Canadian singer-songwriter Tim Baker in London
“Nostalgic and nuanced, with a chorus that nods to Jackson Browne and a buoyant, bubbling verse worthy of Feist.” Rolling Stone
Tim Baker lead singer of renowned Canadian band Hey Rosetta! is currently on a solo tour in UK & Europe. His debut critically acclaimed solo album Forever Overhead released earlier this year, was followed by the single and EP The Eighteenth Hole, which I wrote about earlier this month.
Tim Baker @ Servant Jazz Quarters
Tim played an intimate sold-out gig at the Servant Jazz Quarters, Dalston. I invited a good friend of mine who is a Dalston resident for the evening.
Servant Jazz Quarters feels very much like a traditional soulful Jazz bar. It’s a boutique music venue and bar in the heart of Dalston and feels like a well-kept secret. The bar itself resides at the back and is the central piece to the room. People are seated around tables as I arrive and also are sipping drinks at the bar. It felt intimate and timeless. The 2-4-1 cocktails during the evening are also amazing.
A night with Tim in Dalston
Arriving early before his set, Tim mingled with the crowd who had come to see him play. Tim is incredibly charming to everyone around him. I had the pleasure of chatting to him before the show, kindly stopping to meet me before going on stage.
A jazz bar in Dalson posed as the perfect host for Tim’s music. We all crowded around watching Tim sat by the piano, mesmerised by his incredible voice and heartfelt lyrics.
“There she is
Aloft in her long white dress
Belonging with someone else
I should have never left”
An acoustic session is ideal for Tim’s incredibly beautiful voice. Looking around, he has adoring fans singing along and watching his every move. Drinking in the atmosphere and his the music which embraced the room.
Forgetting some of his own lyrics was quite endearing in the set. Tim is so incredibly talented, he appears as both a gentle soul and musical genius, where all is forgiven. We all are spell-bound, longing to hear more from the Canadian singer before the evening finishes.
London Set List:
DANCE | STRANGE RIVER | BANDAGES | SPIRIT | ATLAS OF MANHATTAN | RED SONG | 18TH HOLE | DESPERADOS UNDER THE EAVES (cover) | TEXAS GIRL AT THE FUNERAL OF HER FATHER (cover) | WELCOME | CATHEDRAL BELLS | HARRIET | ALL HAND
DONT LET ME GO YET
The Eighteenth Hole
Tim Baker recently released a beautifully cinematic and stunning video for The Eighteenth Hole – Forever Overhead‘s (Arts & Crafts) heartbreak track. It is incredibly beautiful and haunting. Pining for a love lost.
Tim released The Eighteenth Hole Variations EP on October 18, which featured a gorgeous vocal trio reconfiguration of the album track, as well as the song performed as solo piano.
Forever Overhead
Forever Overhead just claimed the Top 10 Folk Album of 2019 via Canadian Music Monthly, Exclaim magazine, who noted: “The record draws deep from the past with both exaltations and mournful reveries..’ All Hands’ bows gratefully to the past while ‘The Eighteenth Hole’ lingers on ‘what-ifs’… Forever Overhead is a resounding act of preservation in an age of unprecedented destruction.”
Tim Baker releases The Side Door Sessions EP
Tim released The Side Door Sessions EP (previously released on YouTube), recorded live in intimate, non-venue spaces during the winter of 2018. The recording began shortly after his former band of 10 years, Hey Rosetta!, played their final notes.
Tim set off alone with some new songs he’d been performing in songwriters circles around Newfoundland. His first stop was his manager’s living room outside of Toronto during a snowstorm to 60 strangers. Then 4000 km away to Nanaimo, BC in another living room. He travelled across the country performing in a closed up vinyl shop, a curling rink, an abandoned folk club, an abandoned loft, a recording studio, a hotel room.
Each space was transformed into a small venue and live recording studio for a night. Tim worked alongside label-mate Dan Mangan through his “Side Door” bookings for many of the dates. Others were just found through friends in rural towns. All of the shows were filmed and edited into the “Side Door Sessions”. What came of it was the sketching of “Forever Overhead” and a video project that Tim independently released on his YouTube.
Tim Baker – Tour Dates 2020
You can also see Tim on his tour in the U.K. (London show is already SOLD OUT) and Europe, beginning with dates in Portugal, and also play Ireland, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands over January and February of 2020 (with Nico Paulo). Check out the dates below.
January Tour Dates
2nd: Casa da Música – Porto, Portugal*
15th: Musicbox Lisboa – Lisbon, Portugal*
16th: Atlas Hostel – Leiria, Portugal*
17th: Cine-Teatro of Estarreja – Estarreja, Portugal*
19th: Sofar Sounds Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal*
22nd: Servant Jazz Quarters – London, UK – SOLD OUT*
24th: Henry Tudor House – Shrewsbury, UK*
26th: Upstairs at Whelans – Dublin, Ireland*
29th: Acapella, Cardiff, UK*
31st: Hare on the Hill – Bristol, UK*
February Tour Dates
2nd: Prince Albert, Brighton, UK*
4th: Sofar Paris, Paris, France
7th: Più Piano, Neuburg an der Donau, Germany*
9th: Chelsea – Vienna, Austria*
12th: Mojo Jazz Cafe – Hamburg Germany*
13th: Prachtwerk – Berlin, Germany*
15th: Lutherse Kirk – Groningen, Netherlands^
16th: Trivoli Vrendenburg – Utrecht, Netherlands^
*w/ Nico Paulo
^ supporting Kacy & Clayton
Images from Tim Baker London Show are the copyright of Marie Ellis.