Tim: No problems.

Karma:  I’ve gotta say I was excited when I first heard “Straight Hate”, I recognized your vocals right away.

Tim: Oh, right on!

Karma: I hear that the song was written for the soldiers in the Iraq war.

Tim: Part of them were, not all of them. Like the second, half from the bridge out was kind of written for them. Because I had seen a lot of stories around… I watched this one TV Program that said when they were rolling in their tank brigade into all of the battles that they listen to heavy music. I guess it gets them pumped up. So I thought that was pretty cool and a friend of mine was also in the Marines. He was over there on three separate occasions he heard VOD, [Vision of Disorder] my old band, being played by the soldiers and I thought that was even cooler! [Smiles] I was like, “If VOD got that far, let me try again with [Bloodsimple]”. Let me try and write somethin’ you know that would maybe pertain to them and help them and stuff like that. Give them a little encouragement, a boost, for whatever they need to do or just make them happy in some way, you know.

When I wrote [the song], it wound up being pretty anthemic, pretty heavy and it’s already over there! Some dudes came up to me Florida and said they were over there and they were jamming and stuff like that. They were very thankful that I did it, so I was pretty happy about that!

Karma: I am sure you were, that is pretty awesome! So how does it feel to have distinctive vocals that set you apart from the general masses?

Tim: Oh, [smiles, laughs, and bashfully looks down at bottle of water] it feels good I guess I got lucky! You know because I have influences just like everybody else that has just as strong of a hold on me when I was younger but I guess I got lucky and paved my own way. But I always pay homage to my influences ‘cos they helped me get to where I am today.

Karma: Who are they?

Tim: I have a whole list from the three main big dogs: Jim Morrison, Layne Staley, and Phil Anselmo.

Karma: Must have been great working with [Phil Anselmo] then.

Tim: Oh, it was great! It was like the pinnacle point of my career I would say was to be able to talk to him and to get him to sing on the record was even better.

Karma: Since you collaborated with Anselmo, whom else would you like to collaborate with.

Tim: I don’t know, being that I already collaborated with Phil and Chad [Gray, vocalist for Mudvayne]; I don’t know if I wanna do it anymore, those guys are so big you know! There is a collaboration on the way and I am not allowed to speak about it just yet, but it’s not affiliated with Bloodsimple at all but I am pretty happy to be a part of the some of the acts that they’ve set up so that’s pretty cool. But if I had to pick somebody, Layne Staley’s dead so that ain’t gonna fucking happen but I would pick him. I am over looking somebody I’m sure but I’m sure I’ll think about it as soon as you guys leave and I’m gonna be like, “Fuck! I should have said that!” [We all laugh] Other than that, I can’t think of anybody else.

Karma: Curious what made you choose Bloodsimple as the name of the band?

Tim: Well we had a couple of names we were throwing around and started to do shows here and there and we were going through various names. And we were like “this sucks!” “That sucks! We’ve gotta think of something!” So we were all big fans of the Coen Brothers who wrote that movie but it really doesn’t have anything to do with that. We were just kind of cruising one night after a show and we were like, “We gotta fuckin’ think of somethin’!” Then Mike Kennedy, my guitar player, just said “Blood Simple” And  I thought, that’s it! And we all like, that could be it! It kinda has a dark overtone to it and we thought it kinda represented the music in a way. But its got no deep, personal meaning or anything. We just wanted something short as oppose to Vision of Disorder was long and we sort of learned our lesson with that. We wanted something short that people could remember, you know. So that’s pretty much how it came about.

Karma: Okay, so how is the tour going so far?

Karma: Speaking of good experiences, it must have been cool touring with Mudvayne. [The band signed to Chad Grey’s label Bullygoat Records in the summer of 2004]

Tim: Ah, it’s like a no brainer! [Smiles] Every single night it was like 3,000 people; whatever venue, some venues varied, some were like 1,100. Mostly, it was 15-3,000 people every night it was sold out; there was not one night it wasn’t!

Karma: So I hear that that Chad was so impressed with the band, it sparked him to create Bullygoat and to sign you as the first act; is this true?

Tim: I don’t know how true that is if he [already] had plans of starting it or when he saw us, it really kicked him in the ass to start it. But we are his first band on his label and he did come up to us after a show and said [changes voice], “I was thinking about starting up a label, would you like to be the first band?” blah, blah, blah… I said yeah! I guess we helped him; I don’t know how influential we really were but here we are! He was definitely a direct part to that equation.

