Tim Montana

Depending on what census you check, 44 residents call Wise River, Montana home. The town (if you could call it that with a straight face) shares its name with the Wise River. The latter connects to the Big Hole River, which once doubled as a boundary between various Native American tribes such as the Nez Percé, Shoshone, Coast Salish, and Black Feet. “The Battle of Big Hole” went down on this land in 1877 between the Nez Percé and the U.S. Army. Even with a “gnarly history,” a certain calm pervades the region these days. Nestled under watch of mountains and sustained by the river, you could settle down here and be at peace.

If you’re Tim Montana though, it’s the perfect place to run wild both literally and creatively…

Of course, the singer, guitarist, and entrepreneur grew up just 52 miles north and fell in love with Wise River as a kid, but he officially settled there in 2023 after a long stint in Nashville (and even a spell in Los Angeles prior). Coming back home inspired him to go even wilder on his 2024 full-length album, Savage. The hooks hit harder, the distortion was cranked up louder, and the spirit became freer.

Ultimately, he alchemizes the energy around him in the form of eleven uncompromising and undeniable anthems, forging a new frontier for hard rock in the process.

“I always thought Montana was really fucking metal,” he grins. “The state is a vibe, and I’m a vibe guy. If you stick me in an office, I don’t vibe. There’s something about being where you’re from. Especially here, there’s a weird, spiritual magic. There are things in the air that you can’t find other places. This musical style was always in me though. I left it for so long, and I was in this Nashville space that I was burnt out of. I got back here and wrote music that was true to my soul.”

Following a tumultuous and downright unbelievable childhood in a trailer off-the-grid, Tim left Montana in the rearview at barely eighteen-years-old. Driven by a restless work ethic, he quietly carved out a niche without comparison. Along the way, he performed on The Late Show with David Letterman at the behest of the host (practically unheard of for a totally independent artist), collaborated with everyone from Billy Gibbons to Kid Rock (cracking the charts for the first time), made a fan out of Charlie Sheen (who directed the “Mostly Stoned” video), and even attracted his idol Dave Grohl to his corner. Forged by a long grind, he fulfilled his destiny in 2023. Tim shook the rock world with “Devil You Know.” Christened “flawless” and “One of the 30 Best Rock + Metal Songs of 2023” by LoudWire, the breakout single surged onto Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay and Rock & Alternative Airplay charts. In its wake, iHeartRadio touted him as an “On The Verge Artist.” Soon, he found himself booked for tours with Staind, Seether, Saint Asonia, Bush, and Jerry Cantrell of Alice In Chains (another hero of Tim’s). Simultaneously, he and Gibbons purchased historic bar and hotel Wise River Club in Wise River, MT.

Settled in Big Sky Country, he shocked Savage to life during sessions in an “1800s log cabin” on the Big Hole River and at Wise River Club with producer Micah Wishire.

“Once I started writing this way, everything fell out,” he states. “I was like, ‘Let’s just be brutally honest’. I recorded with people who I really trust in a place you’ve never heard of. To me, there’s nothing cooler than that. Throughout the process, I’d fire up my Polaris off-road machine and we’d tear through the backcountry. If I don’t nearly kill you three or four times, it isn’t a proper Tim Montana writing trip!”

Now, he heralds the album with the title track “Savage.” An ominous guitar melody glows like embers of a Marlboro Red, and a tribal-style beat kicks in. Distortion ramps up on the chorus as Tim screams, “Everything can go to hell. We can keep it for ourselves. Feeding the habit, watching the madness, everything is SAVAGE!” On the bridge, strings dissolve into acoustic guitar, giving way to one last catharsis.

“Maybe I moved to Montana, because I think shit’s getting crazy in the rest of the world and I wanted a fighting chance,” he laughs. “It’s not a political song though, but I’m looking at the world from a 30,000 foot view and telling a story of mankind’s greed, money, power, and wars. Overall, this expression is a pretty savage version of me.”

On “Ashes,” the guitar wails, a groove twists and turns, and Tim assures, “Yeah, you’re my end of days.”

“I’m using these adjectives to describe a hot woman,” he grins. “The world’s ending, but you’ve got this chick. If there aren’t some strippers dancing to ‘Ashes’, I’m going to be highly disappointed.”

He enlisted none other than Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett to lay down a wah-drenched lead on “Die Today.” Tipping a hat to the “special operator community,” the chorus cuts deep, “Shadows can fill my empty grave, ‘cause I forgot to die today.”

“It’s my favorite story,” he notes. “I’ve gotten to know a lot of special operators through the charity space. The song is about the dudes who run into gunfire and lay down their lives for strangers. I equate it to my version of Alice In Chains’ ‘Rooster’, so I told Chris to approach the solo like ‘Jerry Cantrell in 1992’. He killed it!”

“Shut Me Out” projects one of Tim’s poignant and powerful choruses at full blast. He clenches back tears as he sings, “Push me, pull me, use me, tear me down. It’s a little bit complicated out here alone sedated.”

“It’s about my childhood and not being wanted by the stepdad I had,” he sighs.

Clean guitar twists through a heart-thumping beat on “Right Again.” It builds towards a relatable and chantable chorus, “Say you’re right again, no one ever wins.” He adds, “We wrote about this rough relationship, and I hinted at some sobriety stuff in there.”

During “Lovely,” airy electronics dissolve into snaps and a skyscraping refrain, “Lovely, ain’t that lovely,” topped off with a loose guitar lead for good measure.

He continues, “’Ain’t that lovely’ is a funny saying if shit goes south. I wanted to capture the smartass guy I am with a little Nirvana-style guitar and lyrics about a nasty relationship.”

“Ain’t Comin’ Down” draws everyone into the embrace of Tim’s home state as he paints a vivid picture of a cohort of local characters on “Just another Saturday DOWN IN Wise River.”

“Every name-drop is a local,” he affirms. “It was written about my first month back in Montana. They’re the sweetest people, but they’re a little crazy.”

Then, there’s “Death Row.” Lit up by a fiery distorted boogie, it dissects “a toxic and nasty relationship.” On “Get You Some,” he flaunts his braggadocious side over a stomping riff. Dedicated to “every lost kid in every lost town,” he grins, “From a loser to a winner with my crooked middle finger now I’m four kids deep buying five-star dinners.”

“My wife laughed and said, ‘Motherfucker, you don’t even buy me five-star dinners!’,” he laughs. “It’s about starting at rock bottom and climbing your way up.”

Savage concludes with “Day By Day.” Once again, Tim shoots straight as he surveys his life, “I could be the one I never had or wind up dead like my old man.” Alternating between strings and cataclysmic fuzz, it explodes in one final burst of heavy emotion before subsiding on a clean outro.

“I wanted to tell this story,” he says. “Losing my dad to alcoholism was a big blow to me. I was almost going down the same road, and I wanted to capture that. Some days, you wake up and it’s beautiful. Other days, you’re struggling. It’s brutally honest, and it was a good way to end the record. Musically, it’s sweet, then crazy and violent, and finally beautiful.”

Ultimately, Tim is telling a story that will resonate far beyond his home state.

“I feel like I’ve lived three lives in my 39 years,” he leaves off. “I’m still a wild man and a workaholic. I’m going to keep telling my story. This is the most honest version of myself I’ve found, and I’m so glad rock ‘n’ roll embraced me. The chains are off, and I can sing about what I want to. Everything is savage.” – Rick Florino, March 2024=