Tim Hicks
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Music
Press
check out the link - Niagara Magazine
MILES ABOVE: "Move Or Be Moved"
Escape 2005
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
19 February 2005
MilesAbove do not sound or act like your average Escape release. You could say they're closer to the sound of "The Calling" (with balls) and other various rock acts of today than your usual 80's stuff. It's definitely borderline Pop/Rock with tons of lushy melodies and lovely vocal harmonies. I really enjoyed the debut album "Further" in 2003 and while "Move Or Be Moved" is a darn fine CD, it doesn't quite reach the same quality in the long run.
The attitude is slightly rougher than the previous attempt and they do rock out with loud(er) guitars than before. Check out "Watching The Picture Fade" for some uptempo modern rock. It's however still very much a mixture of acoustic and electric guitars and there is certainly a variety on the album. They deliver a fresh and invigorating bunch of songs, coloured with modern rock and the occasional splash of orginality. For example, "God Help Us" is a marvelous epic/pop ballad with some really impressive vocals and keyboards by Tim Hicks. The lyrics are really great with its subtile message and approach "God help us all, cause there's no one left to save us from ourselves and what we've become". Think about it for a while and let it slowly sink in... "intolerance grows all around" - "So much devestation - we reap more than we have sewn". Freakin great song actually and those bagpipes at the end, wow.
I must however say that Tim Hicks (vocals, guitars, keys) and the band deserve a break and some more attention here in Europe. MilesAbove should really be signed to Sony/BMG or any other of the majors out there. Check out the archive for a review of "Further" (you'll get a better overall picture of the band, and that goes for any band really - check the archive first).
- www.rockunited.com
The album features a top notch production. The style may not be for every melodic music fan, but those that do find this modern melodic rock album will find it perfectly produced and played. The band has a good chance of picking up a mainstream audience should their music be given a chance from the likes of radio programmers.
- Melodicrock.com
Nominations unveiled for Niagara Music Awards
Oliver Black, Toasted Western Swing Band lead the way
Posted By JOHN LAW
Updated 1 day ago
Welland rockers Oliver Black and Niagara Falls country group The Toasted Western Swing Band top the list of nominees for the first annual Niagara Music Awards.
Nominations were announced Tuesday for the inaugural event, being held March 25 at the Niagara Centre for the Performing Arts in Niagara Falls. Nearly 200 submissions poured in for 26 categories, and organizer Morgan Whelan was thriled with the calibre.
“Amazing,” she raved. “I think it was really hard for our judges. I mean, I want to know where these people have been! A lot of them I’ve never heard of, and they’re fantastic.”
Long touted for stardom, Oliver Black – led by fireball singer Serena Pruyn – gathered five nominations, including Original Song of the Year (“Into the Wind”), Female Vocalist of the Year and Original Band of the Year. Proving their versatility, they also got a nod for Country Band of the Year.
The Toasted Western Swing Band made its debut just nine months ago, but collected three nominations for Recording Engineer of the Year (Dean Malton), Country Band of the Year, and lead singer Steve Fortin for Male Vocalist of the Year.
