Tim Rogers

Tim Rogers (born Timothy Adrian Rogers 20 September 1969) is the frontman of Australian rock band You Am I. He is also a solo artist, as well as having fronted and released albums with bands The Twin Set and The Temperance Union.

History

Originally from Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, Rogers moved around a lot during his adolescence, including stints in Adelaide and Canberra. He later became School Captain at his Sydney-based school Oakhill College. He then went on to study law at the Australian National University. It was during this time that he met long time You Am I band mate, Andy Kent (bass player), who originally was You Am I's sound mixer.

Rogers formed You Am I with his school friend Nick Tischler and his own older brother Jaimme Rogers in 1989, though the lineup shifted around early on, settling on Andy Kent on bass and Mark Tunaley on drums. After the recording of their first album, Sound As Ever, Tunaley was asked to leave the band and Russell Hopkinson joined, forming the 'classic' You Am I lineup. Second guitarist Davey Lane — initially part of The Twin Set touring band — joined in 1999. (for more history on You Am I, see You Am I History)

Also in 1999, Tim released his first solo album, What Rhymes With Cars And Girls. Not intended as a sign of You Am I's demise, it was simply a case of Rogers having some songs and some time to himself:

I had some time alone and I found myself writing some songs and then I just thought, well it looks like You Am I's not going to be recording for a while, while we're waiting for albums to come out overseas, so I wanna make a record…^[1]

Recorded at Jen Anderson's (Weddings Parties Anything) home studio, the album showed a mellower side to Rogers' songwriting, being predominantly a country/folk affair, rather than the raucous rock You Am I were renowned for. Tim named the backing band for the album and consequent tour The Twin Set. He later won an ARIA award for Best Male Artist in for the album.

The initial release of You Am I's fifth album, Dress Me Slowly also contained a bonus disc entitled The Temperance Union EP, consisting of 8 songs Tim had recorded and written, mostly solo. He took the name of the EP — based loosely on the Woman's Christian Temperance Union — to name his backing band for his subsequent solo albums, starting with Spit Polish in 2004.

2005 saw the release of a Temperance Union double album, Dirty Ron/Ghost Songs, featuring various special guests including Missy Higgins, Donna Simpson and Rebecca Barnard.

In 2006 Rogers teamed up with long-time friend Tex Perkins to form T'N'T,^[2] eventually releasing the album My Better Half, an eclectic mix of acoustic originals and cover tunes. Arguably it included some of Rogers' finer solo writing, but received mixed reviews for its minimal production values and tongue in cheek covers, such as Rod Stewart's Tonight's the Night.

In 2007 he released his fourth solo album, The Luxury Of Hysteria, his first credited solely to his name (though The Temperance Union do play on the album). He also created his own record label, Ruby Q, to deal with the release.

Writing

Tim Rogers has written for Australian publication The Monthly on two occasions, contributing a review of fellow musician Don Walker (musician)'s memoir Shots in March 2009 ^[3] and a small non-fiction piece in December 2010.^[4]

Movies, acting, TV and media

Rogers has been involved with two movie soundtracks over the course of his careerears, producing the Idiot Box soundtrack along with Nick Launay in 1999, as well as producing the soundtrack for Dirty Deeds, in which he also had a cameo appearance along with the rest of You Am I. On both soundtracks, You Am I contributed several songs.

Along with You Am I's cameo in Dirty Deeds, Rogers has made various forays into acting. His first film experience was a small cameo in Jane Campion's Holy Smoke!. He made his television acting debut on 28 July 2005, in an episode of ABC TV's medical drama series MDA. He played Joel Palmer, a rock star who donated a kidney to a daughter he didn’t know he had fathered. He also acted in a Michael Weisler short film called Hunter Finkelstein, which was shown at the 2005 Melbourne International Film Festival. He has often appeared as a guest on variety or entertainment shows such as RocKwiz, Rove Live, Talkin' 'bout Your Generation and The Fat. Additionally, he appeared in sketches as "himself" in both the second series of The Micallef Program, and in the "Be a Rock Star" episode of Lawrence Leung's Choose Your Own Adventure. Roger's latest media appearance and interview on Andrew Denton's Enough Rope (15 September 2008) coincided with the September 2008 launch of You Am I's latest studio album.

In February 2009, Rogers made his professional stage debut at the Malthouse Theatre as 'The Entertainer' in their production of Woyzeck, directed by Michael Kantor with music by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.

Controversy

In 2003 there was an incident between Tim Rogers and Mark Holden in an Adelaide airport terminal. A drunken Rogers taunted Holden with claims that You Am I were told to 'make way' (from their record label) for new Idol winners. Holden gave Rogers the 'look' and fists flew, mostly in Holden's direction. Both parties were reprimanded by airport authorities.

