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JUNE 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM
TIMOTHY B. SCHMIT Still soaring after all these years, with the Eagles and without
TIMOTHY B. SCHMIT IS THE FIRST
to admit he’s a lucky man. In 1977, after
several years with the country-rock band
Poco, the singer-bassist was invited to join
superstar group the Eagles. Soon after
he joined the band, founders Glenn Frey
and Don Henley took one of Schmit’s
work-in-progress tunes—“I Can’t Tell You
Why”—and helped their new recruit turn it
into a 1979 hit that today remains a staple
of classic rock radio. From then on, he
has shone as perhaps the sweetest voice
in a band not lacking in harmonies. He
has contributed his vocal, instrumental
and songwriting skills to every Eagles
project since 1979’s six-times-platinum The
Long Run.
The Sacramento, Calif., native has taken
advantage of the Eagles’ periodic breaks
to build an impressive solo discography.
His latest, Expando, is a homespun effort
that harks back to his folk-pop and R&B
roots. Schmit assembled an all-star cast
for Expando. Bluesman Keb’ Mo’ pitches
in on slide Dobro for the country-blues
ditty “One More Mile.” Fleshing out the
harmony-laden ballad “Friday Night” are Van
Dyke Parks on accordion and the Band’s
Garth Hudson playing organ. And in an
unlikely pairing, Kid Rock and Dwight Yoakam
provide harmony vocals for the spooky, after-
hours jazz tune “Downtime.” Star power
notwithstanding, Schmit himself handled
most of the instrumentation on Expando,
tracking bass, acoustic guitar, percussion
and other instruments in his own studio.
Schmit, 62, still has time for the Eagles,
of course—the group has been touring
stadiums this summer. He spoke with us
from his home outside Los Angeles about
the new disc, his love of playing bass and
the state of the Eagles.
What was your vision for Expando?
My intention was to start from where my
roots lie, in folk music. Every song on the
album began on acoustic guitar. I’d get a
really good lead vocal, so that everything
stood right there, by itself, with just the vocal
and the guitar. Then I built on each song
from there.
‘My intention was to start from where my roots lie, in folk music.’
Rand
ee S
t. N
ichola
s
3434
Q&A
M mag 4.indd 34 6/15/10 11:36:09 PM
JUNE 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM
Which guests surprised you?
I was slightly surprised that Kid Rock said,
“Sure, I’ll do this.” Because of scheduling
confl icts, he and Dwight Yoakam weren’t
able to do “Downtime” together. And I
don’t think that would have been a good
idea, anyway—each said they weren’t really
background or harmony singers. But they
hung in there. Everybody on the album was
concerned about whether I was pleased with
their performance. They were determined to
get things to the point where I was happy.
How does making a solo album compare
with making an Eagles record?
It’s defi nitely different. There are certain
expectations that go with making an Eagles
album. And there are compromises, because
it’s a group. You don’t always get what you
think is best, and vice versa. When you’re
doing a solo album, the buck stops with you.
I did whatever I wanted without having to
answer to anybody. No discussions about
whether or not I should do something. There
were no parameters.
Did Henley and Frey ever explain why
they invited you to join the Eagles?
They didn’t have to explain to me why
I was a good fi t. I think it was obvious to
everybody. And I was delighted. I was
ecstatic over the offer. At the time, I was
becoming disenchanted with what was
going on with Poco, and I was on the edge
of fi guring out what my next move might be.
This opportunity came up, and I thought,
“This could not be more perfect.” It was a
great match for me—and I feel I was a great
match for them. I don’t mean that in a cocky
way. It’s just true.
Is it true the band pushed “I Can’t
Tell You Why” to be more R&B than
country-fl avored?
Yes. But that was also because they knew
I was into R&B, too. I had just come from
Poco, but I’d had to sort of learn to get into
Poco’s country-rock style. I love Al Green
and Aretha Franklin, and lots of older R&B
stuff. Don and Glenn and I had lots of
discussions about that. I had this piece of
a song that seemed to fi t what everyone
wanted. Eventually we worked out the
song together.
Has having two headstrong guys in the
Eagles served the group well?
Obviously it has. In any group, certain people
tend to be leaders. There are stronger forces
in some people than there are in others. That
whole scene, with the Eagles, was already
well in place before I joined. It wasn’t hard
to fi gure that out. Obviously the Eagles
have had an incredible run as a band, both
before and since I joined. Something’s
going right.
What’s the atmosphere like in the
band now?
It’s pretty much a case of our getting together
and going to work. We have a really strong
following on the West Coast, where we’ve
done a string of sold-out shows. That’s really
nice, after all these years. It’s not like the
old days. We were younger then and carried
on more. Now we all have families, and
some of the guys still have young children.
We get together, we work really hard,
and we’re constantly polishing. We do
soundchecks every day, and if something
is wrong—or if something didn’t go well the
night before—we fi gure it out and correct
it. That’s true even with the old songs. You
would be amazed how much we have to
work on those, too. And when we’re fi nished,
we all go our separate ways, back to our
personal lives. It’s a working situation, and
that’s fi ne.
What’s your go-to bass?
What I refer to as Number One these days is
a ’62 sunburst stack-knob Fender Jazz bass.
I acquired it within the last fi ve years. As soon
as I played the fi rst notes, I went, “Wow, this
is happening.” I have other Jazz basses as
well, for use with different tunings. The two
oddballs are a Pedulla fretless Buzz bass,
which I use on “The Boys of Summer,” and a
Rob Allen MB-2 bass for one of the acoustic
songs, “Waiting in the Weeds.”
What fi rst drew you to the bass?
When I was in my early teens, a couple of
friends and I had a little folk group that we
patterned after the Kingston Trio. Before
long we found a drummer, borrowed some
electric instruments, and everybody wanted
to play lead guitar. It became obvious who
should be playing what, and it was clear
I should be the bass player. I was always
attracted to that “low end” sound. I was also
good at singing and playing the bass at the
same time.
How have you kept grounded?
I try to keep things in perspective. Joining the
Eagles defi nitely changed things in my life,
and I no longer have to worry about certain
things. I try on a daily basis to throw my
gratitude up into the cosmos, corny as that
sounds. This sort of thing doesn’t happen
to many people. One of my big childhood
dreams not only happened, but I’m still
living it.
–Russell Hall
‘One of my big childhood dreams not only happened, but I’m still living it.’
L. C
ohen/W
ireIm
ag
e for
The R
ecord
ing
Acad
em
y
Schmit on stage in Los Angeles,
February 2007
35
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