With influences ranging from David Bowie to Sir Mix-A-Lot, Timb's catalog of more than 200 songs spans almost every genre of contemporary music, from popular and obscure to the downright absurd. "I try to cover a lot of genres, but I try to do it well, not just for comedic value," Timb explains, adding that he has yet to dabble in world music or polka.
All this is more than evident on Timb's new double CD, Fitness, where you'll hear nearly every sound imaginable -- at some point. Sure, such unyielding eclecticism is liable to trigger "warning" signs for the impatient music fan. But don't fret -- the songs are not thrown together in a hodge-podge of contrived experimentalism. Each style is assigned its own song, and the arrangement is a roller-coaster ride through Timb's vast musical landscape.
"You're taken from something that sounds like a Jimmy Buffett song to something that sounds like Motörhead," Timb says of his new CD, explaining his aversion to being trapped in any particular style. "A lot of bands are limited by their ideas of what they sound like. Metal bands are afraid to do stuff that's not metal because the metal community would denounce them." And with songs such as the Aerosmith parody "Rattle in the Saddle," the Dead Ken- nedys-inspired "Fitness, Fitness, Rock & Roll," and a cover of "Baby Got Back," Timb should strap on some sensible shoes for all that genre-hopping.