At the 2004 Falls Festival in Marion Bay, Tasmania, You Am I were one of the headline bands. Tim staggered and slurred his way through the first few songs of their setlist, in between making comments about the "hippy shit" music performed by the other festival bands. After less than six songs he apologised for being an embarrassment to his mates and himself and walked off stage. Guitarist Davey Lane tried to stop him but Rogers became aggressive and continued.^[5] Less than a week later, Rogers posted on the band website:

"I fucked up and take total responsibility for my actions,"

and:

"I've got some problems with intoxicants that I haven't dealt with in a long time and it's come back and bit me".

Rogers returned to Tasmania two months later to perform in the A Day On The Green series at Tolosa Park.

Sports fan

An avid sports fan since childhood, Rogers has been known to enjoy a game of Australian rules football, most recently playing in the Community Cup charity match for the Annual Sacred Heart Mission, Melbourne in 2005 and for Reclink Charity for the homeless in 2009. He is also a very vocal supporter of the North Melbourne Football Club, joining in the fight against the Australian Football League's push to relocate the club to the Gold Coast, Queensland, including hosting a benefit concert called 'Roo-sistence', featuring You Am I, T'N'T as well as many other popular Australian rock bands.^[6] He is also an avid fan of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, and performed before the 2010 NRL Grand Final.

In late 2004, he wrote an ad jingle, 'Our Time Begins Again Today', for the Australian Cricket Board's summer ad campaign, 'Long Live The Weekend'.[1]

Guitars and equipment

Over the course of his career, Rogers has been most associated with a series of Rickenbacker 360F copies made by Sydney luthier Piers Crocker, affectionately known as 'Crockenbackers'. Rogers owns 4 of the 5 Crockenbackers in existence, including a 12-string, bought after borrowing Brad Shepherd's Fender Coronado 12-string to record Hourly, Daily. Rogers bought his first Crockenbacker just before the recording of Hi Fi Way, and has used them ever since. Previous to Hi Fi Way, his main guitar was a Gibson ES-345.

He has used various guitars alongside the Crockenbackers, predominantly Fender Telecasters, including a '52 Reissue, a 70s Telecaster Deluxe and a '72 Thinline Reissue. The latter guitar was given to Davey Lane shortly after his joining the band. During the recording of Dilettantes, Rogers also began using Fender Jazzmasters, using them on all subsequent tours to date alongside the Crockenbackers.

For acoustics, Rogers predominantly used a Guild JF30 dreadnought and a custom-built Piers Crocker acoustic. Recently he has made the switch to playing Cole Clark Fat Lady acoustics, though he has also been seen with Maton acoustics at various times.

Whilst recording Sound As Ever, Rogers became enamoured with Lee Ranaldo's Fender Tonemaster amp, and shortly thereafter bought one for himself, which he has used for all You Am I work from Hi-Fi Way onwards. For his work with The Temperance Union, however, he uses a Sunn combo amp.

Rogers uses an overdrive pedal and a tremolo pedal custom made by Colin Bloxom, as well as a wah and occasionally a Route 66 overdrive/compression pedal.^[7] Tim currently users an overdrive pedal built by Ramblin' Guitars.

One of Rogers' self-confessed most important tools is his capo:

"Probably 90 percent of every song I've ever written involves a capo... When first using one, the possibilities of things become realisations, and you could write in different keys and things. I think I want to be buried with one."^[8]

Backing bands

Over the course of his solo albums, Tim has used two main backing bands, though membership between the two has overlapped.

The Twin Set

Formed from the recording of What Rhymes With Cars And Girls, The Twin Set were country and folk influenced, and featured Jen Anderson (from Weddings Parties Anything), Davey Lane (who would shortly afterwards join You Am I on second guitar), as well as Stuart Speed and Ian Kitney who would go on to form the rhythm section for The Temperance Union.

The Temperance Union

Keeping the rhythm section from The Twin Set and adding guitarist Shane O'Mara (from Rebecca's Empire and Paul Kelly's band), The Temperance Union kept the country influence of The Twin Set but added a rock'n'roll swagger to it. After the recording of Dirty Ron/Ghost Songs Stuart Speed died and was soon to be replaced by Peter Lawler (aka Dr Pump) but never forgotten.

Discography

LPs

• with You Am I:
  • See You Am I article
• with The Twin Set:
  • What Rhymes With Cars And Girls (1999) - #14 Australia
• with The Temperance Union:
  • Spit Polish (2004) - #52 Australia
  • Dirty Ron/Ghost Songs (double album) (2005) - #48 Australia
• with T'N'T (Tim Rogers and Tex Perkins):
  • My Better Half (2006)
• as Tim Rogers:
  • The Luxury of Hysteria (2007)

EPs

• The Temperance Union EP (bonus 8 track EP released with You Am I's Dress Me Slowly initial digipack release) (2001)
• Vampires/Cleveland (limited edition 7" vinyl release recorded with The Temperance Union) (2004)

Movie Soundtracks

• Idiot Box (1999)
• Dirty Deeds (2002)

References

External links

• Official You Am I site
• Tim Rogers official site
• You Am I fan site
• Tim Rogers at the Internet Movie Database