Tim: Bloodsimple started with me and Mike, we were in VOD, and when that kind of started to wind down, it kind of changed direction. We realized we still wanted to do heavy music, like more upbeat hit you in the head music. We’re like why don’t we just start up a side project that has really upbeat music to it and we’ll go with it and we’ll have two bands, whatever. Then VOD kind of went on hiatus and we were like, “Fuck it!” we’ll make Bloodsimple our main project until VOD comes back. VOD never came back and we started looking for members and stuff like that. We then found Nick [Rowe] that’s when Bloodsimple really began, he really brought a different element into the band, and the songs really began to take shape. Then we found Chris [Hamilton], the drummer and then Chris found Kyle for us.

Karma: Since you said Nick brought in a different element, it must have been interesting with coming from a classical trained background and jazz.

Tim: Yeah, yeah! I’d say Nick’s best trademark would be that he’s untouched and unjaded ‘cos he was never in a band. He was never in a band that was on the road before and things that come along with that. He didn’t know what VOD was, he didn’t know a lot. He’s new to all of this. All he knew was Helmet and Pantera, the big fuckin’ bands so he really brought a fresh wave in; he wasn’t jaded at all, which is cool.

Karma: Stepping back a bit to Vision Of Disorder, you were quoted in saying, “VOD has always been about change…

Tim: ...oh, yes!

Karma: …never really wanting the norm” Can the same thing said about your future projections for Bloodsimple?

Tim: It will change. I think every VOD change was good and well thought out. It was also a different time in music; heavy music wasn't as big as it is now. If VOD came out now, it would be a completely different story. That being said, Bloodsimple is definitely going to change. VOD was definitely more, ‘fuck you! We’re gonna do what we want!’ we didn’t care at all! Like bam, this is the new record, like it or whatever! Bloodsimple will learn from that mistake, we’re gonna keep our fans happy, we’re gonna give them what they want. It’s going to be better, each record is just gonna keep getting better and better! [Smiles]

Karma: So what else would you like Bloodsimple to do that you were unable to do with VOD?

Tim: God, a million things, man, a million things! I would just like to do right by others, I mean VOD was terrible but we were in a position to hook various bands up in certain points of our career and we didn’t. If I could ever get to a level where I could take care of people again, I will as opposed to in my past were either too arrogant or too stupid to help people. And, I would definitely wanna change that.

Karma: I was reading your bio and you said that Bloodsimple would never be clichéd…

Tim: …yes!

Karma: …in reference to your songwriting and not wanting to be that band that just writes about “fucking chicks”; it seems the bulk of your lyrical content off A Cruel World is about everyday life.

Tim: Some fictional, some everyday stuff.

Karma: What was your main motivation behind the creation of the album?

Tim: Uh, I had some animosity towards the way my past went with music and kind of had a little anger built up there. I thought VOD coulda went a lot further but certain people in our equation business wise that fucking dropped the ball. Wasting my time, wasting my band’s time…they just kinda did a lot of weird stuff, you know! There was some anger that comes from that and I was happy that I was in a really good position with a really good producer [Garth Richardson], to really get some good vocals out of the lyrics. And then other things like drug overdoses and stuff like that. I’ve had some really close friends OD on various drugs in the last year or two.

Karma: I am sorry to hear that.

Tim: Well when people play with stupid things you get burnt, you know! I’ve had a couple of deaths in the family…

Karma: Oh, wow, sorry for your losses.

Tim: [Starts to toss water bottle in his hand] It’s okay, it’s not all bad, and I’ve had some really good times too. [Pauses] I’m just trying to go through songs, kinda like “State of the World”; just to be conscious of what’s going on around you such as the war. And how America seems to be coming into power over various other parts of the world that things are definitely about to spill over. I think there’s going to be a lot of change in the next fifteen-years or something like that. I touched on a little bit of that, but I didn’t want to get too political so I just cut it off at that.

Tim: [Smiles] Garth was great! It was good; Garth’s a workhorse, he knows what he wants, if he doesn’t hear it, he’s going to make you do it again and again. There were some days for one song where I think I did 118 takes in one day!

Karma: Wow!

Tim: Yeah, we did it for like 7-hours straight, non-stop! “Give it to me again, and again, and again…” He’s like, “The more we have, the better we have to work with!” so it was a little tough to deal with but he was a really good guy. He really believed in our band, like I don’t want to get into figures here, but he really gave us record well beyond what we paid for. Like he really went, the extra mile and we really appreciate that. He’s if not the candidate for the next record but we will see when we get there. We were very, very happy with him.

