Meet Tim Bluhm | Musician and producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tim Bluhm and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tim, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The guys in the band and I were teenagers who started a band. We didn’t know we were starting a business! There was perhaps some awareness of that when the gigs started paying better than my dishwashing job. When we started working with management company and record label it still felt to me like it was their business instead of ours. After a few years the label went away and the.management company quit. It was then that it felt like real life and we had to really start thinking about how we were going to continue to be a band.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I try to make my art instill a sense of wonder and possibility. I like when I hear songs that do that to me. I don’t know that anything sets me apart from other songwriters other than my choices of how I get where I’m trying to get. Archetypes are obviously very useful and there are possibly countless ways to refer to them. It felt way easier to write songs when I was younger and just starting out. All of my experiences and all topics were untapped and there for the taking. As I’ve developed I’ve gotten more picky and economical. I feel like I have to justify a new song now. If it’s not good, not adding something valuable, why finish it?
Editing is extremely important but it’s best to apply editing only after I’ve let myself go for a good spell. To me writing can be grabbing the tail of the subconscious and holding it long enough to get a good look at it before it swims back into the depths. When I can do that, and turn that into something other people can experience at their convenience then I get excited.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Fairfax in Marin County. I usually take visitors out to Tomales Bay for a boat ride or a little swimming and SUPing and some lunch at The Marshal Store. A day sail on the Bay is always a fun thing to do. The view from Mt Livermore on Angel Island is the best in the area to me. In town I like to get sushi at Village Sake and chicken and waffles at The Hummingbird Cafe.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I had a poetry professor at Chico State University named Gary Thompson who took me under his wing and encouraged me during my time in the writing program. His positive feedback and his approach to helping me develop my “voice” gave me the confidence to take my writing from the page to the stage. His latest book of poetry is Broken By Water: Salish Sea Years

Website: www.timbluhm.com www.motherhips.com

Instagram: @timblunm

Facebook: Facebook.com/timothybluhm

Image Credits
Jay Blakesberg Tim Bluhm