MM: Right.
TM: We played in Las Vegas in a festival there as well in October. It was called the Vegoose Festival and it was basically a jam band kind of festival‚ like Bonnaroo. I think it was the first year they did it in Las Vegas. Bands like Primus were there‚ Beck and the Flaming Lips‚ and Arcade Fire‚ and it was just jammed with kids who were into that kind of music. And they really dug what we were doing and they had never heard of any of it before. So it kind of transcends. People get it.
MM: It's an interesting thing. Most musicians I talk to that have played in Europe or Japan have had a great experience.
TM: Yeah. It's just insane and it's that cultural experience‚ as well‚ going on.
MM: I remember guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel having a lot of funny things to say about the difference between being a jazz musician in America‚ where jazz is taken for granted a lot. And he was saying that people in Europe are just like‚ "Whoa!"
TM: They're rock stars over there. Yeah‚ and Kurt's a master too. He's insane. It's just totally different worlds. Ursula Rucker's that way as well. In Portugal she's a star‚ like a big superstar there. She'll sell out an opera house in Lisbon. But in Philly‚ where she's from‚ it's like a different world. It's like Earth. (laughter)
MM: Right.
TM: And that's just the way it is! I can't explain it but it is funny that way and for jazz guys especially. It just seems like the whole thing is shrinking and shrinking and shrinking away. All the heads are there but it's not like it used to be.
MM: So this other thing you have going know‚ this album you're putting out…
TM: Which one? (laughter)
MM: You keep your self busy‚ huh? Well there's this solo album you're doing.
TM: Oh okay! That's been a long work actually. It's been taking a little while. I did release Soup Starship last year so that's kind of a teaser that's been hanging out there for awhile. Where the album is now‚ I have about thirteen or fourteen tracks burning away on my hard drive. Smoking‚ you know? I'm trying to get them so they stop.
MM: Right.
TM: I've been doing that between tours and between other work‚ making other records or doing remixes with King Britt. So there's so much stuff going on all the time that when you're home‚ you're trying to get stuff done‚ and that's why this period of time is so sacred right now. December through February is a great time to work‚ so I'm just trying to use those 90 days and finish up a bunch of records. The solo record being one of them. I think it's gonna be for me a different kind of record than what I've been associated with in the past because‚ well‚ first of all‚ it's the first record I've done vocals on. And then secondly‚ it's probably gonna be more rock-oriented as opposed to electronica-oriented. It'll probably be a little bit of that kind of stuff in there. It's kind of coming out of all kinds of influences. So they all get smashed together somehow.
MM: Yeah. It is what it is. That's cool. So that's kind of like‚ I don't know‚ would you say where you're evolving?
TM: It's one of the places. I'm just kind of psychotic in that I'm doing lots of different projects. I enjoy so many different kinds of music. Like I just finished an ambient record called Tilomo Soft Lunch and I'm actually shopping that right now and if I don't get any bites‚ say by February‚ I'm just probably gonna put it on my label. So that's kind of like electronic guitar meets laptop kind of stuff‚ you know‚ that you could put on really late at night and just chill and enjoy for what it is‚ alpha-beta waves and that. Or I could be into an electric guitar power trio that's doing completely abstract types of music‚ just totally improv. I'm playing in an electric Miles Davis Group here in Philly that's got all great players. We do that like once a month. It's just amazing‚ just playing the music from '74 and '75 period Miles.
MM: Oh wow…
TM: And then I'll do electronic stuff and then I'll do Ursula stuff which is more acoustic guitar and guitar-synth oriented. So I'm just on all kinds of different waves at the same time. It's kind of fun to try and get them all done but the key this year is to get them all completed and finished. (laughter)
MM: Right. And not have like…
TM: ….a whole hard drive? (laughs)
MM: Well that makes sense as a musician. You have all these different things that you need to say.
TM: Yeah I don't understand it but it started a long time ago. And I've been into all kinds of different music in my whole life whether it was progressive rock or fusion. Like way back in the day I could have been listening to Bill Evans' albums or really digging‚ John McLaughlin‚ or even Black Sabbath‚ or even Radiohead or Pink Floyd or whoever it is. I've always been into lots of different creative types of music that really expand your mind to some degree. And jam band type bands. I had a band called Jazzheads and Global Illage. Those two bands were around like three years ago and had impact here on Philly. I really enjoy improvisation and just creating new music all the time. And that leads to all these different avenues. So you just have to try to go down them while you can. It's crazy. (laughter)
MM: Yeah. It's interesting‚ the whole world of improvising.
TM: And with recording‚ back in the day you had a tape recorder and you would record a live band and do overdubs and stuff. But now everybody's got computers in their houses so their studios are in their houses and you make records and you can improvise to your laptop and chop it up and do whatever you want. And it's really an exciting time in the way that you can create music like this. You could never do it before.