Tim Smith joins the ranks of Phil Collins (Genesis), Don Henley (The Eagles) and Fred LeBlanc (Cowboy Mouth), as drummer, lead singer and driving force behind this ground-breaking rock n’ roll band. A self-taught musician since the age of 14, Tim is the founder and leader of The Killdares and a native Texan with true Celtic roots. Raised as an avid fan of traditional Celtic music, his affinity for the grit and cutting-edge nature of rock and punk inevitably led him to begin assembling a group of like-minded musicians, who wanted to stretch the boundaries of contemporary musical expression. The result – The Killdares!

NAME – Tim Smith

FROM – Born in Irving, TX…now living in Dallas

INSTRUMENT –Drums, lead vocals…and lately I’ve been going back to my roots with the bodhran (traditional Irish drum).

FAVORITE BANDS – MuteMath, Keane, R.E.M., U2, Collective Soul, Radiohead, Muse, The Alarm, Big Country, The Replacements, Paul Westerberg, Elvis Costello, The Clash, The Jam, The Waterboys, Echo & the Bunnymen, Tom Petty, The Smiths, Soul Asylum, The Pogues, Roxy Music…and the list goes on!

FAVORITE DRUMMERS – Larry Mullen Jr. (U2), Stewart Copeland (The Police), Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), Phil Rudd (AC/DC), Clem Burke (Blondie)

FAVORITE COLOR – Black

FAVORITE KD SONG TO PLAY LIVE – “Long Island High”

FIRST WORDS THAT COME INTO YOUR HEAD – I wonder what Gary is gonna say for this one…

FIRST SONG I LEARNED ON DRUMS – “Stray Cat Strut” by The Stray Cats…and “Should I Stay or Should I Go” by The Clash

NICKNAMES – Smithers to a few.  TimTom to a couple others.  But, some people call me…Tim.

FAVORITE FILM(S) – Star Wars (Episode IV), This Is Spinal Tap, Cinema Paradiso, Caddyshack, Stripes, Office Space, The Searchers, Braveheart, The Muppet Movie, Waiting for Guffman, Raising Arizona

FIRST GIG (watching) – KISS, Dynasty Tour, Tarrant County Convention Center (Ft. Worth, TX).  My dad took me and my brother…and yes I painted my face like drummer Peter Criss.

BEST GIG (watching) – Difficult one to choose as I have seen so many.  But…The Pogues in 1987 was pretty special.  And R.E.M. (front row) in 1988 for the Green Tour was hard to beat.

BEST GIG (playing) – The filming of our Live DVD Up Against The Lights at Dallas’ historic Granada Theater.  A full house with 7 moving HD cameras pretty much made me feel like a rockstar for a night.

FIRST ALBUM OWNED (On vinyl) – Cheap Trick Live at Budokan   (On CD) – The Wishing Chair by 10,000 Maniacs

FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM – Growing up…it was Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics.  Now…Dallas Mavericks. Go Mavs!

5 PEOPLE YOU WOULD INVITE TO DINNER IF YOU COULD – Bono, Christopher Guest, Dirk Nowitzki, Woody Allen, Vince Vaughn

FAVORITE FOOD – Thai…although…I will never get tired of my mom’s gumbo (great grandma’s recipe)

WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AS DRUMMER/LEAD SINGER OF THE BAND? As founder of the band, I wear a lot of hats. In the unique position of pulling double duty on both drums and vocals, I’m constantly striving to set a rock-solid foundation with the bass and guitar, while coming up with vocal lines that compliment the songs as well. Since I’m not always positioned front-and-center like a lot of frontmen, I have to rely on my bandmates to help me set the pace of the show. They in turn look to me…and that mutual on-stage chemistry helps me create a solid pulse that carries the show.

When it comes to songwriting, I’m a pretty good arranger. I’ve been known to create or write songs based on the combination of different ideas that were written from different sessions…sometimes years apart! This non-traditional, cut-and-paste method has earned me the name “Desktop Publisher” of the band.

FAVORITE QUOTE – “Do…or do not.  There is no try” – Yoda