Music is a Journey

As a passionate guitarist, songwriter, music arranger, vocalist, and producer, Tim Woodruff is always on the hunt for more. More expression, more emotion, more atmosphere. The goal in all these things is to craft compelling songs that speak to listeners. As Tim puts it, “I’m trying to make music that makes you feel something or at least makes you want to sing along.” With 2 albums and a slew of singles under his belt, he certainly shows no signs of stopping.

Formerly the guitarist for Oklahoma christian rock band Solomon’s Porch and a brief stint with Oklahoma southern-rock group, Greg Dudley and the Silverthreads, Tim has been playing guitar and writing music for over 20 years. His style melds the best of alternative rock, electronic synthwave, and ambient music. 

Tim’s musical journey began in a small town south of Atlanta where he picked up the trombone and then the guitar and began learning southern rock and CCM and honing his skill as a guitarist. He still views his time playing the trombone as formative in his development as a musician, since it built his understanding of how music works. Tim grew up in a very musical family where many of his immediate and extended family sang and played instruments. His brother, Nathanael, is the frontman of the Georgia rock band Woodruff.

Pulling from a variety of influences including Big Wreck, Third Day, The Midnight, Delirious, Death Cab for Cutie, and more, Tim blends all these influences into a unique style. He’s all about crafting sonic landscapes and atmospheres that pull the listener in. The music frequently jumps between instrumental and lyrical songwriting, but his aim is always melodic atmospheric storytelling that moves the listener from start to finish.

Tim’s first solo release was the 2022 EP, Odyssey. Odyssey is a space-themed synthwave epic with many cosmic textures spanning across the 5 tracks. Since then he has revisited that release and expanded it into a full remastered album, Odyssey, Deluxe Edition which was re-released in 2024. “It all started with my discovery of synthwave and the band, The Midnight, in particular”, he says. “Something about that music just inspired me. It was like nothing I’d heard before.” This set him on a quest to learn, and he spent several months learning how to layer synthesizers in with his guitar playing until he found his sound.

“I wear my influences on my sleeve”, Woodruff says, “but the goal is always to craft my signature sound that is an amalgamation of all these influences.” This inspiration rocketed him into creating not only Odyssey, but his second release, Keeper of the Forest.

Tim’s second release, The Keeper of the Forest, explored a themes of calm and exploration in a wooded biome wrapped up in a 9 song concept album. “I wanted to explore what electronic music would sound like in a forest setting”, he remembers. Building a story through ambient soundscapes was intriguing, and as the album evolved, so did the lore behind the songs. Tim has written more about lore and backstory on this album here.

Frequent collaborations with other artists include C O B R A, Dungeons Deep, OLD, Tholos, Moure, Only The Host, Prime Birds, Chronic Ion, I Move Mountains, Tracy Cloud, John Serrano, and Uncle Funkbeard, with more to come.

Always on the hunt for new sounds, Tim’s music is ever evolving. For upcoming releases, he’s planning to explore darker synthwave songs, as well as write more rock and acoustic tunes. He frequently posts new songs in advance of the albums so there is always something new to be listening for. “I hope I never stop finding new ways to express sounds and emotions. There’s so many great sounds out there, and I always want the listener to be pleasantly surprised by the journey.” After all, good music is all about discovery and being brought along a journey.

Tim’s music can be found on all streaming services (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and more), and can be purchased as mp3s and CDs through his BandCamp site.

Tim is active on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads and Mastodon, where he frequently posts about upcoming music, favorite artists, the creative process, and life in general.