Album Notes

Tim Fagan has been entertaining crowds 5 nights a week, making rent while strumming and singing for hours on end. Fagan grabs from an epic playlist that starts at Fats Waller, and ends at Whitesnake. But most importantly, along the way it includes standout tracks from his 2004 debut, "Whirlpool."

Growing up in Hawaii, Fagan picked up the guitar and formed a band with his high school buddies called "The Trucks." Their self-produced album caught attention on local radio, and sold like hotcakes on campus, driven by the catchy appeal of it's ample rock hooks. Soon college called, bringing Tim 5,000 miles from his tropical home state to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Like many undergrads, Tim worked through undecided courses until transferring into the University of Michigan's School of Art and Design. During this time Fagan searched aggressively for a band while carving out a freelance design business for himself. After graduating in 2001, Fagan continued to call Ann Arbor home, interning at local recording studios and venues producing acts while making a name for himself around the Detroit music scene.

"Whirlpool" is a powerful mix of familiar and future territory for melody-driven music. At the core, it's refreshing pop. "Secrets" is an enchanting song about a grade school crush. "Stay Awake" builds a radio-ready dreamscape of savvy guitar work. Never afraid of metaphor, "Car Chase" is a pulsing love song worthy of the big screen, and "A Pillow an Hour and Me" is Fagan's soft-spoken ode to the art of napping. "My heroes include Van Morrison, Mark Knopfler, Jeff Buckley, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, among others," says Tim, "I like songs that stick around." No posturing, no presumptions - merely sharp songcraft, clear vocals and guitars stirring a musical whirlpool that surrounds listeners. Recorded in a few short weeks with Fagan on virtually every instrument, the self-produced album has received a 4-star review from the All-Music Guide, noting that it is filled with "clever turns of both lyric and arrangement."