No Musical Tour of the USA would be complete without Timothy Baron & Authorized. I have also decided to extend my invitation to this rising group for an interview. The rest was a conversation with an artist that is ready to take on the world.

 

 

1.How did Timothy Baron & Authorized start their career?

 

A.I been writing and playing since before high school.Before high school I was known for my vocals.Then I heard Prince,

  who we»ll talk about later,and I wanted to be a multi-instrumentalist.So I forsook developing my vocals in favor of developing

  composing,arranging,producing and instrumental skills.So by the time I started doing studio demos by myself and sharing

  them with people,my vocals were crappy.But I felt the songs were good,just needed the right person to sing them.So I gath-

  ered up musicians and singers,including Lorhonda Hall(Simpson),9 in all.We became Blend.After finding out that there was

  another Blend and another Baron,and after personnell changes ,we became Timothy Baron & Authorized by 2002.It’s funny   

  because now artists don’t seem to care if  they share the same name.I mean there are several going by the name «prince».

  I mean who doesn’t know Prince(Rogers Nelson).

 

2.Who are your musical idols and what did you learn from them in order to form your own style?

 

A.As already noted ,Prince taught me how to be complexed and simple at the same time,in the same song.However,there»s 

   also that thing he’s famous for that may have opened up a can ofworms.He did everything himself.Now everybody thinks

   they can do it by themselves musically ,and they can’t.From a business standpoint this is great’Instead of paying a band,

   we can just pay one person’.Problem is Prince is a great musician while these others just learned how to play «lean on me»

   on the piano using one finger.Anyway,from James Brown I learned to keep it on the one.From Kashif(wrote/produced «You

   give good love» by Whitney Houston) I learned the use of reverb and vocal-stacking.From Paul Hardcastle(«rainforest»,»19″)

   I learned instrumentals don’t all have to be»smooth»,but can be up-tempo with some edge.

 

3.I heard the track «loyalty».It is a great track.What was your inspiration behind the track?

 

A.I’ve written and or composed over 700 songs.Of them,maybe about 5 of them was written about any  real-life experiences.

   Well,this is one of the five,but only one line,»stick with me».I was in a relationship where the young lady said she ‘was gonna

   stick with me’.Of course,she didn’t.But the interesting thing about this track was that this is when it all came together for me 

   as a writer and composer.Before this track I was just writing to be writing.Now I write with a purpose.I was actually supposed

   to sing lead on the track,which, of course,I did on the demo.When we went in the studio,rhonda was supposed to be singing

   another track,but she had instead learned «loyalty»,so I let her sing it .I never sung it again.

 

4.Have you recorded any cds or videos?

 

A.Yes.Though we’re working on some things,we have cds availiable at i-tunes.We’ve got a low-budget video of «loyalty(short

   version)» on youtube.

 

5.Have you gone on tour?

 

A.Funny,just receive an e-mail June19 inviting us on a major three show tour.The problem is it’s June 26 and 28 in Calfornia and

   July2 in New York.It’s just too short advance notice for us to play well.Exposure is good,but not if you bomb.Plus I’m recuper-

   ating from a long illness.So maybe next time.We are, however, booking some local gigs.

 

6.What is your recommendation for those who want a career in music?

 

A.My first usual answer to a question like this is work hard,that’s general,whether you are                a  janitor,farmer,banker,lawyer…work.Unfortunately,lots of artists getinto music so they won’t have to work hard.

I know some say they are on their «grind»,meaning that they are working hard,but they are working hard on on networking and promotions.I’m talking about  working on the music itself.Why does so much of the music sound the same if we are all unique individuals?Because alot of artists don’t work on creativity or experiment because they are too busy networking.When you work

 hard at something you’ll appreciate it .Also,have a love of music first.If you love,not the fame or money,but the music you won’t  

give up.You will be happy with a million fans or just 10.You see success as just being able to share your music with someone

who  enjoys it ,not just bandwagon fans.

 

7.Do you have any message for the public?

 

A.Yes.1)Visit reverbnation,com/timothybaronauthorized.2)Keep FUNK alive!3)CAN I ROCK,BABY?

 

My thanks to Timothy Baron and Authorized for taking their valuable time for this interview. My best wishes.