Who: tim. with The Midgets and Accident Scene
What: The Punk Night
Where: Boot Pub
When: Sunday, Nov. 28
Scrappy punk bands are like grow-ops; you can find one in any given basement in North America.
That’s about as far as most of them will ever go. But there’s the odd band that’s able to rise above the shag carpet and 1970s faux walnut-panelled walls and play a gig or two.
Then there’s the scrappy punk band that not only makes it out of the basement, but stays together for eight years, records three albums and contributes to numerous compilations, tours and, inevitably, because no band can keep it up forever, breaks up. That’s tim.’s story. Sunday’s show at the Boot Pub is the Vancouver-based punk band’s last show ever, before they are pulled apart by travel plans, family commitments, and a general moving on in life.
Front-tim. Mike Rousseau is heading to the land down-unda’ for a yet undetermined amount of time. The rest of the tim.s, Mike McKinnon, Sebastien Voigt and Ryan Mountain, are staying local, embarking on other projects.
The concept for the band’s name came from a party where an absent-minded friend who couldn’t remember anyone’s name decided he would just call everyone "Tim," and kept everyone laughing all night. It spawned an entire philosophy.
"There’s that guy who’s just a little off, riding his bike with all fluorescent colours and a big moustache. And he’s having a good time. He’s out there, he doesn’t give a shit, but he looks f***in’ awesome – that’s tim.," Rousseau stated. "That’s a tim. He’ll brighten your day."
Their longevity, Rousseau says, was that tim. continued to brighten their days. Keeping things fun is his best advice to bands just starting out.
"If you want to get to wherever you want to be, make goals, set them and do it," he said. "If you want to tour, tour. If you want to make an album, make an album. But make sure it’s fun and make sure the people you’re with you get along with. What kept us around for so long is that we got along. We’re best friends."
Obviously, there’s no bad blood in this breakup. On the contrary, Rousseau is downright sentimental about the whole thing.
"It’s just been such a fun ride," he said (spoken like the BMX-ruler he is). "I’d never trade any of these memories in for anything. These guys are all family to me and I’m going to miss them tons. It’s really hard to see everybody go, but it’s for the best.
"Change is good. Live your life and love it."
Rousseau and the rest of tim. rock out one last time at The Punk Night this Sunday. They’ll be joined on stage by Langley punk rockers The Midgets – another band that has left the basement behind and has a hot new album, Morning Wood, under their belts. Accident Scene from Nelson will also play.
