Tim Hassall’s life is lived out of a suitcase. The middle child of two English language teachers with a penchant for travel, his childhood years were spent in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Brunei where his striking white hair and startling blue eyes brought amazement and even reverence from the local ‘Mud Men of Garoka’ in the highlands of PNG. His earliest memories include swimming with fresh-water turtles in jungle-framed rivers, as well as watching the capture of a python in nearby horse-riding stables.
Aged 7, Tim Hassall moved to Palmerston North, dubbed the ‘Knowledge City’ of New Zealand. It was here that he starred as the Pied Piper at his local primary school and developed his support for the ‘Wellington Hurricanes’ rugby team. Aged 12, Tim began writing songs, and with Grayson Gilmour, now a NZ Music Award Winner, formed his first band ‘Ryde’ – a jazz quartet with a repertoire including Herbie Hancock and Dave Brubeck – which also managed to get their teeth into Radiohead, Rage Against The Machine and Cake.
At age 13, Tim Hassall moved to Dubai, UAE where he continued to develop his songwriting, together with his prowess on the rugby field, playing fly-half for the ‘Arabian Gulf’ at numerous international tournaments. During his high-school days he cut his first full-length album with nu-metal band, ‘Secondhand Saviour’, featuring Greg Cargopolas of the Dubai band ‘Absolace’, and honed his acoustic guitar playing at many a campfire on adventures to Jebel Ali and Oman.
University years were split between the UK and the USA. Although enrolled to read Modern History and Politics at London University, he managed to bluff a full scholarship to study Studio Engineering and Theatre at the University of California, San Diego. In California, Hassall became a studio rat, recording a folk EP under the name ‘Dogs On Leash’ entitled ‘Lions In The Shade’, featuring Jesse Ray of San Francisco band ‘Soul Pie’ and, between classes, surfing at the famed Blacks Beach.
More recently Tim Hassall has established his reputation as an independent international solo artist and performer. He has toured across most of Europe, (UK, Germany, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and Austria); road-tripped across the American South releasing an album of field recordings entitled ‘Somewhere Between Exhaustion and Euphoria’; and created a loyal fan base in the Middle East. In 2010 he released his first full-length solo LP entitled ‘Oh Restless Heart’ recorded in Dubai; the music video for the single ‘Marilyn Monroe’ featured on MTV Arabia; and the song ‘Price To Be Paid’ in the soundtrack for the film ‘City Of Life’.
Tim Hassall’s lyrics are characterized by their narrative observational nature, crafted from tales of a life spent travelling. Similarly his sound encompasses a diverse mixture of influences, with each song creating its ‘own world’ for the listener to explore. Whether the genre is indie-rock, hard funk, world music, Cajun, alt. pop, acoustic, progressive, instrumental hip hop or country, somehow the music still manages to maintain the sonic stamp of Tim Hassall’s inimitable style.