The Boxcar Suite

TIM PRITCHARD ENLISTS NEW COLLABORATORS ON SEARCH FOR HIS PET SOUNDS
By Tim Anderl
Photo: Tim Pritchard & the Boxcar Suite on stage at Canal Street Tavern: [l to r] Tony Moore, Trevor Bell, Tim Pritchard and Phil Caviness

It would be easy to mistake Tim Pritchard’s persistent smile for a carefree spirit. Though Pritchard is extremely affable, and has an easy demeanor, he pauses to reflect for a few seconds before responding to questions about his music and artistic goals. Simply, there is more than meets the eye here, which seems appropriate considering the thoughtful and deliberate nature of his band’s output.

For instance, with It Shall Be Revealed, the full-length record Pritchard and his band The Boxcar Suite recorded with local recording wiz and Motel Beds guitarist Darryl Robbins and released in mid-2012, he has difficulty narrowing down a lyrical theme because of the breadth and scope of the ideas he’s presented in his music.

“I think there are a lot of existential themes and questions I was hoping to answer with that record,” Pritchard reflected. “If I had to narrow it down to a simple thematic idea, I’d probably say the theme was trying to find the beauty in a sometimes bittersweet world.”

Musically, It Shall Be Revealed covers a lot of ground. While Pritchard acknowledges distinct influences from the Americana and alt-country worlds, there are also rock n’ roll, pop and psychedelic influences there.

“I’m very influenced by artists like Sweetheart of the Rodeo-era Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers and more contemporary bands like Wilco and My Morning Jacket,” Pritchard admitted.

Pritchard also admitted that while his music-obsessed peers growing up in Dayton, Ohio inundated themselves with Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins, he always leaned more towards power-pop bands Superdrag and Nada Surf. These influences present themselves as a pop undercurrent in much of his current and past output.

Pritchard is also quick to credit a “broader palette of sound” to new collaborators, Phil Caviness (bass, vocals), Trevor Bell (drums) and Tony Moore (guitars).

“Although I write most of the songs on my own, and a lot of them were originally written with the intent of my performing them acoustically, the arrangement of the songs for record is completely collaborative,” Pritchard explained. “Writing with these guys has been more of a ‘band approach.’”

It Shall Be Revealed is not Pritchard’s first rodeo. He has written songs for as long as he can remember. His first guitar teacher performed in local band Pastures Green, and Pritchard credits him with teaching him the technique of learning how to play pop songs acoustically. As a student at Kettering Fairmont, Pritchard’s confidence in his playing grew and he joined and performed with the Fairmont Jazz band.

In his early twenties, Pritchard became recognized on the local rock circuit with his bands Flyaway Minion and Floods. “I think I really began to come into my own and discover the Tim Pritchard sound while playing with Patrick Himes in Flyaway Minion. I learned a lot playing and recording our record at BHA with him.”

While in his mid-twenties, Tim Pritchard relocated to Athens, Ohio, to finish college. But even while he was two-and-a-half hours from Dayton, he found musicians to play with who were also from the Gem City, including friend Dave Shields, his brother and members of Bonneville. During those years, Pritchard did some performing at Jackie O’s, Casa Nueva and Donkey coffeehouse.

He returned to Dayton a few years ago, and currently splits his professional time between jobs at Five Rivers Metroparks, marketing and media management for his family’s restaurant, Christopher’s in Kettering, and his own landscaping business.

Though Tim Pritchard and The Boxcar Suite are a D.I.Y., independent band currently, Pritchard remains optimistic that the band might someday find a record label interested in supporting and releasing their efforts, which he expects would help with distribution and exposure. Until then, the band remains busy recording a new record with Shrug bass player Brian Lakatos.

“We’ve tracked nine songs and are hoping to have that wrapped up by this Summer,” Pritchard said. “We also hope to start a second record with Darryl Robbins for release this year, too.”

The band is also practicing – in the space they share with Motel Beds and Goodbye/Crusher – for a run of ambitious local shows. On Jan. 26 the band performs at Blind Bob’s with The Jet Rodriguez (from Detroit) and Kyle Sowash (from Columbus). The band is also practicing for a special performance in Dayton on Feb. 24.

