It’s a Saturday night and Dreamchasers Brewery is packed tight. Finding a table is difficult in the crowd. Aside from the reliably satisfying beer that locals have come to count on, the taproom is full because of the entertainment.
On this night, the live music is provided by duo Tim and Renae McGuire. Something of local celebrities, this couple in marriage and in music have a cult following of fans in Waxhaw; and for very good reason – they are extremely talented.
I sat down with Tim for an interview about his life and music.
Me: How did you get into music?
Tim: “I started playing at a young age. I played mandolin on a radio show at 10-years-old. My brother played guitar and was influenced by bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival. I grew up listening to that and my sister’s soul/blues music. I have sung and played rock, country, blues, and Americana. My favorites being Americana/blues/folk.”
Me: Besides singing and songwriting, what other instruments are you able to play?
Tim: “I play drums, guitar, harmonica, mandolin and percussion. I sometimes play bass and other various instruments. I played all but a couple of instruments on my most recent album, Soul Breeze.”
Me: Tell me about your music career.
Tim: “Renae, my wife, and I had 2 bands together. The first one was called Five Card Draw, which was country, bluegrass, country rock. We traveled some in the southeastern U.S. in the early 80’s with that band. Then we formed January Rose with three other musicians. We opened lots of shows for bands like Three Dog Night, Marshall Tucker, Humble Pie, The Guess Who, Black Oak Arkansas, Vince Gill, The Outlaws, and others. We were more of a rock-and-roll show then. We recorded two albums and had quite a bit of airplay on an original song, “Alibi”.
“Renae and I moved to Nashville, Tennessee and lived there until we moved to the Charlotte area in 2003. In Nashville, I had the opportunity to play on a show with Brooks and Dunn, Dave and Sugar, the Hagar twins (from HeeHaw), and several more. I was also the host of that show. I worked for Gibson Guitar Custom Division as parts buyer. While there, I played in the Gibson Luthier Band. Peter Frampton, Chet Atkins, Leroy Parnell, Gary Rossington (of Lynyrd Skynyrd), and Ricky Medlocke would come to our events and sometimes sit in with us. After Gibson, I worked for Red Ridge Entertainment, booking acts for casinos and clubs. I hosted a showcase for Red Ridge bands at the “Trap”, a Nashville club owned by George Strait’s manager.”
Me: And how did you end up in here in Waxhaw?
Tim: “Renae and I built a house in Waxhaw and moved in in 2005. We like the small town feel and feel that the arts and music scene is getting better all the time. I hosted the first writer’s-open mic night in Waxhaw at Southsiders.”
Me: And what is your profile like currently in the Waxhaw music scene?
Tim: “Renae and I perform as a duo and have recently played at Dreamchasers Brewery. I have a few albums for sale online at CD Baby – https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/TimMcGuire. One is “Time For a Change”, which was recorded in Nashville (Reese Wynans of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Double Trouble and Jeff Cease of the Black Crows played some keys and guitar on it). The latest is Soul Breeze, which I recorded here in my studio in Waxhaw. I’m currently working on a new, as of yet unnamed, album.
“I also like to collaborate with and record local musicians in my studio here in Waxhaw, Soul Breeze Creation Room. Some of the singers, songwriters I work with include Josh Burch, Ian Feathers, Jordan Middleton, Joe Delapina, Pam Taylor, and Mack Fowler.”
You can find out more about Tim’s music, recording and where to see the McGuires live locally on Tim’s Facebook page: Tim McGuire Music.
