Tim Mahoney preview

Tim Mahoney
Duffy’s, Chicago
Monday, March 4, 2008

The name on the album cover says Tim Mahoney, but you might as well call him Frank, Joe, or Larry – even Moe or Curly for that matter. You aren’t going to remember his name after hearing Stay/Leave anyway.

Mahoney is the same anonymous-sounding, acoustic-toting, scruffy good-looking singer-songwriter who gets shoved in our faces by the caseload every day. Bad music trends such as boy bands, nu-metal, and crunk tend to fade away eventually, so why are we forced to keep dealing with banal Dear-Diary entries like “Don’t Let Me Down” and “Leave”? Because people keep giving these guys awards!

Mahoney, for example has won both Ray-Ban’s Never Hide music contest and, most recently, the pop category of the Durango Song Expo’s Write With A Hit-Maker contest. The prize for the former is the chance to write a song with Keith Follese (Faith Hill, Lonestar), which will undoubtedly result in some sort of excruciating James Blunt-esque sorority anthem. You could, of course, say these accolades validate Mahoney’s music, but in today’s music industry where more and more product is released and less and less is good, awards don’t mean squat. Look no further than the four Grammy nominations earned by fuckin’ Daughtry.

– Trevor Fisher

Click here to download Tim Mahoney’s “My Love Is Alive.”

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly