Tim and the 23s

Usually, party boy homegrown rockers tend to keep their demographic within the local bar and small concert hall scene. But San Diego’s own Tim and the 23’s are anything but the usual. “Dislocated” is their new album and Tim and the 23’s are making headway for the big-time.

Since the release of the band’s first self-titled album in 2006, they have been playing shows regularly in their hometown as well as visiting other major cities such as Phoenix and Seattle – including a tour of the western United States in 2007, wrapping up the road trip at the famed Whiskey-A-Go-Go on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, Calif. During that time they also wrote and recorded their second album ‘Dislocated,’ released on Oct. 20, 2009, according to the band’s Web site.

Fronted by singer-songwriter and guitarist, Tim Malley (an exile from the Philadelphia coffee shop-rock scene, who had previously been a member of the Whisky Dicks), Tim and the 23’s are a solid rock three piece who put out an amazing effort to have fun and enjoy life playing music.

Lately, the trends of Americana and storytelling have been infused with folk or, what people are calling it today, “chair-core.” But Tim and the 23’s bring mass amounts of energy to this idea of telling stories from the road, childhood and life in general. With the ability to grow into something exciting and new, Tim and the 23’s root their inspiration to Springsteen and The Rolling Stones, along with contemporary acts such as Wilco and Ween.

The beginning of the album has a party-like, 1990s punk tone with songs such as “This party’s gotta woo!” and “Hurricane” and begins to break down through the track entitled “Been to California,” where the Springsteen influence truly stands out.

Breaking it down into some good ol’ fashioned “Southern Rock with Breakfast,” the guys get twangy with the guitars as the vocal harmonies play their biggest role yet. The chorus is a direct influence from The Who’s “Tommy” and the verses rock hard while front man Tim Malley sings, telling a girl he wants some breakfast.

“Chained to the Line,” is as beautiful as a song may get on “Dislocated.” A true inspiration, filled with melodic tones and lyrics expressing tough times through hard work. It’s a perfect song to express the current recession and depicts the inevitable problems that will occur in an American family as the recession continues.

They soon get bad with a track entitled “Bad One,” where they heavily flex their blues guns while keeping to their style of non-conformity and authenticity. They continue to keep this idea throughout with tracks that carry reggae tones such as “Gotta go to work” and “Gale force winds.”

“Dislocated” can be purchased on iTunes or ordered in CD form on the bands Web site, www. timandthe23s.com. - Western Herald

Usually, party boy homegrown rockers tend to keep their demographic within the local bar and small concert hall scene. But San Diego’s own Tim and the 23’s are anything but the usual. “Dislocated” is their new album and Tim and the 23’s are making headway for the big-time.

Since the release of the band’s first self-titled album in 2006, they have been playing shows regularly in their hometown as well as visiting other major cities such as Phoenix and Seattle – including a tour of the western United States in 2007, wrapping up the road trip at the famed Whiskey-A-Go-Go on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, Calif. During that time they also wrote and recorded their second album ‘Dislocated,’ released on Oct. 20, 2009, according to the band’s Web site.

Fronted by singer-songwriter and guitarist, Tim Malley (an exile from the Philadelphia coffee shop-rock scene, who had previously been a member of the Whisky Dicks), Tim and the 23’s are a solid rock three piece who put out an amazing effort to have fun and enjoy life playing music.

Lately, the trends of Americana and storytelling have been infused with folk or, what people are calling it today, “chair-core.” But Tim and the 23’s bring mass amounts of energy to this idea of telling stories from the road, childhood and life in general. With the ability to grow into something exciting and new, Tim and the 23’s root their inspiration to Springsteen and The Rolling Stones, along with contemporary acts such as Wilco and Ween.

The beginning of the album has a party-like, 1990s punk tone with songs such as “This party’s gotta woo!” and “Hurricane” and begins to break down through the track entitled “Been to California,” where the Springsteen influence truly stands out.

Breaking it down into some good ol’ fashioned “Southern Rock with Breakfast,” the guys get twangy with the guitars as the vocal harmonies play their biggest role yet. The chorus is a direct influence from The Who’s “Tommy” and the verses rock hard while front man Tim Malley sings, telling a girl he wants some breakfast.

“Chained to the Line,” is as beautiful as a song may get on “Dislocated.” A true inspiration, filled with melodic tones and lyrics expressing tough times through hard work. It’s a perfect song to express the current recession and depicts the inevitable problems that will occur in an American family as the recession continues.

They soon get bad with a track entitled “Bad One,” where they heavily flex their blues guns while keeping to their style of non-conformity and authenticity. They continue to keep this idea throughout with tracks that carry reggae tones such as “Gotta go to work” and “Gale force winds.”

“Dislocated” can be purchased on iTunes or ordered in CD form on the bands Web site, www. timandthe23s.com. - Western Herald

I was sent a copy of a CD by a San Diego rock band, not the obvious review choice for a site dedicated to Philadelphia acoustic music. But like the live Papertrees show (see below), this is a music experience of authenticity and unpretentiousness, a stripped-down recording with acoustic sensibility.

Fronted by songwriter and guitarist Tim Malley, a exile from the Philadelphia coffee shop circuit whose previous work includes a stint in the shock-rock Whiskey Dicks, which also featured Philly folk stalwart Chris Kasper. Kasper also guested on Malley's debut LP, 2006's Tim and the 23s, an credible effort made possible by the input of strong players from the Philly and San Diego music scenes. In the wake of this recording, Malley put together a tight and talented three-piece band with bassist Chris Dutton and drummer Matt Liebowitz. They hit the San Diego bars (for gigs and otherwise) and embarked on several regional tours, forging a close musical bond of straight-up rock with a simple song-centered ethos that shines through on Dislocated (Swell Music, 2009).

