Biography
“Wonderful stuff. Very fancy whistling ...”
--Bob Campbell, "Folk Music & Beyond,"
KALW 91.7 FM (NPR), San Francisco
"Affable and intelligent ... Tim stands out for the beauty of his melodious whistle playing, and the intricate rhythms he keeps on the bodhrán."
--Mark Mardon, The Bay Area Reporter, San Francisco
“Tim takes this Irish traditional music and pushes the edges in various ways. Personally, I think this is exactly what keeps the Irish tradition alive and keeps it dynamic."
-Andrew Doerr, “Roadtunes Sessions,” KCSB 91.9 FM, Santa Barbara
Tim Hart first took the plunge into traditional music one day while walking down San Francisco's Market Street. There, each Friday afternoon, was a Scottish piper, honking out sweet tunes to the passing throngs of work-weary dot-com employees and lazing bike messengers. Tim stopped and asked which instrument would be good for a rank beginner and the piper said, "the whistle. It's only six bucks. How can you go wrong?"
From there, he taught himself to play the traditional, high-pitched Irish whistle, eventually moving into the low and midrange whistles and the bodhrán (traditional frame drum). Like many in the aural tradition, he learned tunes one at a time from friends and in pub sessions, house parties, from old recordings and from friends. Later, Tim began to pen his own compositions in the traditional style.
Tim's first band was Kilmor, a trio based in San Jose, Calif.; he later played with Tinker’s Damn in Oakland, Calif., becoming a regular performer and workshop leader at local festivals. Tim later formed trio Greenbridge with guitartist-singer Tom Wagner (of Oak, Ash & Thorn) and fiddler-singer-guitar-player MIchael Mullen (of Tempest). While rooted in traditional instrumentation, tunes, songs and sounds, the group quickly became known for its unique brew of explorations with musical tangents, including improvisational borrowings from swing and jazz.
Tim released his debut solo CD, Five After Four in 2005, a collection of traditional and original tunes that explores the whistle from several musical perspectives. Joining Tim on the recording are some gifted and well-known California artists including Richard Mandel (of Three Mile Stone), Ann McChesney Young (Tinker’s Damn), Mullen and Wagner. Additionally, Tim has been a guest musician on several recordings by California artists including Michael Mullen, Kathy Buys and Kathleen Dunbar.
Beginning in 2009, Tim spent much time traveling around Ireland and mainland Europe, with Dublin being his newfound home base. There, he played with The Lazy Band -- Lisa O Neill, Mark McGuigan, Eimear Lynch, Enda Reilly, Liza Delaney, Mark Flynn, Cian Murphy and Elder Roche, along with gigs at some of Dublin's favorite Temple Bar and City Centre venues, including The Temple Bar, The International Bar, Bewley's Grafton Street Cafe, The Blarney Inn and The Front Lounge.
In addition to performing and recording, Tim can also has taught workshops on the whistle and bodhrán at venues such as The Berkeley Free Folk Festival, the San Francisco Free Folk Festival and Mendocino's famous Lark Camp. In 2011 Tim began teaching whistle and bodhran students online via Skype.
Tim plays Michael Burke, Chieftain and Overton whistles and Del Eckels bodhráns, a Berkeley Box Works cajon, and "the birthday goat,” a small, dubiously dyed drum with a big voice modeled on the African djembe and given to him on a recent birthday by his California musical friends.
--Bob Campbell, "Folk Music & Beyond,"
KALW 91.7 FM (NPR), San Francisco
"Affable and intelligent ... Tim stands out for the beauty of his melodious whistle playing, and the intricate rhythms he keeps on the bodhrán."
--Mark Mardon, The Bay Area Reporter, San Francisco
“Tim takes this Irish traditional music and pushes the edges in various ways. Personally, I think this is exactly what keeps the Irish tradition alive and keeps it dynamic."
-Andrew Doerr, “Roadtunes Sessions,” KCSB 91.9 FM, Santa Barbara
Tim Hart first took the plunge into traditional music one day while walking down San Francisco's Market Street. There, each Friday afternoon, was a Scottish piper, honking out sweet tunes to the passing throngs of work-weary dot-com employees and lazing bike messengers. Tim stopped and asked which instrument would be good for a rank beginner and the piper said, "the whistle. It's only six bucks. How can you go wrong?"
From there, he taught himself to play the traditional, high-pitched Irish whistle, eventually moving into the low and midrange whistles and the bodhrán (traditional frame drum). Like many in the aural tradition, he learned tunes one at a time from friends and in pub sessions, house parties, from old recordings and from friends. Later, Tim began to pen his own compositions in the traditional style.
Tim's first band was Kilmor, a trio based in San Jose, Calif.; he later played with Tinker’s Damn in Oakland, Calif., becoming a regular performer and workshop leader at local festivals. Tim later formed trio Greenbridge with guitartist-singer Tom Wagner (of Oak, Ash & Thorn) and fiddler-singer-guitar-player MIchael Mullen (of Tempest). While rooted in traditional instrumentation, tunes, songs and sounds, the group quickly became known for its unique brew of explorations with musical tangents, including improvisational borrowings from swing and jazz.
Tim released his debut solo CD, Five After Four in 2005, a collection of traditional and original tunes that explores the whistle from several musical perspectives. Joining Tim on the recording are some gifted and well-known California artists including Richard Mandel (of Three Mile Stone), Ann McChesney Young (Tinker’s Damn), Mullen and Wagner. Additionally, Tim has been a guest musician on several recordings by California artists including Michael Mullen, Kathy Buys and Kathleen Dunbar.
Beginning in 2009, Tim spent much time traveling around Ireland and mainland Europe, with Dublin being his newfound home base. There, he played with The Lazy Band -- Lisa O Neill, Mark McGuigan, Eimear Lynch, Enda Reilly, Liza Delaney, Mark Flynn, Cian Murphy and Elder Roche, along with gigs at some of Dublin's favorite Temple Bar and City Centre venues, including The Temple Bar, The International Bar, Bewley's Grafton Street Cafe, The Blarney Inn and The Front Lounge.
In addition to performing and recording, Tim can also has taught workshops on the whistle and bodhrán at venues such as The Berkeley Free Folk Festival, the San Francisco Free Folk Festival and Mendocino's famous Lark Camp. In 2011 Tim began teaching whistle and bodhran students online via Skype.
Tim plays Michael Burke, Chieftain and Overton whistles and Del Eckels bodhráns, a Berkeley Box Works cajon, and "the birthday goat,” a small, dubiously dyed drum with a big voice modeled on the African djembe and given to him on a recent birthday by his California musical friends.
