We had a few moments to sit down with Washington DC’s own Tim Neumark. Can you give us a little biographical information about yourself?
I grew up in Western Maryland where my focus was sports, primarily baseball. At about 16 years old, I started tinkering around with the piano. I started writing my own music in college, and I released my first album about eight years after college. So it was a very long process to get that first album released. Since then I’ve been fortunate to find time and energy to release almost one per year.
Galaxy is your new album. What compositions are your favorites on the album, and what about these efforts put them at such a high plateau?
I rarely have a personal favorite when I release an album. I just try to do the best with each track and make each one as good as I can make it. I’ve had a number of listeners tell me that every single track is outstanding, so that feels good to hear that. The one track that really surprises me is “Vast”, because it’s so different. I wrote that one as a very spacious piece that sounds like the distances of space. I honestly wasn’t sure if anyone would like it, but it seems this is one of the favorite pieces on the album! Multiple radio station owners/reviewers have said this is their favorite piece. I find that fascinating.
A number of the tracks on Galaxy seem to refer to Star Trek. How has sci-fi influenced your overall music?
I hadn’t realized there was more than one! But you are right that “The Inner Light” is a piece that was influenced by a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode. It’s just a sweet story, and I thought the title of that show made for a good song title too. There was a piece of music in that episode that I slightly reference with the first three notes of my song. I wouldn’t say that sci-fi has influenced my music, but for this album, I was certainly influenced by the awesomeness of space and our universe.
What does the rest of 2015 hold for you – any live performances or planned releases persona that our readers at NeuFutur should know about?
I’m working on an album that I’ll release sooner than anyone would expect. As far as live performances, I’ll be playing at Carnegie Hall on October 24 as part of the Enlightened Piano Radio lineup.
Do you have any tips for musicians at the beginning of their career or are looking to release music?
I would say to just keep writing good music. That’s the starting point for success. Get feedback from your family and friends, and from people who may not usually listen to your genre. Eventually you need to find different avenues for reaching people (in my case, Whiserpings Solo Piano Radio, Pandora, Spotify, etc.) but focusing on the art itself is the most important as you get started.
How can listeners listen to your music?
Most people seem to find my music on Pandora radio. My music is also on all the typical digital distribution channels: Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, Google Play Music, Rhapsody, and similar websites. People can always go directly to my website, of course, at timneumark.com, where they can buy not only the music but the corresponding sheet music for all the songs as well.
How you garnered more fans from traditional word of mouth or through online (Facebook, website, SoundCloud) means? Have you noticed anything different between each type of fans?
I think it’s a mix of things, but word-of-mouth tends to do well for piano fans who aren’t necessarily Tim Neumark fans yet. For example, I might do a concert with another artist, and maybe a fan was coming to see that artist. But then after hearing my music they will share with all their friends, either via actual word of mouth or “social sharing” on Facebook and such.
Thank you so much for your time. Do you have any thoughts for NeuFutur’s readers?
I just thank you for your time to read this interview, and I hope you’ll check out my music at timneumark.com. Thanks so much!