Tim Rogers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tim Rogers
Background information
Birth name Timothy Adrian Rogers
Born (1969-09-20) 20 September 1969
Genres Rock, Country
Occupations Musician, Songwriter
Instruments Guitar, Vocals
Years active 1989–present
Associated acts You Am I, T&T, The Bamboos, The Hillbilly Killers
Website timrogers.com.au youami.com.au
Notable instruments
Piers Crocker 'Crockenbacker'
Fender Telecaster
Fender Jazzmaster
Guild JF30
Mini Maton

Tim Rogers (born Timothy Adrian Rogers on 20 September 1969[citation needed]) is an Australian musician, actor and writer, best known as the frontman of Australian rock band You Am I. He is also a solo artist, and has fronted and released albums with bands The Twin Set and The Temperance Union. As of July 2013, Rogers has released 12 albums with You Am I and five solo albums.[1][2]

Early life

Originally from Kalgoorlie, Western Australia,[1] Rogers moved around a lot during his adolescence, including stints in Adelaide and Canberra. Following his primary school years in Applecross, a suburb of Perth, Rogers later became School Captain at his Sydney-based school Oakhill College.[3] He then went on to study law at the Australian National University[4] and it was during this time that he met long-time You Am I band mate Andy Kent (bass player), who was originally You Am I's sound mixer.[1]

Music

You Am I

Rogers formed You Am I with his school friend Nick Tischler and his own older brother Jaimme Rogers in 1989. Although the line-up regularly changed during the band's early period, Andy Kent and Mark Tunaley eventually settled on bass and drums, respectively. After the recording of their debut album Sound As Ever Tunaley was asked to leave the band and Russell 'Rusty' Hopkinson joined, forming the 'classic' You Am I line-up. Second guitarist Davey Lane—initially part of The Twin Set touring band—joined in 1999.

Solo

Rogers released his first solo album What Rhymes With Cars And Girls in 1999 after his relocation Melbourne, Australia. Rogers later provided a brief background for an album that was recorded over a three=week period on an eight-track digital recorder: "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…" Recorded at the home studio of Weddings Parties Anything band member Jen Anderson, the album predominantly consists of country/folk-style songs, even though Rogers baulked at the idea of a country sound.[5] Rogers used the name 'The Twin Set' for his backing band, as well as for the corresponding tour. He later won an ARIA award for Best Male Artist for the album.[2][6]

On 29 September 2007, Rogers released his fourth solo album The Luxury of Hysteria[7]—it is the first album for which Rogers's name has been solely credited; although, The Temperance Union performed on the album. Rogers also created his own record label, named 'Ruby Q', for the release of the album.[8][9]

Writing for The Age newspaper (Victoria, Australia), Michael Dwyer wrote in an October 2007 review:

Tim Rogers never sounded as lost as on this strange, beautiful album .... The first three songs are troubled inner monologues. A Quiet Night In and When Yer Sad infuse the act of being alone with Shakespearean gravity. Much of the rest is like personal correspondence, written late at night when feelings are raw and references obscure. There's no mistaking the mood, though: regret and bewilderment bounce off each other like booze and smokes.[10]

Australian music writer Ed Nimmervoll described The Luxury of Hysteria as: "Reflective, brutally honest and painful- but never self indulgent …"[7]

Ten years after the release of What Rhymes With Cars and Girls, Rogers, together with musicians from the original recording sessions, played several live performances in the Australian cities of Sydney and Melbourne during April 2009. The album's bassist Stuart Speed, who also played in the Temperance Union, was deceased and unable to play for the limited tour that involved the album played live in its entirety. Anderson reflected upon the album's significance prior to the commencement of the redux shows: "Moving to Melbourne for him [Rogers] was a fresh start. He didn’t choose to talk about it [the relationship] and I didn’t bring it up. It was a healing, moving on process for him. And it was best to leave it at that—let him work through what was going on in his life and introduce him to some new musical buddies in Melbourne."[5]

For Rogers's fifth solo album—his second without a backing band—the then-new music imprint of ABC Music 'Four Four' was the releasing record label.[11] Entitled Rogers Sings Rogerstein, the album was released on 24 August 2012[12] and was produced by long-time collaborator Shane O'Mara. The 'Rogerstein' in the album's title refers to Shel Rogerstein, a Cleveland, US resident who Rogers met on a train in Southern France. Rogers revealed in mid-2013 that Rogerstein does not appear on the Google search engine and is averse to touring. In the corresponding press release for the album's launch, Rogers wrote: “Quite where the percentages lie in lyrical/musical contributions on this album is unclear ... Shel claims he's as baffled as to his contributions as I am to mine. Subjects are close to my bones, but as our lives within this loose ramble have become so confluent, quite who's leaning on whose shoulder is unclear.”[13]

