Tim has been fascinated and obsessed by music since he was young. “As a young kid living on Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, the only music I heard, other than from my Dad’s eclectic record collection, was from weak-signaled radio stations beamed from across the Baie des Chaleurs. Later, as a teenager in Newfoundland, I felt very isolated from what was going on everywhere else. So from early on, music had an exotic and foreign quality. And since then, I have been drawn to music that is mysterious, interesting, and unusual.”

Tim has been studying at Winnipeg’s Hand Drum Rhythms Percussion School for the past five years. He studied with Jordan Hanson for one year (studying West African djembe and dununs, balafon, krin, Haitian, Cuban, Brazilian, and Burundi). For the past four years Tim has focused his studies on Mandingue-style, polyrhythmic, West African drumming with Rich Fontaine. Tim has also done workshops and classes with Jay Stoller (Ewe & darbouka), and Phoebe Mann (Taiko)… as well as with visiting teachers: Bruno Genero - from Italy (djembe and dununs), Fana Soro - from Ivory Coast (djembe and balafon), Mestre Barrão - from Brazil (Brazilian percussion), Jerry Steinholtz - from Los Angeles (conga), Celso Machado - from Brazil (Carnival samba percussion), Mestrando Índio (Brazilian percussion), the Zon brothers of the band Allakomi - from Burkina Faso (djembe), the Ba Cissoko band - from Guinea (djembe), and most recently, Lubomyr Melnyk – from Sweden (Continuous piano).

“Our world is an ocean of rhythms. To a percussionist, almost anything in the world can become a musical instrument. I am fascinated by the sounds that different instruments and objects make. I love to coax sounds from objects… to hear their particular sonic qualities. The resonant overtones of each object suggest particular rhythms and melodies to me. “

Tim’s interest in percussion began gradually and has grown exponentially in recent years. Tim plays a collection of percussion instruments from around the globe, including: djembe, dunun (bass drums & iron bells), gome (a tunable box drum), berimbau, krin (log slit drums), udu (pottery drum), talking drums, congas, bongos, timbales, roto-toms, bodhran, sakara, riq, pandeiro, frame drums, bells, and various small percussion instruments. His infamous shaker collection will likely take over his home someday. Tim’s first instrument was the guitar. He plays acoustic and electric guitars and tinkers with bass guitar, keyboards, and pretty much anything that makes sounds. He enjoys experimenting in his home recording studio.

Tim is currently a member of the Young Lungs Dance Exchange and a couple of Winnipeg-based, percussion-oriented groups. He has shared the stage with many wonderful musicians at concerts and fundraising events. Tim has been a member of groups including: Dunkutoo Percussion, The Bevs, Rhythmic Intuition, Heviosso and Chango. He once performed with Batuque Percussion (doing Carnival-style samba) while opening up for the New York hip-hop group, De La Soul.