From its opening, Dislocated hits with the honest hedonistic rock of "This Party's Gotta Woo!" The lyrics on this and songs like the excellent "Been to California" (with it's great fadeout sheet "I was a mess") and "Gotta Go to Work" express a world-weary knowing: these guys have been around, lived a fun, hard life, are touched by the world they inhabit, but know not to take things too seriously.

Other entries reveal a vibrant sense of humor. Malley references local heroes Ween with his line "didn't believe the roses were free even when they were given to me," and the influence of the "brothers" from New Hope comes across on songs like "Breakfast," the sincere country-folk-rock "Chained to the Line," (co-written by Dan May, now bassist for London pop-punk stars the Spivs [watch their new video here] and for Atomic Suplex, the UK's answer to Bob Log III) and the reggae-esque "Gale Force Winds" and "Mr. Bob Todd." This light-hearted sensibility veers into un-pc territory on "Bad One" (sample lyric: "I slept with your sister, I found her down at the pound") and "Squeel Like a Pig", but never drifts into offensiveness.

Where Malley's debut effort was blighted by some inconsistent production and musicianship, the tight musical comradeship of this 23s iteration perfectly backs up the honest hedonistic rock. Leibowitz's intelligent, well-stated drumming and Dutton's earthy bass-playing combine in a grungey interplay, an ideal platform for Malley's excellent guitar work (see tracks 3, 4, 7, and 8, among others) and strong, forceful vocals.

The striped down sound, unrepentant rock, and existential/humorous lyrics come together perfectly on Dislocated's high-quality final track, "Neighborhood," Malley and co's homage to their friendly SoCal beach town. (Sample lyric: "my friend named Karen's got a friend named Larry and he sleeps on her couch.") When the band sing "we all live in the neighborhood," they make you wish you did too. A Philadelphia return is eagerly anticipated.

Band: Tim and the 23s
Album: Dislocated (Swell Music, 2009)
Produced by: Tim and the 23s
Engineered by: Chris Dutton, Tim Malley, Kyle Thompson, and Deborah Reeves
Mixed by: Kyle Thompson
Engineered by: Alastair Spitzley

See Timandthe23s.com for more information. - Philly Acoustic Reviews

I was sent a copy of a CD by a San Diego rock band, not the obvious review choice for a site dedicated to Philadelphia acoustic music. But like the live Papertrees show (see below), this is a music experience of authenticity and unpretentiousness, a stripped-down recording with acoustic sensibility.

Fronted by songwriter and guitarist Tim Malley, a exile from the Philadelphia coffee shop circuit whose previous work includes a stint in the shock-rock Whiskey Dicks, which also featured Philly folk stalwart Chris Kasper. Kasper also guested on Malley's debut LP, 2006's Tim and the 23s, an credible effort made possible by the input of strong players from the Philly and San Diego music scenes. In the wake of this recording, Malley put together a tight and talented three-piece band with bassist Chris Dutton and drummer Matt Liebowitz. They hit the San Diego bars (for gigs and otherwise) and embarked on several regional tours, forging a close musical bond of straight-up rock with a simple song-centered ethos that shines through on Dislocated (Swell Music, 2009).

From its opening, Dislocated hits with the honest hedonistic rock of "This Party's Gotta Woo!" The lyrics on this and songs like the excellent "Been to California" (with it's great fadeout sheet "I was a mess") and "Gotta Go to Work" express a world-weary knowing: these guys have been around, lived a fun, hard life, are touched by the world they inhabit, but know not to take things too seriously.

Other entries reveal a vibrant sense of humor. Malley references local heroes Ween with his line "didn't believe the roses were free even when they were given to me," and the influence of the "brothers" from New Hope comes across on songs like "Breakfast," the sincere country-folk-rock "Chained to the Line," (co-written by Dan May, now bassist for London pop-punk stars the Spivs [watch their new video here] and for Atomic Suplex, the UK's answer to Bob Log III) and the reggae-esque "Gale Force Winds" and "Mr. Bob Todd." This light-hearted sensibility veers into un-pc territory on "Bad One" (sample lyric: "I slept with your sister, I found her down at the pound") and "Squeel Like a Pig", but never drifts into offensiveness.

Where Malley's debut effort was blighted by some inconsistent production and musicianship, the tight musical comradeship of this 23s iteration perfectly backs up the honest hedonistic rock. Leibowitz's intelligent, well-stated drumming and Dutton's earthy bass-playing combine in a grungey interplay, an ideal platform for Malley's excellent guitar work (see tracks 3, 4, 7, and 8, among others) and strong, forceful vocals.

The striped down sound, unrepentant rock, and existential/humorous lyrics come together perfectly on Dislocated's high-quality final track, "Neighborhood," Malley and co's homage to their friendly SoCal beach town. (Sample lyric: "my friend named Karen's got a friend named Larry and he sleeps on her couch.") When the band sing "we all live in the neighborhood," they make you wish you did too. A Philadelphia return is eagerly anticipated.

Band: Tim and the 23s
Album: Dislocated (Swell Music, 2009)
Produced by: Tim and the 23s
Engineered by: Chris Dutton, Tim Malley, Kyle Thompson, and Deborah Reeves
Mixed by: Kyle Thompson
Engineered by: Alastair Spitzley

See Timandthe23s.com for more information. - Philly Acoustic Reviews