Side projects

The initial release of You Am I's fifth album Dress Me Slowly also contained a bonus disc entitled The Temperance Union EP that consisted of eight songs Rogers had recorded and written, mostly in solo format. He later used the name of the EP—based loosely on the Woman's Christian Temperance Union—to name his backing band for two subsequent albums, starting with Spit Polish in 2004. The release of the second Temperance Union recording, a double album entitled Dirty Ron/Ghost Songs, occurred in 2005, and the recording features various special guests, such as Missy Higgins, Donna Simpson and Rebecca Barnard.

In 2006, Rogers teamed up with long-time friend Tex Perkins to form T'N'T,[14] eventually releasing the album My Better Half, a collection of acoustic originals and cover versions. The album received mixed reviews for its minimal production values and "tongue-in-cheek" covers, such as Rod Stewart's "Tonight's the Night".[citation needed]

Film

Along with a You Am I cameo appearance in the film Dirty Deeds, Rogers has made various forays into acting. His first acting experience was a small cameo role in Jane Campion's Holy Smoke!, while his television acting debut occurred on 28 July 2005 in an episode of ABC TV's medical drama series MDA. In MDA, Rogers played 'Joel Palmer', a rock star who donates a kidney to a daughter he didn’t know he had fathered. Rogers also acted in the Michael Weisler short film Hunter Finkelstein that was shown at the 2005 Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF).[15]

During January 2013, Rogers and Australian musician Megan Washington worked as actors on the musical/thriller film The Boy Castaways. Filmed in Adelaide, Australia, the film was directed by Michael Kantour, who also directed Rogers in the 2009 theatre production Woyzeck. The filming schedule was three weeks in duration and the premiere is scheduled to occur at the Adelaide Film Festival in October 2013.[16]

Rogers features in a music video[17] of The Reels' "Quasimodo's Dream", produced by Sandpit,[18] to coincide with the theatrical release of The Boy Castaways in late 2013.

Theatre

In February 2009, Rogers made his professional stage debut at the Malthouse Theatre as 'The Entertainer' in its production of Woyzeck, a play directed by Kantour, with music by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.[19]

In 2012, Rogers composed the score for Marion Potts's production of Federico García Lorca's Blood Wedding at the Malthouse Theatre.[20] During the production's run in August 2012, Rogers described the score as "impressionistic" in a media interview and revealed that his initial method involved producing large pieces of music and then discarding 95 per cent of it: If it's not needed to have music there, or complementary, just leave it out. So at times we have sounds emanating from the stage that are only vaguely tonal."[21]

In 2012, Rogers also acted and composed the music for The Story of Mary MacLane By Herself, by Ride on Theatre‘s Bojana Novakovic (script adaptation) and Tanya Goldberg (director). Rogers performed originally-written compositions for the play, accompanied by musicians Dan Witton and Andy Baylor. Sydney's Griffin Theatre production occurred in early 2012, while the Melbourne season was held at the Beckett Theatre of the Malthouse Theatre complex during November and December.[21][22]

Television

Rogers has frequently appeared as a television guest on programs such as RocKwiz, Rove Live, Talkin' 'bout Your Generation and The Fat. He appeared as "himself" in the second season of The Micallef Program and in the "Be a Rock Star" episode of Lawrence Leung's Choose Your Own Adventure, and also appeared in several episodes of the ABC television series MDA as a rock musician.[23] Rogers's interview on Andrew Denton's Enough Rope (15 September 2008)[4] coincided with the September 2008 launch of You Am I's eighth studio album Dilettantes.

In 2013 Rogers hosted the music performance/interview show Studio at the Memo, which aired on Foxtel channel Studio during July and August. Guests on the show included Martha Wainwright, Tex Perkins, Kate Miller-Heidke, Bernard Fanning and Don Walker.[24] The six-part series is produced by the Renegade company that also produces SBS Television's Rockwiz series and was filmed in St Kilda's Memorial Hall, an art deco 1920s dancehall that serves as a performance venue following restoration work.[25] Writing for the Australian news outlet, Graeme Blundell concluded his review with the following sentiment:

There's no one else like him on TV and this show, like RocKwiz, should run for decades, especially as Foxtel has allocated a multi-million-dollar fund to record local performance. Rogers is seriously cool, in the sense that the word means calm, stoic, intriguing and impressive, and suggests reserved confidence, a self-conscious aplomb in behaviour that distances itself from authority rather than directly confronts it. A way of fitting in while standing out, maybe.[25]

