Tim Baker brings his full-band holiday tour to Kingston
Author: Julie Booth
On November 15, 2024, St. John's-born and currently Berlin-based, Tim Baker, released his holiday album, Full Rainbow of Light (via End Times Music) today. Tim shares “Light the Light” single (web link). An official video will follow soon. An LP trailer is available here: web link
There's a distinct human kinship to Tim's new holiday album. It holds close, personal feelings and relatable situations, that Christmas time in particular evokes, whilst swerving completely the overtly saccharine tropes often linked to uniting for festivities. This is about community, traditions and the closeness of family, friends - and fans, in all the refracted stories. Just as one can see a full rainbow of light in a Christmas tree's string lights, so too, can it be a reflection on a year that has passed, full of technicolor, pivotal moments.
“I started recording this album in Montreal with my great friends & go-to collaborators Marcus Paquin & Liam O’Neill, but it sat sidetracked by other projects for over a year,” says Tim. “It took a long east coast winter and half the musicians in St. John’s to help me finally get it there. I guess it makes sense it had to come home, since ‘Town’ is such a central character to it. I was lucky enough to get the likes of Tom Power, Aaron Collis, Emilia Bartellas, Matthew Byrne & Rich Klaas of the townie trad legends The Dardanelles; stars in the their own right Kelly McMichael, Mara Pellerin, Nico Paulo & Maria Peddle singing backups; not to mention social media superstar Billianne backing me up on the title track; Rob Brown on the haunting Uilleann pipes; Peter Lannon lending his lead guitar sweetness; honorary Newfoundlanders Mike Brushey & Jason Haberman grounding everything on bass & drums; my dad sings on it, my friends are all over it, to say it's ‘of my home’ is funny cause so much of it was actually recorded in my literal living room, pausing when the snowplows ground past, or the wind got too loud in the chimneys.”
Full Rainbow of Light consists of twelve new songs, written by Tim - except for one blistering cover of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” – all inspired by the feelings of the holidays and recorded in his hometown of St. John’s, Newfoundland. To call it a 'Christmas album' is to cheapen the depth of the songwriting – these are masterful, original compositions that are nestled in the big feelings and high emotions of the holidays. A time that Tim has continued to celebrate with live sets and special shows, for decades now.
Full Rainbow of Light is the follow-up to 2022’s The Festival and its 2023 companion EP Along the Mountain Road. Those releases sent Tim on extensive international touring, both with his full band, All Hands, and as a solo artist, selling out some of Canada’s most acclaimed venues, including Massey Hall in Toronto. In many ways, Full Rainbow of Light is a bridge between his long love of expansive full-band energy, and the vulnerability, purity and maturity of his recent solo performances. While there is an obvious specificity to the album - set as it is at Christmas, in Tim’s own home and history, complete with traditional Newfoundland instrumentation strewn throughout - the authenticity of the work is something that transcends the specific and shines a warm welcoming light for everyone, everywhere.
Tim, St. John's born and currently Berlin-based, is a Juno Award nominated, Polaris Prize short-listed, ECMA-laden singer/songwriter. He along with his excellent live band, All Hands will be presenting Full Rainbow of Light on upcoming dates over November and December, across Atlantic Canada and Ontario where they’ll of course be playing much-loved Hey Rosetta! Christmas tunes, as well as crowd favourites from Tim’s own ever-deepening solo catalogue. With Cape Breton’s Villages joining them, it’s bound to be a travelling East Coast Christmas party, full of new, artful, instant classics. The home town shows in St. John's, including an additional second show both of which have SOLD OUT. Many other stops on the routing have also SOLD OUT. These shows are not to be missed.
Details and tickets for Tim Baker & All Hands' performance at Kingston Grand Theatre on December 11 are available here: web link Posted: Dec 3, 2024 Originally Published: Dec 2, 2024
There's a distinct human kinship to Tim's new holiday album. It holds close, personal feelings and relatable situations, that Christmas time in particular evokes, whilst swerving completely the overtly saccharine tropes often linked to uniting for festivities. This is about community, traditions and the closeness of family, friends - and fans, in all the refracted stories. Just as one can see a full rainbow of light in a Christmas tree's string lights, so too, can it be a reflection on a year that has passed, full of technicolor, pivotal moments.
“I started recording this album in Montreal with my great friends & go-to collaborators Marcus Paquin & Liam O’Neill, but it sat sidetracked by other projects for over a year,” says Tim. “It took a long east coast winter and half the musicians in St. John’s to help me finally get it there. I guess it makes sense it had to come home, since ‘Town’ is such a central character to it. I was lucky enough to get the likes of Tom Power, Aaron Collis, Emilia Bartellas, Matthew Byrne & Rich Klaas of the townie trad legends The Dardanelles; stars in the their own right Kelly McMichael, Mara Pellerin, Nico Paulo & Maria Peddle singing backups; not to mention social media superstar Billianne backing me up on the title track; Rob Brown on the haunting Uilleann pipes; Peter Lannon lending his lead guitar sweetness; honorary Newfoundlanders Mike Brushey & Jason Haberman grounding everything on bass & drums; my dad sings on it, my friends are all over it, to say it's ‘of my home’ is funny cause so much of it was actually recorded in my literal living room, pausing when the snowplows ground past, or the wind got too loud in the chimneys.”
Full Rainbow of Light consists of twelve new songs, written by Tim - except for one blistering cover of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” – all inspired by the feelings of the holidays and recorded in his hometown of St. John’s, Newfoundland. To call it a 'Christmas album' is to cheapen the depth of the songwriting – these are masterful, original compositions that are nestled in the big feelings and high emotions of the holidays. A time that Tim has continued to celebrate with live sets and special shows, for decades now.
Full Rainbow of Light is the follow-up to 2022’s The Festival and its 2023 companion EP Along the Mountain Road. Those releases sent Tim on extensive international touring, both with his full band, All Hands, and as a solo artist, selling out some of Canada’s most acclaimed venues, including Massey Hall in Toronto. In many ways, Full Rainbow of Light is a bridge between his long love of expansive full-band energy, and the vulnerability, purity and maturity of his recent solo performances. While there is an obvious specificity to the album - set as it is at Christmas, in Tim’s own home and history, complete with traditional Newfoundland instrumentation strewn throughout - the authenticity of the work is something that transcends the specific and shines a warm welcoming light for everyone, everywhere.
Tim, St. John's born and currently Berlin-based, is a Juno Award nominated, Polaris Prize short-listed, ECMA-laden singer/songwriter. He along with his excellent live band, All Hands will be presenting Full Rainbow of Light on upcoming dates over November and December, across Atlantic Canada and Ontario where they’ll of course be playing much-loved Hey Rosetta! Christmas tunes, as well as crowd favourites from Tim’s own ever-deepening solo catalogue. With Cape Breton’s Villages joining them, it’s bound to be a travelling East Coast Christmas party, full of new, artful, instant classics. The home town shows in St. John's, including an additional second show both of which have SOLD OUT. Many other stops on the routing have also SOLD OUT. These shows are not to be missed.
Details and tickets for Tim Baker & All Hands' performance at Kingston Grand Theatre on December 11 are available here: web link Posted: Dec 3, 2024 Originally Published: Dec 2, 2024
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