When Tim Reynolds comes back to Charlottesville, he tends to avoid Miller's, the now legendary bar where he once met a young bartender named Dave Matthews. Although the celebrated guitarist may shy away from his former haunt, he is happy to perform at Charlottesville's many concert venues - most recently at the nTelos Wireless Pavillion, where he played an acoustic benefit concert with Matthews last Saturday. When tableau caught up with Reynolds after the show, he had nothing but positive things to say about the duo's appearance, all proceeds of which went to various charities.
"It was a really great crowd," he said. "We haven't done a full concert like that yet this year, and it was really amazing for us to play an acoustic gig like this in Charlottesville because we haven't in a really long time - maybe not since back in the day."
"The day" refers to the 1980s, when Reynolds was living and performing in Charlottesville with many future Dave Matthews Band members before they even knew Matthews himself. When DMB formed in 1991, Reynolds declined the offer to become a permanent member, preferring to stick with his own band, the Tim Reynolds Trio (TR3).
"It wasn't right at the time," he said, citing DMB's intense touring schedule and his own move to New Mexico. "It's good to have another outlet [than solo work]. It's fun to be a sideman in a band where you don't feel all the responsibility of being a frontman. It's just fun to play guitar and do your own thing."
Despite his insistence that he plays second fiddle to DMB's namesake, throughout the years, Reynolds - who is now a staple at DMB's live shows - became a vital part of the band, able to experience its considerable success as well as branch off on his own. TR3 and Reynolds' multiple albums have garnered critical acclaim and amassed a large and dedicated fan base.
Although Reynolds is naturally pleased with how his musical career has panned out since his days of playing small gigs at Charlottesville bars, to him, music is more than a livelihood - it's a way of life.
"I'm fortunate to be able to do this as my work since I can't turn it off anyway," he said. "When I'm in a really good mood with it, music is kind of like the universe for me. It's an infinite resource that comes from nowhere, but really everywhere and everything. You just have to have the energy to tap into it. It's a part of my expression, and it's also like music is like a religion."
In all likelihood, fans will be able to worship at the altar of Reynold's Fender for years to come, as he suspects he will be playing music "until I drop dead, probably." He also expects to perform again in Charlottesville within the next few years.
"It's great to play in Charlottesville," he said. "It's really nice to be back where it all started, and to see [the City] evolve is very cool."
Maybe next time, he'll even make it into Miller's.
Fast Takes with Tim Reynolds:\nFavorite instrument to play other than guitar: Sitar\nBiggest musical influences: Led Zeppelin, Nine Inch Nails, Peter Gabriel\nFavorite modern rock band: Radiohead\nFavorite Charlottesville venue: the Jefferson Theater\nFavorite brand of guitar: Acoustic; Martin; Electric: Gibson and Fender\nFavorite song to play live: "The newest song I've learned. Right now, it's 'All Over the Place,' a TR3 song"
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