Writing

Rogers has written for Australian publication The Monthly on two occasions—a review of Don Walker's musical memoir Shots from March 2009,[26] and a small non-fiction piece in December 2010.[27] Rogers also wrote the cover feature article of the inaugural edition of the Australian bicycle magazine Treadlie in 2010, in which he covers topics such as baskets, song-writing and cycling outfits: "Just as I festoon myself in full North Melbourne kit circa 1975 to challenge both my hamstrings and mid-life plight at footy training of a Wednesday and Sunday, so shall my treadling brethren furnish themselves for celerity."[28][29]

Other projects

In late 2004, Rogers wrote a jingle called "Our Time Begins Again Today" for the Australian Cricket Board's summer promotional campaign "Long Live The Weekend".[30]

Together with Dan Sultan and Phil Jamieson (Grinspoon), Rogers performed two Rolling Stones songs, "Brown Sugar" and "Start Me Up", at the opening ceremony of the 2010 NRL Grand Final.[31]

Rogers was the face of the Australian Football League (AFL)'s 2012 finals series, starring in a television commercial and a print advertising campaign. The advertisements, featuring the slogan "This is Greatness", consist of Rogers recounting some of the greatest AFL final moments in history.[32] Rogers also joined the Channel Seven commentary team during the 2012 season for a match between North Melbourne and Collingwood, with the former favoured by Rogers.[33]

Rogers has been involved with numerous soundtracks for Australian films over the course of his career: the Idiot Box soundtrack, together with Nick Launay, in 1999; the Dirty Deeds soundtrack in 2002; and Wish You Were Here, a 2012 film starring Joel Edgerton.[34]

Controversy

In 2003, a drunken Rogers taunted Australian Idol judge, Mark Holden, in an Adelaide airport terminal. He claimed that You Am I was told to 'make way' (from its record label) for new Idol winners. A physical altercation ensued and both parties were reprimanded by airport authorities.[citation needed]

At the 2004 Falls Festival, in Marion Bay, Tasmania, You Am I was one of the headline bands. However, Rogers apologised midway through the band's performance and walked off the stage. Guitarist, Davey Lane, tried to stop Rogers, but the lead singer became aggressive and continued on his way.[35] The Age newspaper reported:

Rogers threw his guitar onto the stage mid-song, saying he couldn't continue, and stormed off, pushing another band member who also walked off-stage looking upset ... Rogers also was involved in an incident backstage with singer Missy Higgins which left her visibly upset ... But Higgins recovered and joined Melbourne band The Beautiful Girls on stage to entertain the crowd when Rogers stopped playing.[35]

Less than a week later, Rogers posted on the You Am I website: "I fucked up and take total responsibility for my actions. 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."[citation needed] Rogers returned to Tasmania two months later to perform in the A Day on the Green series at Tolosa Park, alongside The Waifs and Pete Murray.[36]

Personal life

As of August 2012, Rogers is father of 11-year-old daughter Ruby, and combines gardening, music and acting for financial support.[37] As of September 2012, Rogers's daughter resides with her mother Rocio Garcia and stepfather in New York City, United States, near the now-closed Greene St. Recording building, the SoHo studio that You Am I used for the recording of Hi Fi Way. Ruby's mother and Rogers's ex-wife is a Spanish philosophy teacher and the director of the La Mirada Film Festival who Rogers met in Madrid, Spain.[34] In August 2012, Rogers explained: "To my great shame I took my marriage for granted."[23]

In regard to the 1990s, Rogers revealed in 2012 that he is much happier at the age of 42 years than he was when he was in his mid-twenties:

I’m far more excited about anything currently, I’m enjoying more, I’ve read more, I’ve seen more. No nostalgia at all. A couple of good records … that I heard. Did some great travelling, but I travel better now, I was really sort of medicined up. I didn’t enjoy touring as much, we were doing some touring through Europe and the States and I enjoy doing those tours more now. I enjoy everything about touring and being in the band more now. I don’t think back on it anything less than fondly, but I’m so much happier at 42 than I was at 26.[37]

Rogers has also been involved in relationships with Australian musician Megan Washington and Serbian Australian actor Bojana Novakovic.[33] In an August 2012 interview, Rogers revealed that a significant number of his relationships were broken due to attention from the press.[23]

An avid sports fan since childhood, Rogers enjoys the game of Australian rules football, and played in the 2005 and 2009 Community Cup charity matches for Melbourne, Australia's Sacred Heart Mission charitable organisation. Rogers is a supporter of North Melbourne and joined in the fight against the AFL's push to relocate the club to the Gold Coast, Queensland. As part of the protest, Rogers hosted the "Roo-sistence" benefit concert that featured You Am I, T'N'T and other popular Australian rock bands.[38] Rogers is also an avid fan of the South Sydney Rabbitohs Australian rugby league club.[citation needed]

