Tim Be Told is a 5 piece songwriting power house, whose sound I can’t stop comparing to a more soulful Maroon 5 or The Fray. Since their dorm room days of musical mayhem, the Charlottesville quintet has won UVA’s Battle of the Bands, sparking a booking frenzy on the college music circuit, and turning heads along the way. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to interview them!

JI: Can you fill us in on how you all came together to become Tim Be Told?

TBT: Andrew and Tim were introduced to one another’s music by a mutual friend who encouraged them to start a band. Subsequently, Andrew moved from California to Virginia in the fall of 2006 to start writing songs with Tim. During that time, Tim was in an acapella group with Luan in college and asked him to also join this group. Almost a year later, Luan asked Jim (a former college roommate and friend) to record drums for their album “Getting By.” Jim did so, but did not officially join the band until his own band dissolved, after which he and the bassist, Parker, joined Tim Be Told. That was in the fall of 2007.

JI: How would you describe the music you perform?

TBT: Tim as the primary songwriter of the group, is inspired by God and people and his interactions with both. This results in music that is honest, emotional, and ultimately hopeful. Musically, we do not limit our style to one genre, but if we had to categorize, our sound can be described as soulful power pop/rock. People have compared our sound to Maroon 5, Jason Mraz, The Fray, The Rocket Summer, U2, and Muse among others, especially after seeing us live.

JI: Who are some of your musical influences?

TBT: There are 2 answers to this question. The artists that have influenced us include: The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Journey, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, U2, Coldplay, and Queen among others. Artists that we are currently listening to and absolutely loving include: Phoenix, Switchfoot, OneRepublic, John Mayer, Sigur Ros, Muse, and The Script.

JI: What’s the most interesting thing to happen to you guys while on tour?

TBT: A lot of interesting things have happened to us while we’ve been on tour, but one that comes to mind is when we were able to catch an intimate performance by the band Phoenix at the Apple store in SoHo (NYC). We had just wrapped up an interview in Central Park and somehow found out that the band was going to be performing that night, so we rushed over to get our tickets and experienced something magical that night.

JI: If Tim Be Told was to make a mixed CD of music for our readers, what are some songs you’d include on that mix?

The XX - Intro
Sigur Ros - Glosoli
OneRepublic - Secrets
Paramore - That’s What You Get
The Beatles - Come Together
Beyonce - Single Ladies
Muse - Hysteria
The Script - Breakeven
Switchfoot - Bullet Soul
Phoenix - Lisztomania
Rihanna - Take a Bow
Chiddy Bang - The Opposite of Adults
U2 - With or Without You

(Editor’s Note: Phoenix’s Lisztomania is one of my current favorite songs right now!)

JI: Anything you’re working on currently that you’d like our readers to know about?

TBT: We are working on a new record that we hope to have out sometime in the coming year - so stay tuned!

Listen below to some of their tracks off their From The Inside EP, available on iTunes. For more information, please visit the official Tim Be Told site here.