Timothy Robert Graham is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, mixer, and songwriter based in Seattle, Washington. He produces out of Bear Creek Studio and writes, records and performs with friends along the West Coast of America. Music is in Timothy’s blood as his grandfather, Robert Drasnin, was the music director for CBS where he composed incidental music for The Twilight Zone, Mission: Impossible, Hawaii 5-0, and other popular TV shows. As a jazz musician in the 50s his grandfather adopted the symbolic all black uniform. As a toddler, Timothy refused anything but black clothes as an act of admiration for the man who inspired him to become a writer.
In high school, Timothy was obsessed with hardcore and punk music, picked up drums and bass and would travel by any means necessary to go see a show. For college, he turned this teenage fascination into a more serious endeavour by studying music production and recording. Once he moved into Seattle he had a hard time finding a band, so he decided to record a few demos on his own to pass around at parties and shows. In his own words, “I was shameless. But I was also lonely, so I didn’t really have much to lose.” Later, he made a bunch of DIY music with friends and played all over town, but eventually he realized that his efforts and commitment was a little different than a lot of people who just wanted to party and hang out. He began the search for some mentors and people to help open a few doors that he couldn’t seem to pry open. Eventually he joined a touring band that practiced three nights a week and finally felt like he had a little music community that was interested in really putting in the work as songwriters and musicians.
The band he had been touring with, Motopony, was keeping Timothy busy, but still he felt the need to have a solo project where he could fully express his ideas. The well-known DJ Marco Collins had rated one of those self-made records as the “best of the year”. This gave Timothy the boost he needed to invest more into his own music, especially as he used to tape Marco’s radio show so he could listen to it on the bus ride into school. In 2018, he connected with Steven Aguilar who was the producer for Pedro The Lion (David Bazan) and when they got together it took about ten minutes to realise that he was the right person to refine his vision and meet those sonic goals. When the covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Timothy was forced to take a break from touring and switched his focus to production and mixing work, after interning for Steven. Since then, production and mixing work have been non-stop and he’s been able to work with a ton of talented artists. Somehow he managed to fit in touring as a guitarist and bassist for Ya Tseen (Sub Pop) and Sea Lemon (Votiv).
Despite the success of Timothy’s studio work, he’s still the same kid he’s always been. As he states, “I need to express myself, be on a stage, travel, make new friends, and feel like I’ve been accepted by the freaks and punks. So, until the wheels fall off I’ll be sharing songs and hoping for that wonderful feeling of connection at the end of every show.” He has two brilliant musicians involved in his solo project and he often ends up playing shows with the artists and bands that he works on production for. Ultimately, Timothy Robert Graham’s music is all about building a community in Seattle and abroad and pursuing a lifelong dream.
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