Rogers has lived in the Melbourne, Australia suburb of St Kilda since 1999 and has referred to the "crepuscular ambience of St Kilda".[1][25] In late 2012, Rogers briefly explained his perspective of St Kilda:

Winter is particularly great … Backpacker culture isn’t as obvious, so you tend to see folks you haven’t seen for the rest of the year all clamouring for hot toddies. I was away for two months doing theatre in Sydney and was then in the States for two months. It’s pretty good when you come home from a trip that’s been rather eventful and if you’re really excited to be home.[34]

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 four-of-the-five 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.[citation needed]

Rogers 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 Lane shortly after Lane joined the band. During the recording of Dilettantes, Rogers also began using Fender Jazzmasters, using them on all subsequent tours to-date, alongside the Crockenbackers.[citation needed]

For acoustics, Rogers predominantly used a Guild JF30 dreadnought and a custom-built Piers Crocker acoustic. He has also been seen playing Cole Clark Fat Lady acoustics; although, he has also been seen with Maton acoustics at various times.[citation needed]

Whilst recording Sound As Ever, Rogers became enamoured with Lee Ranaldo's Fender Tonemaster amplifier, and shortly thereafter, bought one for himself; he has used this amplifier for all You Am I work since the recording of Hi-Fi Way. For Rogers' work with The Temperance Union, he has used a Sunn combo amplifier.[citation needed]

Rogers uses an overdrive pedal and a tremolo pedal, the latter custom made by Colin Bloxom, as well as a wah pedal and, occasionally, a Route 66 overdrive/compression pedal.[39] Rogers also uses an overdrive pedal that was built by Ramblin' Guitars.[citation needed]

Rogers has stated that one of his most important musical tools is a capo: "Probably 90 per cent 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."[40]

Backing bands

Over the course of his solo albums, Rogers has utilised the support of two main backing bands; however, membership between the two has overlapped.[citation needed]

The Twin Set
Origin Melbourne, Australia
Genres Country
Years active 1999
Labels Ra Records/BMG
Past members Tim Rogers (vox/guitar)
Davey Lane (guitar)
Ian Kitney (drums)
Stuart Speed (upright bass)
Jen Anderson (violin)

The Twin Set

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

The Temperance Union
Origin Melbourne, Australia
Genres Rock, Country
Years active 2004–present
Labels Festival Mushroom Records, Ruby Q
Members Tim Rogers (vox/guitar)
Shane O’Mara (guitar)
Ian Kitney (drums)
Pete Lawler (bass 2006–)
Louis Macklin (piano 2007–)
Past members Stuart Speed (bass 2004–2005)

The Temperance Union

Consisting of The Twin Set's rhythm section, together with guitarist, Shane O'Mara (from Rebecca's Empire and Paul Kelly's band), The Temperance Union maintained the country influence of The Twin Set, but added a rock 'n' roll element. After the recording of Dirty Ron/Ghost Songs, Speed passed away and was replaced by Peter Lawler (aka "Dr Pump").[citation needed]

