https://timsfavourite.com/

Q&A With TIM'S FAVOURITE

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How did you meet and form the band?

Elie (drums) and I (Jan, vocals, guitars) got to know each other through an ad I placed when I had just disbanded my previous project (“Heart of Darkness”). Over the years (during which 3 albums were released), at least 7 bassists joined and left and one (Wolf, our present bassist) luckily only joined the band, which, until Tim, our second gitarist, joined the band, had always been a trio. So you probably gathered from all this that we’re a foursome now. It’s with this line-up that we recorded the brand new album, “amaConda”.

How did you come up with your band name?

Like I said, Tim was the one of us to join the band most recently. Actually, he is my nephew and ever since he was a lttle kid he’s always been one of the most ardent fans of his uncle’s band. One day, my brother discovered his son, back then 3 years old, with a pair of headphones, listening to a demo for what was to become the first album of Tim’s Favourite, then still called “Heart of Darkness”. Coincidentally, we were looking for another group name just at that time, because for some stupid reason "Heart of darkness" was deemed too… dark. After a long brainstorming (read: drinking) session it was decided that, given the unbelievably heavy-mother-fucker-from-hell anecdote with the headphones, “Tim’s Favourite” was thé perfect and ultimate name for what of course was to become the heaviest and most evil band in the world. The fact that the little nephew has in the meantime joined the band makes it even more... sinister, wouldn’t you say so? .

Which song does the whole band like playing the most?

I personnally would say the fastest and heaviest ones are definitely the easiest and most “rewarding” ones to play live. So I guess “Freak of Energy” (from our second album “Geometry for the Selfish Herd”) is one of our favourites. But, on the other hand, some of the more intricate, difficult songs on the new album, like “Andy’s Fall” (with an extremely bizarre time signature, thank you Tim for that) and “Totalibertarian” (with a very bizarre title, yes) are also much fun to play live, probably because they’re such a challenge. Hell, I guess in the end we like playing all our songs.

What is your songwriting process?

There is no real formula to it, man. And it’s definitely changed a bit over the years. Let’s say that in the past it very often used to begin with a catchy, groovy guitar riff, the validity of which was then tested during a rehearsel with the rest of the band and especially with the drummer (because, in the end, in my experience at least, it’s very often the way a riff interacts with the drums, which ultimately makes up the catchyness and groovyness of it all). But sometimes it was also “just” a jam session which originated a song. Or sometimes, completely the opposite, especially I (mea culpa) would even turn up with a virtually complete new song which only needed the ”scientifically correctly” proportioned number of stanzas or basic structure or whatever to finish it. The covid period resulted in a lot of those along the “virtually complete new song” formula written songs on the new album, because there was just no possibility to compose while rehearsing anymore. Before I knew it, I found myself ramming up 20 completely worked out new songs down the throats of the rest of the band (who basically only needed to learn how to play them). And then suddenly remembering that, to some people, there is more to being part of a band than basically playing “covers”. Let’s suffice it to say that of at least one of the songs on the new album (the aforementioned “Andy’s Fall”), at least 80% of the riffs were not written by myself. And that, in spite of our album being a tribute to democracy, playing in a band along democratic rules is… really not something that comes along of itself without any deliberate, conscious effort. But we're working on that. 
 

What was the best gig you’ve played to date?

We all had and still have a really good feeling about our performance at Alcatraz Festival 2021. When we started playing, there were like, 100 or so people, attending the concert. At the end, the place was packed with, my guess is 800 or something like that. And they all gave us quite a “standing” (read: “screaming for more”) ovation.

What has been the biggest challenge as band?

Continuing after our former bassist, who, before he joined the band had always been a die-hard fan (does that sound familiar?), was forced to quit because of health problems. That was quite emotional, to say the least. Here’s to you, Gorik!!

What is your current projects or plans?

Simply being able to promote our brand new album live, which is already difficult enough in itself (because at the time of being there just seems to be no such thing as a real scene for our apparently "uncategorizable" “sort of” music), would be fantastic.
 

Has anyone been a major supporter or influence to your band?

Apart from heaving heard of the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Metallica, Tool and Prong, we consider ourselves to be totally unique, of course.
 

What would be the coolest thing that could happen to your band?

How about, for starters, being able to make a living out of our music?

 

What changes would you like to see in the music industry?

This has definitely never been said bfore, but if the music in itself and not the number of clickbaits could again become the yardstick by which to judge good bands, that would already be quite an achievement. Sometimes we feel like we have to spend more time "selling" ourselves on social media than writing/making music. That's not exactly what we had in mind when we started this band.