EST 1981
piano player who fell in love with the guitar.
left the piano to run away with said guitar.
later fell back in love with the piano.
now working a life of balance. piano and guitar. harmonious.
truly, this must be love.
The Tim Amor Web Blog - Episode 5
Biography
It was love at first sight for Tim Amor and music. As a precocious toddler in Burlington, Ontario, he discovered that a certain arrangement of pots, pans and a pair of wooden spoons could create a tantalizing and addictive new sound. That was it – he was hooked. Tim had affairs with maracas, egg shakers and a myriad of other avant-garde experimental music makers before his parents grew tired of his fickle ways and formally introduced him to the acoustic guitar. It would be a loving relationship.
Tim set up camp next to the radio where he taught himself the instrument by ear. After mastering a handful of chords, he was invited to begin performing with the band at his church. It was here that he had his first taste of playing in front of an audience.
Soon afterward, Tim began jonesing to take his relationship to the next level and begin writing music of his own. He joined forces with a couple of his high school friends and formed his first band, Going Nowhere Fast, who began playing locally and quickly gained a dedicated fan base. It wasn’t long before the punk rock threesome was invited to play shows all over Ontario. Going Nowhere Fast achieved almost instant local success and would go on to sell hundreds of demos and t-shirts. Unfortunately, the pressure to live up to the stellar local bands that preceded them proved too much for the trio of teenagers to take and they disbanded in 2002.
Sad and confused at the rift created between him and his music, Tim continued on his own for a while before joining forces with bassist Tim Moore and drummer Ryan DeGelder to form the Lovejoys. The band took on a more poppy feel and quickly found success all over Canada. To this day, Tim rarely plays a set without someone requesting one of his songs, fan favourite "I Think I’m In Love."
At the height of their success, the Lovejoys went on hiatus, to give the members – all in their mid-late 20s – time to get settled with their own lives. Tim Moore got married, Ryan DeGelder focused on his family’s business and Tim Amor, who at 23 was the baby of the group, moved to London, Ontario to take a job sharing his love of music with the local youth.
Even two hours away from home, Tim’s musical ambitions were not put on hold. He formed the hard rock band, Saint Empire, which developed a cult following. A year later, Tim returned to Burlington just in time for fate to give the Lovejoys a second chance. The band has found a home playing on Sunday each month at Burlington’s Legendary Red Rooter Vintage Café.
Tim, not content to let his once-illustrious love affair with music slip into a part time fling, recently began branching out into his own solo work. After a decade of playing in bands, Tim’s catalogue of original songs had passed the 300 mark and he decided it was time to go back to the studio. Tim enlisted the help of Lovejoys’ Ryan DeGelder and local bass legend Johnny Bauld to go forward with what would be called the Tim Amor Band. The release, chalk-full of catchy lyrics and reminiscent of the Barenaked Ladies’ Gordon, is set for release in summer 2008.
Currently, Tim is focusing on developing a nation-wide fan base in preparation for the cross-Canada tour that is in the works for August and September 2008. In the mean time, fans can catch Tim locally as he plays the sweet, sweet rock and/or roll music that sets the soul ablaze. The Tim Amor / Rock’n’Roll relationship is stronger than ever.
