Tim Seely

Seattle native Tim Seely made an impressive solo debut in 2005 with Funeral Music, an eclectic and ambitious set of songs that wove indie folk and smart pop melodies around lyrics that were intelligent, heartfelt, witty, and just a little bent. Seely first came to the attention of serious listeners as the leader of the group the Actual Tigers; the band landed a deal with Nettwerk Records and released an album, Gravelled & Green, in 2001, but despite enthusiastic reviews, the disc sank without a trace, and the group broke up shortly after being dropped by the label. Starting over as a solo artist, Seely relocated to Oxford, MS, and began writing new material; he reconnected with producer Dennis Herring, who worked on the Actual Tigers' sole album, and with the help of multi-instrumentalist Clay Jones, they began reshaping material Seely had tracked in his home studio. Seely moved back to Seattle, taking the Mississippi tapes with him, and combined those recordings with some work of his own to make Funeral Music, which he released on his own Slow Love label. An accomplished guitarist, Seely also fleshes out his live performances with a homemade gadget called "the angel bar," which allows him to overlap vocal lines into makeshift choral or string patterns. Seely has also put his musical and technical know-how to work as a producer and engineer, and on occasion lets his muse help pay the bills by singing jingles for radio and television commercials.