JUNE 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM

TIMOTHY B. SCHMIT Still soaring after all these years, with the Eagles and without

TIMOTHY B. SCHMIT IS THE FIRST

to admit he’s a lucky man. In 1977, after

several years with the country-rock band

Poco, the singer-bassist was invited to join

superstar group the Eagles. Soon after

he joined the band, founders Glenn Frey

and Don Henley took one of Schmit’s

work-in-progress tunes—“I Can’t Tell You

Why”—and helped their new recruit turn it

into a 1979 hit that today remains a staple

of classic rock radio. From then on, he

has shone as perhaps the sweetest voice

in a band not lacking in harmonies. He

has contributed his vocal, instrumental

and songwriting skills to every Eagles

project since 1979’s six-times-platinum The

Long Run.

The Sacramento, Calif., native has taken

advantage of the Eagles’ periodic breaks

to build an impressive solo discography.

His latest, Expando, is a homespun effort

that harks back to his folk-pop and R&B

roots. Schmit assembled an all-star cast

for Expando. Bluesman Keb’ Mo’ pitches

in on slide Dobro for the country-blues

ditty “One More Mile.” Fleshing out the

harmony-laden ballad “Friday Night” are Van

Dyke Parks on accordion and the Band’s

Garth Hudson playing organ. And in an

unlikely pairing, Kid Rock and Dwight Yoakam

provide harmony vocals for the spooky, after-

hours jazz tune “Downtime.” Star power

notwithstanding, Schmit himself handled

most of the instrumentation on Expando,

tracking bass, acoustic guitar, percussion

and other instruments in his own studio.

Schmit, 62, still has time for the Eagles,

of course—the group has been touring

stadiums this summer. He spoke with us

from his home outside Los Angeles about

the new disc, his love of playing bass and

the state of the Eagles.

What was your vision for Expando?

My intention was to start from where my

roots lie, in folk music. Every song on the

album began on acoustic guitar. I’d get a

really good lead vocal, so that everything

stood right there, by itself, with just the vocal

and the guitar. Then I built on each song

from there.

‘My intention was to start from where my roots lie, in folk music.’

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Q&A

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JUNE 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM

Which guests surprised you?

I was slightly surprised that Kid Rock said,

“Sure, I’ll do this.” Because of scheduling

confl icts, he and Dwight Yoakam weren’t

able to do “Downtime” together. And I

don’t think that would have been a good

idea, anyway—each said they weren’t really

background or harmony singers. But they

hung in there. Everybody on the album was

concerned about whether I was pleased with

their performance. They were determined to

get things to the point where I was happy.

How does making a solo album compare

with making an Eagles record?

It’s defi nitely different. There are certain

expectations that go with making an Eagles

album. And there are compromises, because

it’s a group. You don’t always get what you

think is best, and vice versa. When you’re

doing a solo album, the buck stops with you.

I did whatever I wanted without having to

answer to anybody. No discussions about

whether or not I should do something. There

were no parameters.

Did Henley and Frey ever explain why

they invited you to join the Eagles?

They didn’t have to explain to me why

I was a good fi t. I think it was obvious to

everybody. And I was delighted. I was

ecstatic over the offer. At the time, I was

becoming disenchanted with what was

going on with Poco, and I was on the edge

of fi guring out what my next move might be.

This opportunity came up, and I thought,

“This could not be more perfect.” It was a

great match for me—and I feel I was a great

match for them. I don’t mean that in a cocky

way. It’s just true.

Is it true the band pushed “I Can’t

Tell You Why” to be more R&B than

country-fl avored?

Yes. But that was also because they knew

I was into R&B, too. I had just come from

Poco, but I’d had to sort of learn to get into

Poco’s country-rock style. I love Al Green

and Aretha Franklin, and lots of older R&B

stuff. Don and Glenn and I had lots of

discussions about that. I had this piece of

a song that seemed to fi t what everyone

wanted. Eventually we worked out the

song together.

Has having two headstrong guys in the

Eagles served the group well?

Obviously it has. In any group, certain people

tend to be leaders. There are stronger forces

in some people than there are in others. That

whole scene, with the Eagles, was already

well in place before I joined. It wasn’t hard

to fi gure that out. Obviously the Eagles

have had an incredible run as a band, both

before and since I joined. Something’s

going right.

What’s the atmosphere like in the

band now?

It’s pretty much a case of our getting together

and going to work. We have a really strong

following on the West Coast, where we’ve

done a string of sold-out shows. That’s really

nice, after all these years. It’s not like the

old days. We were younger then and carried

on more. Now we all have families, and

some of the guys still have young children.

We get together, we work really hard,

and we’re constantly polishing. We do

soundchecks every day, and if something

is wrong—or if something didn’t go well the

night before—we fi gure it out and correct

it. That’s true even with the old songs. You

would be amazed how much we have to

work on those, too. And when we’re fi nished,

we all go our separate ways, back to our

personal lives. It’s a working situation, and

that’s fi ne.

What’s your go-to bass?

What I refer to as Number One these days is

a ’62 sunburst stack-knob Fender Jazz bass.

I acquired it within the last fi ve years. As soon

as I played the fi rst notes, I went, “Wow, this

is happening.” I have other Jazz basses as

well, for use with different tunings. The two

oddballs are a Pedulla fretless Buzz bass,

which I use on “The Boys of Summer,” and a

Rob Allen MB-2 bass for one of the acoustic

songs, “Waiting in the Weeds.”

What fi rst drew you to the bass?

When I was in my early teens, a couple of

friends and I had a little folk group that we

patterned after the Kingston Trio. Before

long we found a drummer, borrowed some

electric instruments, and everybody wanted

to play lead guitar. It became obvious who

should be playing what, and it was clear

I should be the bass player. I was always

attracted to that “low end” sound. I was also

good at singing and playing the bass at the

same time.

How have you kept grounded?

I try to keep things in perspective. Joining the

Eagles defi nitely changed things in my life,

and I no longer have to worry about certain

things. I try on a daily basis to throw my

gratitude up into the cosmos, corny as that

sounds. This sort of thing doesn’t happen

to many people. One of my big childhood

dreams not only happened, but I’m still

living it.

–Russell Hall

‘One of my big childhood dreams not only happened, but I’m still living it.’

L. C

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Schmit on stage in Los Angeles,

February 2007

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