The Music…

Tim “Timber” Masterson has been in and amongst Toronto, Canada’s music scene for as long as he can remember. His earliest memories came from listening to his mother play his family’s 100-year-old Steinway piano, an instrument he now still plays to compose his own songs. “Timber” often recalls other strong memories of working out melodies and accompanying vocalists during stints at the high school for performing arts. These early memories and the excitement of crafting melodies and creating with others have always stayed with him.

Timber moved to Los Angeles during this same decade to pursue an acting career. During the Club Kid era, he also lived in New York City, where he fell into a dark late-night scene. His addictions would catch up with him in later years, though he managed to survive it all and wrote a book about his experiences living on the edge and ultimately recovering. 

Heavens So Dark was Masterson’s first full album, the result of his artistic and imaginative musical journey, which has spanned a lifetime - from playing piano at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood to performing at The Viper Room in Los Angeles to organizing after-hours warehouse dance parties in Toronto and New York. As a young adult, Timber (a nickname given to him by a girlfriend) found himself at the forefront of Toronto's late-night arts scene; a playground that became Tim’s launch pad for orchestrating social gatherings and spectacular events for both the literary and music scenes. This era in his life is what inspired Timber to produce his own music. For several tracks on this collection, Tim brought in the talented singers Bridget Foley and Cassie Noble, to do backups, known for their searing and fluid vocal stylings, as well as Andrew Affleck and Marc Novoselec, bassists extraordinaire, to deliver a Jaco Pastorius kind of feel, both from the Peterborough region. Drummers Gary Craig and Adam Woodhouse rounded out the recording sessions and helped solidify the solid but silky, soul groove style Masterson has become known for.

Timber’s lyrics are heartfelt and personal, revealing a longing that remains continually present throughout his work. Tim has always been drawn to dark and heavy minor nine and suspended chords on the piano. “These days, I'm writing from a much different place, a place of hope, a huge change for which I'm thankful. It's great when the melodies pour out of you, connect, resonate from a pure place and touch others. Also, it's enlightening and magical when a muse inspires you, and even when that muse disappears from your life, the spirit always remains.”

Next Up…

A new 15-song collection is being recorded and mixed for a Spring 2025 release, plus producing a CD, and piecing together a Southwestern Ontario tour, with stops in Toronto, Montreal, Prince Edward County, and the Kawartha Lakes. At press time, the compilation is called THE LUSH STATE. (However, due to artistic mood and temperament, these titles have a way of changing!)