in the south, “strangs” I can figure it out.

Violin is my original love though. I started playing at the age of 4 and when you start something that young it ends up feeling a bit like an extension of your body. It’s just something I’ve always done. On a violin, if I can think it, I can play it. Sometimes, when I’m lucky enough I feel like the violin even does the thinking for me and that’s when music is at it’s best. 

I generally play a 5 string electric violin made by Zeta for live performances so I don’t have to worry about feedback issues or anything like that when playing with live bands. Over time I really began to enjoy running it through different effect pedals and experimenting with tones to see how wild I can get with it. I began trying to emulate different instruments. Everything from attempting to sound like Jimmy Hendrix to horn players, to my favorite vocalists. 

My acoustic violin, however, is my prize possession. It was my great grandfather’s, handed down to my grandmother and then to me. It’s an old German make (we’re not German btw) that was made in 1780. It’s absolutely priceless to me and I hope very much one day to pass it on to my daughter if she decides to play. 

Tell us about Wolfgang Timber. How did your band come together, and where does the name come from?

Wolfgang Timber is an alter ego name that was gifted to me by a musician friend at a music festival called Lightning in a Bottle. You see, he’d never been to a music festival before and he was freaking out about the kind names of people we were meeting. Names like Dandelion, Sunshine, and Star Dust. Not even a minute after he learned that we could name ourselves whatever we wanted in this setting he introduced me to the next person we came across as Wolfgang Timber. He said, “This is my homie Wolfgang Timber and I’m the Invisible Brightness.” The names stuck with me and l always thought it would be a good name for a new project. Artists are always having to reinvent ourselves and Wolfgang Timber is definitely a new chapter for me.

The band is all out of Reno, NV and we we came together in 2020. After years of traveling and living all over the world, my wife and I had just moved back to my hometown, Reno, to raise our daughter near family and of course we had no idea that we were about to go through a worldwide pandemic. Wildly enough Wolfgang Timber might not have become a band if it hadn’t been for Covid.

Pre-covid we were all playing in different projects and even though we lived in the same town and knew each other, either I was too busy out on the road, or they were to be able to get together and play. After a few months of isolation with my family and battling some deep depression, I had around the feeling of getting the rug pulled out from under my carrier, I called up Zack Teran, (bass player in the group), and said, -“Dude, let’s get together and play for the fun of it.” He suggested we call Miguel Jiménez-Cruz to play drums and the rest is history. Right off the bat the chemistry was there, and it just felt so good to play, like music did in the beginning! We had all been in similar situations of reevaluating our lives and priorities and decided that this felt right, and we were going to give it a shot.

We all quit the vastly more successful bands we were in and made this little group a priority. Eventually Miguel said I know this guitar player Lucas Arizu. He showed up to jam and was a perfect fit. I didn’t even know at the time all the other instruments he played. I always joke that the flute is his hidden talent, but the truth is I’m still uncovering hidden talents from this dude. We also have Chance Utter on percussion from time to time, one of the most talented percussionist I’ve ever met who knows more about folkloric music than all of us combined. 

The craziest part for me is that I’ve lived and played music all over the world with so many talented musicians. Never did I think that I would find the kind musicians, chemistry, and perfect band for me in my hometown. I mean, let’s face it. Reno is not known as a music town but we aim to change that!

If suddenly music no longer existed, what would you do otherwise?

I really like this question because it gets to the heart of why we play music in the first place. The older I get the more important that “why” seems to become. It’s pretty insane what touring musicians go through and put up with to perform for people. So many people I meet want to come on tour and have this fantasy of what it would be like; but the truth is, no matter the level of touring, that if you’re not working in the crew or playing on stage it kind of sucks and the fantasy wears off quick. To answer your question though, I think at the end of the day music is communication. It’s a way of passing on stories and culture, a way of sharing emotions that are sometimes too difficult to convey with words, and ultimately, it’s a way to connect people.

Through music we often find that we are not so different, that we all want the same things out of life, and that we’re not alone. I’ve met so many amazing people through music. I’ve made friends not even being able to speak their native language or them being able to speak mine. Music has broadened my perspective on life, spirituality, and how I view the world. I think it has the power to change people’s hearts and minds and ultimately unite the world in common understanding.

That being said I think I would keep doing what I’m doing through another medium, maybe art, storytelling, or food, I really don’t know. But what I do know is that the mission would be the same. Connect with people, tell stories that need to be told, and do my part to keep culture and art alive for the generations to come.

Finally, what question do you wish someone would ask you in an interview, but nobody ever does? And what’s the answer to that question?

Boxers or Briefs?

Haha, The answer is both of course… boxer briefs 😉

Watch the music video for ‘By Your Side’ below, and find out more about Tim Snider and his music online on his official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.