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About Timmy Curran
Three years ago, Timmy Curran was busy perfecting “The Flip” on his surfboard – A full rotation, upside-down flip he became famous for after landing it in two-foot surf at Rocky Point in Hawaii during the winter of 2005. Curran is considered by many a pioneer of surfing’s “Aerial Revolution” of the 1990’s. Fast forward to 2008, Curran is still a professional surfer, although he has decided to take some time off from competing. Along with surfing, he’s now doing what he’s always dreamt of doing: becoming a musician…a touring musician who’s hit the road with Foo Fighters, Switchfoot and Eisley over the course of the last year. Timmy Curran’s debut album Word Of Mouth will be released July 22nd on Adeline Records.
Some musicians have the opportunity to discover musical success at an astoundingly young age. Timmy Curran wasn’t one of them. In fact, it wasn’t until he was in late twenties did he fully realize the gifts of songwriting and vocal talent that had been tucked away, deep inside him. Unlike his professional surfing endeavors, this talent took several years to fully cultivate. “I tried for many years and I couldn’t get it,” Curran says. “When I was about 14, my dad bought me an acoustic guitar. And once I started playing, I got addicted to playing. I played for quite a few years.” Coupled with the fact that one of his favorite high school subject was English, Curran slowly began to enjoy the time he spent writing potential songs. “From 16 to 27, I wrote all these songs and tried to sing them, but it was horrible.”
The years as a struggling songwriter and performer finally paid off with one fateful trip across the Pacific a few years ago. Curran was in Japan and wrote a song called “If I Only Had A Way.” He was in his hotel room and had recorded it on his MiniDisc recorder. “I listened to it and didn’t bother me too much,” he recalls. “I showed my wife and my brothers and they enjoyed it. I feel it was for me, a surprise and a blessing to overnight sing a song that didn’t turn people away.”
Armed with this fresh sense of accomplishment, Curran began to ramp up his writing process, in hopes that others would be as agreeable with his musical prowess. Shortly after his Japan jaunt, Curran was in Brazil for a surfing competition. However, he was sidelined with a ten-day waiting period, due to inclement weather. To pass the time, he began writing, and ended up penning two songs, “Horses on the Range” and “Joan.” He returned home and found his friends and family taking a strong liking to these latest compositions. For Curran, something had definitely clicked.
One of Curran’s friends, Rob Machado, submitted a song for compilation assembled by a Japanese record label and encouraged Curran to submit his MiniDisc recording. Two weeks later, Curran received the news that he would be included on the compilation. “I was so excited! I couldn’t believe someone’s going to use one of my songs,” he says. A month later, Curran was offered to have “Horses on the Range” placed in documentary on legendary surfboard shaper Al Merrick. Curran subsequently performed at the premiere in front of 1,700 people at the Arlington Theatre. “I was so honored that one of my songs was going to be used in such an anticipated documentary. And I couldn’t believe this was happening,” Curran recalls. “Once it started going, it started going fast,” he continues. “Next thing you know I’m opening for Switchfoot and Eisley.” And then the Foo Fighters came calling, which had Curran – and his quickly-formed backing band – opening 11dates for the band’s acoustic tour, including three nights at the famed Sydney Opera House. “I was so petrified playing in front of all their fans. I called my buddies Ryan Gleason and Andy Smith who were in another band and told them, ‘I AM NOT going to play for the Foo Fighters fans by myself! We practiced for one month, about six to eight times before we went out with the Foo Fighters.”
Curran’s musical success was due to his sheer diligence and desire to perform. There was no pre-destined path for him to follow everything was shaped in near serendipitous fashion. And to further his newly embraced momentum, he decided to commit his songs to record. Teaming up with producer Ian Nickus, Curran self-financed his debut album, tracking at studios in Malibu and at Nickus’ quaint residence in the Hollywood Hills. The independent effort was reflected in this homespun decision: the drums were tracked in a garage, vocals in the bedroom, and everything else cut in the living room. It was a low-pressure situation that worked within Curran’s budget.
The resulting release is the 11-track full-length Word of Mouth, which was initially released as a free download and promoted within the surfing community. According to Curran, songs on Word of Mouth generally revolve around “the ups and downs of life and the roller coaster we’re all on, the good times, and the bad. I also feel like a lot of it is fighting for survival in this world, and the fight for what you believe. I believe in God, and that is a huge part of who I am, and no matter what, that’s going to be in there – the struggles of life and believing in right and wrong.”
With Word of Mouth finally getting its overdue exposure through the re-release via Adeline Records, the 30-year-old Curran’s sensing similar feelings to his earlier rise to fame in the surfing community. “It actually feels exactly the same,” Curran says. “The summer I turned 16, it was the second pro contest I entered, and next thing you know I’m against my heroes. You hop on this roller coaster and it’s totally the same with music. The last two years have gone by in the blink of an eye. I’m so thankful that this had happened at the age I’m at now – if I was 17 or 19 and just trying to make the tour, it would’ve killed me. I’m older and I feel I have a better understanding. I am so thankful,” he reiterates. “I don’t know why I get to do THIS. I’m just pumped and I’m along for the ride. So, whatever happens, I’m just GRATEFUL for the opportunity.”
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