Eagles Band's Timothy B. Schmit flies solo in San Francisco with new Expando at Great American Music Hall
Going rogue at Christmas with Eagles Band's Timothy B. Schmit in San Francisco December 13
The Eagles Band's bass guitarist Timothy B. Schmit brings his live performance of Expando to San Francisco this month. He sings at the intimate Great American Music Hall off Polk for one night only, Sunday, December 13. Doors open 7:30 p.m. It's only $20 which is amazing to hear an icon from my childhood up close and personal. As for somebody who has covered little but SF opera until the season ended recently, my hearing something a mortal can sing and in English is music to my ears. I'm tapping my toes while write this column, Timothy on the headphones from his website.
Moreover an airline pilot who likes oddly enough not only the Eagles but also Led Zeppelin sent me an encouraging email about going rogue to cover Timothy Schmit. I had told him since opera season is over until June in San Francisco, I would be able to indulge in other art forms. He says to me,
Keep on going rogue, you will probably like it.
I had invited him to fly from southern California to see Timothy on my press pass. Although the bass guitarist will perform one night only in San Francisco, he will also perform in Sacramento as well as southern California and in Seattle. Moreover it’s just a couple hundred people rather than an arena at the Great American Music Hall. 26 tables will have dinner including chicken or a vegetarian selection.
Parachute?
The reason Schmit’s new album Expando would be appropriate to anybody who feels smitten by a pilot would be the song Parachute, which I also fell in love with upon hearing it. Some cool church organ from the sixties. He sings Parachute with Graham Nash. While my ears are trained from childhood to hear Eagles harmony and I’m straining to hear the regular rogue’s gallery, Timothy also sings with Kid Rock on Expando. How cool is that?
Friday Night?
You also hear the great church organ on Friday Night, an upbeat ditty with an invitation any blue-eyed girl would accept from a pilot. Timothy leads into the song by saying I have some things to say:
Slip into your best dress, paint your lips red, open up your blue eyes, forget the things we said. I could be your lover, you can shine the light, let’s fire up the candle, it’s a Friday Night.
One More Mile
He offers encouragement however when things go south. If ya'll are Tiger Woods flying out of the house at 2:30 a.m. with nowhere to go, One More Mile features a plucky little banjo. It's a bluesy song with Timothy's quirky self-effacing lyrics.
Tim also performs with his son Ben.
You can groove with it all at the website www.TimothyBSchmit.com.
Ticket information here: tickets.
Where is Linda Ronstadt?
My ears need to hear something besides opera for Christmas in particular. While this isn’t Christmas music, it does have the characteristic Eaglean theme of longing for home, of wishing a loved one would be near. Parachute sounds like Desperado, a song I grew up with. Even Linda Ronstadt will be going rogue and reading a childrens’ story, Peter and the Wolf, with the symphony this December. Moreover speaking of going rogue I am so excited about attending the Cirque de la Symphonie on Saturday night. Today's subject would be all things aerial:
CIRQUE DE LA SYMPHONIE with SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY
December 5 at 8 p.m. at Davies Symphony Hall
The acrobats, aerialists, jugglers and contortionists of Cirque de la Symphonie join the Orchestra for a holiday concert of derring-do and evocative holiday music Saturday, December 5 at 8 p.m. SFS Assistant Conductor Donato Cabrera conducts.
Timothy sings with Graham Nash on his homemade Expando
Back to Timothy though. Each home grown song on Expando sounds singeable and with his diction one can actually make out what he’s saying. Moreover the musicians actually went to his home studio, nobody sent their part in via the internet or on a disk.
From the 50s?
Plus it’s a whole different world from opera and it’s in English. When did that start? I’m thrilled to see an icon from my childhood in any event. Growing up in the 1950s style sheltered suburb of San Leandro, my friends and I in the mid seventies liked the Eagles. Best of My Love would be the big hit and even a prom theme. However I sang Desperado. I would play my steel string second hand cheap guitar and sing Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses. Who would have thought a quarter of a century later I would be listening to Parachute over the internet. The what?
When you think you’ve had enough of all this living on your own
And you feel you’re just about to break in two
When you’re stuck in overdrive and you’re longing for home
It’s time to change your altitude
And open up your parachute . . .
Fitful, sleepless nights
Dreaming I can fly
. . . Come down to earth and change your mood
Open up your parachute
White Boy from Sacramento?
Hotel California came out when I was a senior at Marina if I recall correctly. 1977. Timothy’s song White Boy from Sacramento also makes me feel as if this is a homeboy but when he talks about Pat Boone I’m thinking he’s a tad before my time. He does however talk about riding his red bicycle straight home. Yeah, that would be me to this day. I had roller skates too. Bayfair Mall had a roller rink and the drive-in nextdoor; Southland Mall had an ice-arena.
In any event, here’s an interview with Timothy from his website. He talks about singing with Graham Nash on Parachute. Interview.
Cinderfellas
So in conclusion. An airline pilot as a pilot probably won’t care for the song Parachute but will love it as an Eagles fan. I mean after all flying is their life and the cockpit fits them damn well. On that note, one of my Christmas presents this year is coming from my friend Renee. She’s sending me a real captain’s jacket with two stripes on the sleeve, size 43L. It's from US Air, the airline of hero pilot from Danville Sully Sullenberger. Incidentally he will serve as Grand Marshall of the Rose Parade on January first. My jacket will just need some pearls and high heels and a little mistletoe.
Other SF events--acting in Trauma shot on Treasure Island naval base
Meanwhile, speaking of costumes, I worked this week as a background actor on Trauma. It shot on Treasure Island in a hanger and I played a trauma nurse in gray scrubs with a lavender stethoscope. My buddy Gino Scandur took photos on the set, below. Trauma will start airing again in the spring although it’s on life-support.
Until December 13, as Sully Sullenberger's Mom used to say, fly low and slow.
Jerri, Nurse Cindy (the writer), Marty on the set of Trauma.
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