“We’ll be trying to recreate ‘The Last Waltz,’ the farewell concert appearance by The Band,” Pritchard beamed. The event, which took place at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on Thanksgiving Day, 1976, was filmed by famed director Martin Scorsese and is hailed as one of the greatest concert films ever made.

Until then, Pritcha - Dayton City Paper

Tim Pritchard, “It Shall Be Revealed”
Anyone who remembers the late, great Flyaway Minion knows that Tim Pritchard has always been able to craft a memorable song. However, he outdid himself on this stunning solo album, which places him on par with such respected songsmiths as Paul Thorn and Tim Easton. - Dayton Daily News- Cox Media

For well over a decade, Tim Pritchard has been a figure of Dayton, Ohio’s historic music scene. These days, he’s fronting a new folk-rock band called Tim Pritchard & The Boxcar Suite. The group recently released the gorgeous and plaintive It Shall Be Revealed and is leaving the Gem City more and more.

While The Boxcar Suite certainly possesses folk elements, the music steers clear of cliché methods employed by many in this camp. It Shall Be Revealed is not trite Americana, but rather a collection of graceful songs influenced by time-honored traditions.

Broken, melancholic, and beautiful, Tim Pritchard & The Boxcar Suite sound like Richard Buckner fronting a heavier-hitting Byrds. There is no reinventing the wheel on It Shall Be Revealed and that’s exactly what gives the album its curative nature. - Donewaiting Music Blog

The Boxcar Suite hail from Southern Ohio and play Cosmic American Music for the rock and roll revolution. The group consists of Tim Pritchard on vocals and guitars, Phil Caviness on bass and vocals, Trevor Bell on drums and Tony Moore on guitars.

Originally forming around the release of singer/songwriter Pritchard’s solo effort It Shall Be Revealed, the band began writing collaboratively and completed Across the Vast and Deep during 2014 with producer/engineer Darryl Robbins.

For 2016 the band is back with a new EP titled Life On the Limb that will precede the release another full length this summer. - Gem City Podcast

It's been four years since Tim Pritchard (vocals, guitar) and bandmates Tony Moore (guitar), Phil Caviness (bass, vocals) and Trevor Bell (drums) began performing as the Boxcar Suite.

It has been a period of constant evolution and growth for the power-pop band celebrating the release of the smoking new four-song EP, "Life on the Limb," at the Trolley Stop in Dayton on Friday, April 1.

Pritchard recently sat down at Ghostlight Coffee to discuss the Boxcar Suite and the follow-up to the band's 2014 full-length, "Across the Vast & Deep."

How has the band grown since forming as your backing band in 2012?
Pritchard: We've been together four years now so this is the longest lineup I've ever had since I started playing my music. It's great. This next album will be something totally different. It's more collaborative in the writing process and that's something I've never really experienced before, which is cool.

When did you record the four songs on the EP?
Pritchard: We recorded these songs for our first album but didn't have the right cut of each one. We liked these four songs a lot and we wanted to release something between that record and the new full-length we're working towards right now. I like albums. I like the art of putting a full-length together and consuming music that way but, realistically, to get people to pay attention to what you're doing, you've got to release things frequently.

After working with Darryl Robbins from Motel Beds on "Across the Vast & Deep," you handled the engineering, production and mixing on "Life on the Limb." How was that experience?
Pritchard: I've always been involved in that process and I learned a lot working with Darryl the last time around. When we were getting ready to record again, he was pretty busy with Beds stuff so I took over everything. I've been playing around with mixing for years but working with Darryl was a great learning opportunity. He's a great guy and super talented and he's really open to helping people learn.

When did recording begin on what will be the band's next full-length?
Pritchard: Since we record in the same space we rehearse, recording is a continual process for us now. We're about halfway through the next full-length. We've got that process down now. It's nice to be able to put out more music, singles and EPs, while we're working towards the next full-length. Recording ourselves will be a lot more conducive for that.

Learn more about the Boxcar Suite on Facebook and at theboxcarsuite.com. - Cox Media