Discography

LPs

EPs

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

Movie Soundtracks

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Get to Know Tim Rogers". Studio. July 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2013. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Tim Rogers". The Harbour Agency. The Harbour Agency Pty Ltd. 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2013. 
  3. George Negus; Brendan Hutchens (30 April 2003). "Tim Rogers". GNT People. ABC. Retrieved 18 October 2012. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 Andrew Denton (15 September 2008). "Tim Rogers". Enough Rope with Andrew Denton. ABC. Retrieved 18 October 2012. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 Darren Levin (23 April 2009). "Redux: What Rhymes With Cars And Girls". Mess+Noise. Mess+Noise p/l. Retrieved 14 July 2013. 
  6. "Tim Rogers". Melbourne Writers Festival. Melbourne Writers Festival. 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2013. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 "Tim Rogers Bathes in the Luxury of Hysteria.". Indie Initiative. Indie Initiative. 2007. Retrieved 16 January 2013. 
  8. Aaron Curran (2013). "Tim Rogers The Luxury of Hysteria". Mess and Noise. Mess+Noise p/l. Retrieved 16 January 2013. 
  9. "The Sideshow – Episode 17: Saturday September 29, 2007". ABC. ABC. 29 September 2007. Retrieved 16 January 2013. 
  10. Michael Dwyer (4 October 2007). "The Luxury of Hysteria". The Age. The Age Company Ltd. Retrieved 16 January 2013. 
  11. "Tim Rogers – Rogers Sings Rogerstein". Four Four. ABC. 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2013. 
  12. "Rogers Sings Rogerstein". ABC Shop. ABC. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2013. 
  13. A.H. Cayley (7 September 2012). "Tim Rogers Rogers Sings Rogerstein". Mess+Noise. Mess+Noise p/l. Retrieved 14 July 2013. 
  14. Nowland (28 September 2006). "Whose better half? Tim Rogers and Tex Perkins". FasterLouder. FasterLouder Pty Ltd. Retrieved 16 January 2013. 
  15. Tim Chmielewski (4 August 2005). "2005 Melbourne International Film Festival : Hunter Finklestein (2004)". Tim's Melbourne Flat. Tim Chmielewski. Retrieved 29 May 2013. 
  16. Miranda (9 January 2013). "Tim Rogers & Megan Washington Need You For New Film". Rip It Up. RIP IT UP PUBLISHING COMPANY. Retrieved 14 July 2013. 
  17. "music video". wearesandpit.com. 
  18. "Sandpit". wearesandpit.com. 
  19. Darren Levin (23 February 2009). "Rock Opera Reborn". Mess+Noise. Mess+Noise p/l. Retrieved 15 October 2012. 
  20. Malthouse Theatre; Garth Oriander, Jeff Busby (August 2012). "Blood Wedding 21 JULY – 19 AUGUST Merlyn Theatre". Malthouse Theatre. Malthouse Theatre. Retrieved 15 October 2012. 
  21. 21.0 21.1 Jason Steger (4 August 2012). "Lunch with Tim Rogers". The Age. Retrieved 14 July 2013. 
  22. "The Story of Mary MacLane by Herself". Malthouse Theatre. Malthouse Theatre. October 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2012. 
  23. 23.0 23.1 23.2 Kathy Evans (31 August 2012). "Rock, roll and a nice cuppa". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 July 2013. 
  24. "STUDIO at the MEMO". Studio. July 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2013. 
  25. 25.0 25.1 25.2 Graeme Blundell (13 July 2013). "Tim Rogers' baroque parade". The Australian. Retrieved 14 July 2013. 
  26. Tim Rogers (5 March 2009). "Noted: 'Shots' by Don Walker". The Monthly (Schwartz Publishing). Retrieved 18 January 2011. 
  27. Tim Rogers (2 December 2010). "The Nation Reviewed: Christmas Blues". The Monthly (Schwartz Publishing). Retrieved 18 January 2011. 
  28. "Treadlie vs The Wheeler?". Treadly and Me. Treadly and Me. 22 July 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2013. 
  29. "Issue #1". Treadlie Magazine. Treadlie Magazine. 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2013. 
  30. deepee13 (27 June 2006). "Cricket Australia ad" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Retrieved 16 January 2013. 
  31. Channel Nine (29 September 2010). "2010 NRL GRAND FINAL LIVE IN 3D ON NINE". throng. Throng Ltd. Retrieved 16 January 2013. 
  32. Darren Levin (19 August 2012). "Watch: Tim Rogers stars in AFL finals campaign". FasterLouder. FasterLouder Pty Ltd. Retrieved 16 January 2013. 
  33. 33.0 33.1 Jo Roberts (24 August 2012). "Coming out of his Shel". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 July 2013. 
  34. 34.0 34.1 34.2 Darren Levin (11 September 2012). "Tim Rogers: The M+N Interview". Mess+Noise. Mess+Noise p/l. Retrieved 14 July 2013. 
  35. 35.0 35.1 AAP (1 January 2005). "Not as drunk as You Am I". The Age. Retrieved 16 January 2013. 
  36. "A Day on the Green Featuring: Pete Murray + The Waifs + Tim Rogers + Linc LeFevre" (Photo upload). TheDwarf.com.au. thedwarf.com.au. 13 February 2005. Retrieved 16 January 2013. 
  37. 37.0 37.1 David Swan (24 August 2012). "Tim Rogers in the Firing Line: 'I’m pretty low-brow entertainment'". Faster Louder. Faster Louder Pty Ltd. Retrieved 28 May 2013. 
  38. Martin Boulton; compass (2 November 2007). "Rocker fronts Kangas' resistance to AFL Gold Coast push" (Discussion board). Big Footy. Big Footy. Retrieved 16 January 2013. 
  39. Australian Guitar Magazine, Vol 53
  40. Australian Guitar Magazine, Vol 62
  41. "Wish You Were Here (2012)". IMDb. IMDb.com, Inc. 1990–2013. Retrieved 16 January 2013. 

External links


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.