Timberhawk

It's Timberhawk Time

by Rob "Bubbs" Harris
AN IN INTERVIEW

Cover bands are a dime a dozen. From a musician's standpoint, it doesn't take much to figure out how to play a bunch of other people's songs for the patrons at any given watering hole for some easy pay. Some may toss a few originals in there, but let's face it, if you're in a cover band, originality just isn't really the name of the game. However, once in a blue moon we come across a band that reeks of originality, even if they are playing someone else's songs. Pensacola's Timberhawk is one such group.
The first time I saw these guys, I saw them throw down back-to-back covers of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" and The Band's "Cripple Creek" and thought to myself, "Wow! I've never heard those songs like that before." What started out as a three piece has recently become four with the addition of a second guitarist who is not at all unfamiliar with the way things work in the Timberhawk camp. I had a chance to sit down over a couple of beers and catch up with the guys (Well, pretty much all of them. Drummer Josh Barnhill arrived late after loading in at the venue they were playing down the road) to talk about a familiar past and what the future holds.
IN: When did you guys get together and start getting serious about playing music? As I understand, you all used to be in another band together before Timberhawk.
JORDAN RICHARDS (VOCALS/GUITAR): It all started about six years ago. Aubrey Nichols (bass) and I started jamming together and later hooked up with Nathan Dillaha (guitar) and formed Reynosa. Things just kind of slowed down with Reynosa, and Nathan went on to play with The Gills, so we formed Timberhawk as a three piece.
NICHOLS: We've been playing as Timberhawk for about two years now.

IN: What I like most about you guys is the fact that you pick not only an obscure selection of covers to play, but you do it in your unique style, which really sets you apart from most cover bands.
NICHOLS: Thanks for saying that. We try not to put too much stock into following what's trendy or meeting criteria for whatever fads are going on at the time. We like to listen to and play songs from the bands that we really enjoy.
RICHARDS: We are heavily influenced by a lot of classic rock acts like The Band, because that's where it all started. When you hear the music from bands like that, you know that it was the first time that it was being done, and done right. I would much rather pay tribute to groups like that than just whip out whatever you hear on the radio.
IN: So it's probably pretty safe to say that you were all raised on good 'ole Southern rock? I mean, you just don't all of a sudden grow up and discover groups like The Band and Marshall Tucker. You have to be raised on that stuff.
RICHARDS: We all went through those rebellious periods in high school and all, where we were trying to distance ourselves from that kind of stuff while on our way to discovering who we truly were. It just turned out that we didn't need to change anything. We all like that old stuff that our parents used to listen to, and it naturally worked its way into our cerebellum and influenced us as musicians.

IN: How did you end up getting Nathan back into the fold?
RICHARDS: Like I said, we played with Nathan before, and since then, we have played with a lot of different guitarists, but Nathan was always the one that we had the most chemistry with. His voice is the guitar and he really knows how to express himself with it.
NICHOLS: Since Reynosa disbanded, Jordan and I have been playing music together, but we were always talking about how we could get Nathan back. Jordan put it very well when he said that the guitar is Nathan's voice. He knows where a melody should go and he takes it there. We are really happy to have him back playing with us again.
DILLAHA: I might have you guys fooled. (Laughs) For me, it was just a matter of wanting to do something else. I had a lot of fun - Independent Weekly info@inweekly.net