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Finding musical fulfillment in the comforts of home

Let’s praise the studio musician.

They may not play live much; perhaps they’re in a band that performs at the occasional farmers market or gallery event. They forgo that time on stage for in-home song writing and recording, eventually building up a catalog of records.

It’s a fine way to get your creative and musical fix. Not all musicians want to deal with the often-disappointing and seldom-rewarding rigors of the biz. And these studio players are just as important for the greater musical good as the ones grinding it out on the road.

Many studio musicians stay home, write songs, record them in-house and stock Web pages with record after record. They put them on their website for listening and downloading. Maybe they put a price tag on them; otherwise they encourage people to listen for free and enjoy.

Local musician Tim Birchard’s Bandcamp page is just that. A music fan’s need for art-rock, pop, punk, new-age, folk or rock ’n’ roll can be fulfilled in one sitting at his page, a jukebox with nods to The Pixies and Alex Chilton, Black Flag and Bob Marley, Joe Craven and Ben Harper.

Birchard’s band efforts include his punk band Pelon, his kirtan chant group Blue Lotus Feet and other projects with a guest musician here and there. Solo or with a band, the Fort Lewis College academic services coordinator spends a lot of time in his home studio recording, resulting in more than 20 records.

The latest is “Tai Chi Montage,” a solo effort released in the spring with 11 tracks of spaghetti western, blues, reggae and rock.

“I can’t seem to stop,” Birchard said in the KDUR studio in June. “It’s my cycle: Summer comes around, I get a little bit of time off, and that’s where I go. I write and record. It’s my way to blow off steam. What I really love is just throwing stuff together and seeing what happens.”

Birchard spent his college years studying radio, television and film at the University of Texas in Austin. His pursuit of music is far from mastered, he says, remaining an exercise in dedication to learning instruments, songwriting and production through trial and error.

“It’s like sitting on the couch for 32 years and making mistakes,” Birchard said. “It includes so much frustration, and working through the frustration.”

Beating that frustration has resulted in a diverse collection of original singles, EPs and full-length records. While Birchard isn’t knocking down venue doors to perform, he is fulfilling a need to create whatever kind of music he wants.

“Since I was 9, I wanted to be in KISS. So I thought I’ve got to choose one style and just do that. That way I can get famous,” he said. “Now, I realize I was putting the cart before the horse. I need to make music because I love it. I love all these different styles, so I just do my thing and I don’t really care where it lands. It’s not about getting famous; it’s just about the expression.”

Find his music at www.timbirchard.bandcamp.com.

Liggett_b@fortlewis.edu. Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager.

Bryant’s Best

Saturday: The Barenaked Ladies, 8 p.m., $35/$45/$55, Sky Ute Casino Resort, 14324 Colorado Highway 172, Ignacio, 563-7777.

Monday: Rock music with Shinyribs, 8:30 p.m., $12, Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Drive, 799-2281.



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