tim grimm- reviews

The Back Fields
Names

Coyote's Dream
Heartland

Reviews of The Back Fields

“The Back Fields” is absolutely my favorite new release that I’ve heard since I can remember. Obviously, the songs are just wonderful as are the harmonies, but there’s something more to it, the music just really tells such great stories, conveys such deep emotion, I don’t know, it just really touched me like nothing has in a long time.”
Mark Michaelis- WGDR, Plainfield, VT

“The Back Fields” will always be modern in the same way that Tracy Chapman’s music will never be “90’s music” and Hal Ketchum’s songs can’t strictly be termed “country.” Because it will never sound dated, naming a genre does Tim Grimm’s music a disservice. The banjo, harmonica and bluegrass inflections are beside the point. Even when the album sounds country, it’s either in a gritty or easy way….
Above all, “The Back Fields” contains the best trait of great country music: it makes the specific universal and the universal personal…..The sound and emotional hues of “The Back Fields” are— very plainly and tenderly—timeless.
Elizabeth Ross, The Herald-Times, Bloomington,IN

“Tim Grimm always has been a first-rate journeyman songwriter and performer. With this CD he ascends to the next level….” Rich Warren- The Midnight Special

“Another great piece of Americana writing and playing. In these days of troubled times it’s good to hear the other side of America coming through loud and clear…. If you scratch the surface hard enough you will find the real writers shining through….” Lawrence Nitschke- AUSTRALIA

“one of the best albums of these last years….”
Mike Penard, ISA Radio, FRANCE

“Tim’s songwriting reminds me of Guy Clark. The songwriting is simple, straightforward yet full of poetry. It closely observes everyday life and distills the small moments of joy and pleasure. Grimm’s vocal style also reminds me of Guy Clark’s unassuming way of putting across a song. It’s a voice in service to the lyric…..Tim Grimm reminds us of the authenticity of rural life and it’s heartfelt emotions, a life lived close to nature, in consonance with the cycle of the seasons. In this time we live in, when all seems inauthentic, when our politics are debased by rulers gone mad with power, Tim’s music helps reaffirm our faith in what this nation has been for more than two centuries and something to which we might someday return.”
Richard Silverstein- Seattle

“one of the most sincere and genuine roots songwriters
in America…..one of the best albums of the year”
Remo Ricaldone- “American Roots Radio”, ITALY

Reviews of Names

AMERICAN ROOTS Music- “Male Artist of the Year”
Freeform American Roots DJs (’04)

“Best of 2004”
“Favorites of 2004”

Gene Shay- WXPN- Philadelphia
Wanda Fischer- WAMC- ALBANY, NY
“Insurgent Country”

#1 Album in Folk Radio- Nov.’04
#1 Artist in Folk Radio- Oct and Nov. ‘04

“I love it when an accomplished songwriter like Tim Grimm turns his attention to the songs of other writers. Tim has a great ear for good songs and lovingly interprets traditional songs and covers….A feast for the fan of well-performed, story-driven acoustic music.” Matt Watroba- SING-OUT !

“One of the flat-out best covers’ albums I have ever heard !”
Barnes Newberry- WUMB- Boston

Reviews of Coyotes's Dream

Interview by Doyle Sharp at www.cybrcaf.com.

Beat Magazine, available on line here: http://www.beat.com.au/columns.shtml#high

“One of the best folk-Americana records we’ve EVER heard.” Ctrl. Alt. Country

“ Grimm writes and sings in the tricky grey area between folk and country, where so many fall between the cracks, by turn evoking Woody Guthrie, whose 1913 Massacre he covers, and Johnny Cash….Grimm is a powerful enough writer and singer to reconcile these dichotomies on an album which, with it’s gripping rural story songs, can be compared to Nebraska, though Grimm, while often as dark as Springsteen, isn’t as pessimistic.” John Conquest, 3rd COAST MUSIC

“ an artist that walks the world with a keen eye for detail and the ability to capture the human moment with candor and beauty…continuing the tradition of the mighty fine story told from mouth to mouth, ear to ear, heart to heart.” Carrie Newcomer

“… ..masterpiece…You can almost hear the coyote calls, the crackle of the fire and the smell of fresh brewed coffee on Coyote’s Dream…He’s a quiet master following in the footsteps of Woody Guthrie and John Prine.” The Courier, Tupelo, MS

“Coyote’s Dream” cement(s) his growing reputation as a fine songwriter rooted in the Woody Guthrie tradition…. As a songwriter and performer, Grimm has learned his Guthrie lessons well. His songs are uniquely his own, yet they seem instantly familiar.” Mike Regenstreif, SING OUT !

“an engaging, perceptive songwriter—highly literate, subtly nuanced and inventive while retaining a traditionalist’s love for classic country folk and bluegrass… Grimm travels the highways and byways of rural America, searching every dark corner and crevice of the beaten path to find some sort of beauty and purity. His voice is world weary but never beaten…..” David Coonce, The Herald-Times, Bloomington, IN

“Grimm is another link in the chain of literate singer songwriters that sees a side to the story that we always miss. The songs are little novels that unfold slowly and then knock you off your feet when you’re not looking… A real find.” Village Records

“… a wealth of folk roots and engaging songs that play in the mind like vivid short stories or films…” Jim Manion, NO DEPRESSION

	Reviews of Heartland
"He masterfully works his words like a farmer works the soil for a deeply involving, superbly crafted harvest of nine original songs, along with the traditional "Sowin' On The Mountain," and A.P. Carter's "Carter's Blues"....These days most songwriters rhapsodize about mountains and oceans, sometimes rivers and lakes. Grimm gives the heartland it's due. You should do the same for Tim Grimm." ~Rich Warren, Sing Out!/ 'The Midnight Special' "an immensely talented singer-songwriter...His rootsy ballads are filled with simple pictures of hardworking farmers and widow women fighting to keep their lives true to the land. His rich, experienced vocals put him right up there with the best in the genre." ~ Chicago Sun-Times "not only a terrific country-folk singer (think of a mellow Bruce Springsteen with the sincerity and clarity of Johnny Cash) but also a compelling, observant songwriter who understands how to balance the personal and the universal." ~ Indianapolis Monthly "He sticks to the basics and knocks you out with very fine lyrics and performance." ~ Dirty Linen, Baltimore "one of the best singer/songwriters to sprout from the Midwest in many years...The way this talented artist can paint pictures dripping of time-honored Americana images with his words, can not help but evoke comparisons to everyone from Woody Guthrie and Steve Goodman to Nebraska-era Bruce Springsteen...a true remarkable talent." ~ Midwest Beat "This is a wonderful back to the roots take on rural life from someone who loves it. Well-produced, but just raw enough. Excellent!" ~ WFHB Radio "Grimm's voice is the portal that lets you into his way of life, and the lives of his neighbors who live and breathe in his songs. There are really no words to describe that voice. It is distinct, rich, full of experience, and puts Grimm in a class with some very elite company- Cash, Nelson, Haggard, to name a few." ~ Bloomington Independent "A superb work, probably one of the best efforts I've heard from an American songwriter in recent times... every song is a gem." ~ Radio Voce Spazio, Italy

	Songwriting Awards
John Lennon ~ SHE REMEMBERS ('country') Just Plain Folks ~BETTER DAYS ('best traditional folk song') Great American Songwriting ~ 80 ACRES ('folk') Independent Music Awards ~ (nomination/finalist) DOWN THE ROAD ('folk/bluegrass')