"If you want to get really technical, a ‘luthier'
would be handcrafting violins, violas, cellos - stringed instruments. I only
work on electric guitars," clarifies Vancouver's ‘Skinny' Tim McLeod. "I can do
everything I need to do to make some pretty sweet guitars. I would probably use
the words ‘builder' or ‘manufacturer' rather than luthier."
The 26-year-old is based in what he refers to as "a
couple blocks out of the warzone" of the Downtown Eastside, and after working with
a local guitar company for six years he's moved on to doing builds and repairs
in his own atmospheric studio. Skinny Tim (not to be confused with Skinny
Pete) also plays rhythm guitar and "a few silly leads" along with backup
vocals in the motorcycle punk band, The Vicious Cycles. Born and raised in the
Lower Mainland, skateboarding has been in his blood since the age of 8, and in
this interview he aligns the parallels between music, skateboarding and guitar
building.
"Skateboarding on a good day or playing a show when
people are singing along, they're both amazing," he says. "Then being able to
build and work on something that you believe in is also a great feeling."
How did
skateboarding start out for you?
A
neighborhood skater named Billy Tucker sold me a Channel One slick with Indys
for $25, and he gave me free wheels that were just wider than the bearings! Now
I just go out and skate in Van when the sun is out, either at Strathcona
or I'll head up to the Hastings
bowl sometimes. It's rad to do something for almost 20 years; skateboarding
is one of the best things in my life. I loved it growing up and I still love it
now.
What are your roots with music?
My brother gave me a mixtape when I was around seven that had NOFX, Green
Day, and MxPx on it. I still have the tape! From there it was years of punk
rock for me. I remember my friend showing me the Ramones and The Clash when I
was around 14, and I also got really into some of the more classic stuff like
Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash.
Who have you
been listening to in more recent years?
The last 10 years have been the search for the best of all the classic genres.
Some of my favourites to-date are, Sam Cooke, Cock Sparrer, One Man Army,
Glasvegas, Social Distortion, Rancid, Billy Bragg, Desmond Dekker, The
Ethiopians, The Pogues, Neko Case...
Can you explain the motorcycle club/band
you play in?
We started The Vicious Cycles in 2008 [visit
their blogspot here]. We've put out a 7-inch on Teenage Rampage Records, and a full-length on Stomp ‘N'
Howl Records. There are five of us in it, and we're basically the local
motorcycle punk rock band who plays for a bunch of degenerate skateboard,
motorbike, hoodrats. The Night
Fighters, Majestic Unicorns, the Scorpions, Cretins MC, the East Van Rats,
the ManWolfs club and various skate posses show up to the shows and cause various types of trouble.
Without all of them we'd be a band barely worth mentioning [laughs]. Motorcycle Norman from our band plays the theremin, has 20 motorbikes,
and puts out a rad bike ‘zine called Motorcycho. You can buy our
7-inch, our album and the Motorcycho
‘zine at Antisocial. Michelle
Pezel rules so hard up there!
"Momma" by The Vicious Cycles. Directed
by Benny Zenga.
How did you get
into building and repairing guitars?
Around 2005 I joined forces with local company Sparrow Guitars, and worked with them
for about 5 years. Billy Bones is the owner, and he used to be a rippin' skater
back in the ‘90s. He got me going on the road with Sparrow a couple weeks after
I joined up. With little to no guitar knowledge or sales experience, I traveled
to a majority of the guitar stores in BC, Alberta and Washington. Those trips
were nuts and Sparrow was a great part of my life. We hired tons of our friends
and made a serious go at it. In July 2010 we closed down the main shop, and
I've since been working through finishing and selling some of the guitars.
Sparrow is by no means over, it's just taking a breather.
And that's what spawned your latest
project...
It's called the Anchor
Guitar Studio, and there's a selection of Sparrow Guitars. I have a shop in
the back where I do repairs for lots of local Vancouver musicians, and the
studio itself
has a life of its own. Lots of late-night jams happening, and tons of
people crashing. The Zenga Bros screened their Africa bicycle tour documentary Where Are You Go in
February 2011 at the studio warming party, and some local hillbilly music
friends played a set of oldies. I think we raised around $300 for ETFF - an Ethiopian farming organization that
does amazing work.
How does
skateboarding, music and working on guitars interconnect for you?
Skateboarding has always been connected with music, and guitars have come
into that same category in the last couple years for me. It's all about pursuing
the things that give you life, and then realizing that you can contribute right
back. For example, getting into music then realizing you can start a band and
start booking shows. With skateboarding you can join the local voice and save the old bowls from getting ripped out, fix up your local DIY park like Leeside,
or get on a committee and get the next park made right. With guitars I get to
give back to tons of cool scenes out there, helping friends by repairing their
guitars, giving guitars to raise money for charities, and working hard to
support friends' bands.
Learn more at anchorguitairstudio.com
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Related:
Craig Williams: Cigar Box Artisan