Karma: Who came up with the concept for cover art?

Tim: Mike Kennedy had a lot to do with that, he’s an artist and always has these grand ideas. He painted an outline of it and the layout printed it up on the computer and presented it us. I would say Mike has a lot to do with it.

Karma: The dove over the scattered ruins is an obvious symbol of hope. Hope for all that’s wrong in your lives and the world.

Tim: Exactly! Exactly!!

Karma: Okay, do you have a favorite song off A Cruel World?

Tim: Oh! It’s tough to say, I like the “Leaving Song” a lot. I’m trying to think of the ones that I go to when I listen [to the CD], “The Leaving Song”, “Plunder”, “Cruel World”. “What If I Lost It” is stuck in my head for some weird reason and I don’t know why, we play it every night, and it should not be stuck in my head! [Laughs] Did I say “Straight Hate”?

Karma: No, you didn’t.

Tim: “Straight Hate” is one of my favorites for sure.

Karma: One of your favorites to hear and or to perform?

Karma: Being a frontman yourself, who in your opinion is the perfect epitome of a frontman?

Karma: If you could commission another band to cover a Bloodsimple song, who would do it and which song would you choose.

Tim: Hmm, that’s an interesting question. Who would I want to do that? Superjoint Ritual and they would have to cover “Blood In Blood Out”.

Karma: First music you remember hearing in your house?

Tim: Mötley Crüe Shout At the Devil, well that’s what I got. But I remember when I was real young, it’s insane, I remember Santana for some reason. I never had any older brothers, there were all girls, everywhere you look. It was cool but to get music out of them was kinda difficult. So, I had a neighbor and he used to let me borrow his records, and one of the first bands was Mötley Crüe.

Karma: If not music, then what?

Tim: Naval aviator.

Karma: Really!

Tim: Yeah, my life was going in two ways, and right when I discovered, I was like sixteen seventeen, everything was laid out and I had certain papers planned, certain tests passed…I could have went one way then I discovered Jim Morrison and so it went the other way! [Smiles]

Karma: Is there a Bloodsimple song that sums up your life and why?

Tim: My life? Hmmm, Bloodsimple song? Maybe not off this one but I am sure there will be. Let me think, “Plunder” is pretty close to it I would say. “Path To Prevail” has very true undertones in it for a heavier song.

Karma: To whom are you listening to these days? Whose in you CD player?

Tim: Air, Deftones… [Pauses] who did I listen to last night when I was driving? Superjoint, System [of a Down]. Toxicity is the best! I love that fucking record; I haven’t heard it in a while. Now there’s a true record there! Who else do I listen to? I’m trying to go through my iPod right now [looks off into the distance]… Pantera’s in there, Slayer for sure, Static-X, White Zomie. I am sure I could think of a million more.

Karma: I cannot live without the following….

Tim: I cannot live without… Ahmm, that could be anything right?

Karma: Anything.

Tim: I cannot live without music, for one thing, I know that’s a fact. I cannot live without happiness. I go through these cycles of but I definitely need happiness. I like working out a lot but I’m pretty sure I could live without it. [We all laugh] I don’t know, I’d say those things. I can’t live without the summers, summers fucking rule. I can’t live without snowboarding, that helps me to make it through the winters.

Karma: Last show you attended as a fan, not as a performer.

Tim: Crowbar and CoC down in Dallas. Was it Dallas? Yeah it we played Dallas the same day as them, so me, and my drummer saw Crowbar, which was fuckin’ awesome! I watched half of CoC, which was pretty cool too.

Karma: If Bloodsimple were a cocktail, which drink would you be.

Tim: [Bacardi] 151! [We all laugh]

Karma: If you could only fulfill only one of your fantasies...

Tim: ...sell five million records, get rich, and not have to think of money ever again!

Karma: There you go! What is the one thing you are grateful for today?

Tim: To be given a second chance at music, being back here again. How many people get to do a band twice, much as less be back on the road and be on a good label and to see the new band actually doing well? Lot of time the second project [whistles while pointing down] goes right under, you know!

Karma: Any last comments, Tim?

Tim: Just want to thank everybody in Chicago who came down tonight that we met during Mudvayne; they were really cool to us. All the fans across the board for being really, really cool with us, all of the VOD fans giving Bloodsimple a chance and thank you very much!

Karma: No, thank you very much! Best of luck to you tonight and throughout the tour.