Interview by Michael Debbage
Timothy Crane’s website describes his music as instrumental pop music that blends influences from new age, popular, rock, and even classical music into compositions that are both interesting and enjoyable. This would be a very accurate description of this up and coming pianist whose impressive accessible debut solo recording The Other Life I Dream was released close to seven years ago.
Since then, Crane has not only avoided the dreaded sophomore jinx but has also continued to create and compose impressive compositions courtesy of 2010’s Dragonfly, anchored in memorable piano driven melodies gently washed in light restrained orchestration. While the process may take a while Crane has already begun the process of a recording his third title. Nevertheless, Timothy found the time to complete an interview for Mainly Piano. And much like Crane’s music, his answers were emotionally transparent, insightful and sensitive.
Q: According to your website you began playing the piano at 5 years old. Is there a musical influence from within your family and if not what prompted such an early inclination?
First, thank you so much, Michael, for giving me the opportunity to talk to you. I think if there is any job in this world that I envy, it’s yours. You are able to listen to and talk about music way more than I ever get to.
I suppose my main influence was my mother, who started me playing before I could even reach the pedals. There is an early picture of me watching my brother on the piano, with me attempting to “play” the piano bench alongside him, so I think he must have been some influence as well. I know for a fact that my mom was highly influenced by an uncle of hers, Percy Hemus, a baritone who recorded on 78 RPM records for the Victor Talking Machine Company. He was a big star back in the day, but he became even more famous playing the “Old Wrangler” on the Tom Mix radio show. My mom also had an aunt who played professionally, including playing the organ for a silent movie house in Topeka, Kansas.
Q: Your music, while instrumentally dominated is very accessible and melodic and appears to be influenced by several musical genres. What were some of your preferred musical tastes in your youth both at a genre and artist level?
Growing up I was a pop music fiend, obsessed with the Beatles like everyone else. My thought is that if you grow up listening to the Beatles and you later write music, you will likely start writing something in that style – pop – even if it’s only instrumental music. Most of my pieces are like little pop songs, with verses, bridges, and choruses. As a piano player, I later became a big fan of Elton John, but not necessarily for his pure pop songs. Instead, I loved his instrumental pieces, which often had big lush orchestration on them. Like “Tonight” (the beginning part) or “Carla Etude.” Still, these pieces were always just album pieces, not played much, if at all, on the radio. I remember having defining moments in my life the first time I heard Enya’s “Orinoco Flow” (I was in the parking lot of the Giant Grocery Store in Rockville Maryland) and a piece by Yanni (I was on my back porch) actually on the radio. That’s when I said, “Oh, yeah, that’s exactly what I want to do!”
