Biography
Seattle native Tim Seely launched his solo career in striking fashion during 2005 by issuing Funeral Music, a wide-ranging and ambitious collection that threaded indie folk textures and clever pop hooks through lyrics marked by intelligence, emotional depth, wit, and a touch of eccentricity. Listeners first encountered him as frontman of the Actual Tigers, the band that secured a Nettwerk Records contract and unveiled Gravelled & Green in 2001; although the album earned strong critical notices, it vanished commercially, prompting the group’s dissolution soon after the label ended its support. Rebuilding as a solo act, Seely shifted to Oxford, MS, where he began crafting fresh songs and reunited with producer Dennis Herring, who had helmed the Actual Tigers’ only album; multi-instrumentalist Clay Jones then joined the effort to refine tracks Seely had already captured at home. Returning to Seattle with the Mississippi recordings, he merged them with additional material of his own to complete Funeral Music, which appeared on his independent Slow Love imprint. A skilled guitarist, Seely augments his stage shows with a custom-built device known as “the angel bar,” enabling him to layer vocal parts into impromptu choral or string effects. He has also applied his musical and engineering expertise in the roles of producer and engineer, occasionally turning to commercial jingle work for radio and television to supplement his income.
Albums