Song Breakdown : Tim Fite : Fair Ain't Fair

The honesty, whimsy, charm and passion within Tim Fite's lyrics and song continuously suck me into each of his releases. I like to sponge with them, sit, percolate and absorb them. His latest, Fair Ain't Fair, is no exception. Tim's 2005 full-length, Gone Ain't Gone, is the one that hooked me and never let go - I still listen to it with regularity. In 2007, Tim lost me a little bit with his fanatical Over The Counter Culture. I never left, just sort of took a break. Tim's back now and I'm right by his side again.

Fair Ain't Fair is as clever, odd and, at times, as evocative as any of Tim's previous releases. It's also as playful. Fite's songs often have a childlike feel, while blending folk, country, hip-hop, rock and blues.. Big Mistake, the first single, gets the repeat button treatment to the point of ridiculousness. Rats and Rags is another favorite of mine. You can listen to a full album stream here : Tim Fite : Fair Ain't Fair full album stream

Tim Fite - Big Mistake
Tim Fite - Yesterday's Garden


MOKB TALKS TO TIM FITE ABOUT SOME OF HIS NEW SONGS & MORE...

The first single and one of the most accessible songs you've ever written, what can you tell us about Big Mistake?...

Tim Fite : This song took a real long time to get right. The sample that I started with was from a splendid Spaniard named Remate, and as a foundation for a song, it couldn't have been more beautiful. Sadly though, everything that I layered on top felt like a mistake. The mistakes kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger as I tried to make sense of the song structure. I got so upset that I wet myself. It was then that I realized that mistakes are way better than accidents because we make them on purpose. I like being purposeful. I don't like being wet.

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING AN MOKB SONG BREAKDOWN & INTERVIEW WITH TIM FITE...

Probably my favorite song on the new album, tell me about Rats & Rags...

Tim Fite : This song is about how much I hate porpoiseless parties. I went to a party that had a porpoise once and it was so much fun. Then I went to one that was all Rats and Rags and Dogs and Ducks and I had no fun at all. Neeless to say, I like porpoiseful parties, even if it means being wet.

Yesterday's Garden...

Tim Fite : Unlike Big Mistake, this song addresses accidents, and making ammends. I find that I am always dissapointing the people I love - even when I am trying hard to please them. This song is like a promise to always make an effort to do better.

Thought I Was A Gun...

Tim Fite : I don't think that it is impossible to missunderstand oneself, especially when faced with duplicity of solitude. Thought I Was A Gun is about that fine line between self discovery and self destruction that can only be walked alone.

The Names Of All The Animals...

Tim Fite : The act of naming is very complicated. For the most part names are given, and on rare occasions they are chosen. As humans, we assume that the names we give to animals are the be all and end all, but I like to think that there is a much more "natural" self-naming scheme in the animal kingdom that will remain a mystery to humans forever. As a result, our ignorance of the true names of all the animals gives them a sort of rumpletiltskintian power over us, rendering a challenge to our false sense of human superiority.

MOKB : Maybe a lot of people don't know, but you created your album art (as you have in the past), promo videos and generally practice various forms of art for enjoyment. Where do you draw the stylistic inspiration for your art?

Tim Fite: I like all kinds of art, but find my heart sings most sweetly for semi-abstracted figurative modernists. Paul Klee, Dubuffet, Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, and Charlie Hewitt are some of my favorites.



MOKB : What forms of art interest you?

Tim Fite: I am most interested in art that presents a unique vision. It generally doesn't matter what the medium is, but if there is something that interprets the world in a way that is new and exciting, I am drawn to it. That being said, I do have some biases for the more formal art forms, drawing, painting, sculpture. I find there is no better tool for an honest translation of thought or sight than rosy palm and her five sisters. Don't get me wrong, there are all kinds of wonderful things done with machines, but the first steps from mind to hand to eye and back again seem to be cleanest to me. When we put too many machines between these steps, often the result is homogeny.

MOKB : What has coaxed your desire to push more into that areas of expression...more publicly at least?

Tim Fite: I have two children: drawing and singing. In the interest of peace, I used to believe that it was imperative to keep them separated. But, as much as I told them to keep their hands to themselves, they kept reaching across the back seat and poking at eachother. Now my kids have grown up a bit, and they have learned how to get along without the constant bickering.

Related:

MOKB 2007 Holiday Interview Series : Tim Fite
Tim Fite : Free Halloween EP
Tim Fite : Over The Counter Culture : Now Available
Tim Fite : Over The Counter Culture
Tim Fite : 011006
MOKB's Best of 2005
Tim Fite : 071905

Upcoming Tim Fite TOUR DATES:

June 5 Boston @ Great Scott
June 6 Montreal @ Studio JPR
June 7 Toronto @ Horseshoe Tavern
June 9 Detroit @ Magic Stick
June 10 Chicago @ Lake Shore Theatre

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