Nominees for the first annual Niagara Music Awards, being held March 25 at the Niagara Centre for the Performing Arts: BEST FEMALE VOCALIST: Julia Scaringi, Oliver Black, Christilynn Guerin BEST MALE VOCALIST: Tim Hicks, Wainwright, The Toasted Western Swing Band GROUP OF THE YEAR: Mandolin Orchestra of Niagara, Ancient Mariners, Crooked Trail Band BEST SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR: Hospitals, Jagger Cook, Adam Wallington BEST ORIGINAL BAND OF THE YEAR: Oliver Black, The Broken Lyre, The Street Pharmacy BEST ORIGINAL SONG OF THE YEAR: “So She Dances” - Adam Crossley; “Sober State of Mind” - The Street Pharmacy; “Into the Wind” - Oliver Black ALBUM OF THE YEAR: “Free Delivery” - The Street Pharmacy; “Twenty-Five” - Jagger Cook; “Dead Leading the Blind” - Flatlined BEST RECORDING ENGINEER: Sheryl-Dawn and Brian Gagnon for Sheryl Dawn and Solid Fuel; Dean Malton for The Toasted Western Swing Band; Michael Saracino and Ethan Rising for Michael Saracino BEST TRIBUTE ACT: Pink Floyd Niagara, Oracle (Jethro Tull tribute) BEST BAR BAND: Sukkapunch, Hemitone, Mod Squad BEST DANCE RECORDING: Ethan Rising, Ashley Ross, MDM BEST THEATRICAL SINGER: Solstice, Vicky Vlassis BEST COUNTRY BAND: Angela Siracusa,The Toasted Western Swing Band, Oliver Black BEST BLUES BAND: Guv’Nor Generals, Niagara Rhythm Section, The Outlaw Kid BEST ROCK BAND: Guv’Nor Generals, Nonfiction, Flatlined BEST QUARTET GROUP: No award due to lack of submissions BEST HEAVY METAL BAND: MDM, Calling All Gods, Artificial Reality BEST R&B BAND: No award due to lack of submissions. BEST JAZZ GROUP: E.G. Collins, The groove Associates BEST INSTRUMENTAL: E.G. Collins, Deathpod, Nathan Chamberland BEST CHILDREN’S GROUP: Smudge Fundaes, Mr. Jingles BEST WORLD GROUP: No award due to lack of submissions. BEST MUSIC VIDEO: Jagger Cook, Soren Carter, Oliver Black - Niagara Falls Review
Discography
1997- Confusion of the Senses: Better Than Day Dreams
1998- Confusion of the Senses: Fall Into the Night
1999- Round 4: Are We There Yet?
2002- Timothy (EP)
2003- MilesAbove: Further
2005- MilesAbove: Move Or Be Moved
2008- Tim Hicks: Live From the Livingroom
2012- TBA
Photos
Bio
Tim Hicks has a voice that was made for country music. He has been playing guitar and singing professionally for 17 years, and it shows. His seasoned tenor can be heard 4 to 5 nights a week, singing to audiences all over Ontario- every week, and he shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. It’s what he was meant to do. Look for an independent release from Tim very soon.
After joining his first band at age 7, Tim hasn’t looked back. He has performed with many bands at every level from bar-room cover bands, to tribute acts, to signed artists as a sideman, and has played all kinds of gigs from theatres to clubs, to coffee houses, and street corners. He performs with his band as often as he plays solo with his acoustic guitar- a tool and companion he doesn’t take for granted.
“When I was 10, I saved up my paper route money to buy an acoustic guitar I’d been playing at the local music store on a weekly basis for some time. I finally had the cash and rode my bike up to the store and bought my guitar... with pretty much all change! I was so psyched; I ran out of the store and hopped back on my bike to make the long trip home and boom- it started to rain! Problem was, I only had enough for the guitar, so I couldn’t get a case. It was before cell phones too, so needless to say, my new guitar and I got a little wet, but I didn’t care, I couldn’t wait to get home to play it and write a song”. Hicks’ passion and determination for music and song-writing were evident even then and have grown exponentially since that day.
In 2008, Tim was nominated for a Niagara Music Award. In 2009, he was nominated and won, “Best Male Vocalist” at the awards, a title he took again in 2011, along with “Best Country Artist”. He has also shared the stage with some big names over the years, including Blue Rodeo, Ron Sexsmith, Suzie McNeil, Michelle Wright, Doc Walker, Dean Brody, and Shane Yellowbird to name a few. Hicks was recently featured in Niagara Magazine’s summer 2011 edition and named as one of Niagara’s “new generation of talented musicians”.
Recently, Hicks has been working with managers Neil Sanderson and Casey Marshall. The trio have co-written material, and set up writing trips to Nashville. Watch for Tim’s first full-length solo effort to be released this year. For a sneak preview and for show information, check out www.timhicksmusic.com .
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