Tim Taber

Tim Taber is the vocalist for alternative band The Prayer Chain.

Tim started learning drums when he was 11 after his Dad started teaching him. In early writing sessions for The Prayer Chain & Cush, he was the drummer.

Tim was in a number of bands before The Prayer Chain, including Themm, The Informals, Picture This & Tapestry. He says none of them were very good. At the time of Tapestry, he was in a Bible study group with Eric Campuzano. When Campuzano & Andy Prickett's band Laughing Boy fell through, Campuzano asked Taber to sing for their new band.

Taber got married as the band was getting ready to record *Mercury*. He wasn't present as the rest of the band began to record the album.

Taber was often the odd man out in the band. In the years following the break-up of the band, Taber was often singled out for criticism in contributing to the animosity that was prevalent. In recent years, the band has made it clear there was tensions caused by everyone in the band, not just Tim. And at the 20th anniversary celebrations of *Mercury*, Campuzano made special note of Taber, calling him "the hero of the album". While Prickett, Campuzano & Wayne Everett mapped out the album, he noted that Taber turned the music into songs. All members of the band are friends now.

On Taber, Prickett says "When we started the band, Tim could sing. It was always awesome..."

Taber says “I was the pop guy in the band, I was into Sarah McLachlan & Depeche Mode. They were into cool stuff, they were getting into stuff way before I was – Curve, Swervedriver, and My Bloody Valentine, all these things I’d rather take in small doses. They were really painstakingly educating me on all this musical background & vision. I was kind of an OK singer and these guys were kind of brilliant in a way with music & time signatures and sort of all these things that never occurred to me were things that needed thinking about… I was the guy who was like ‘give me a stage’ and I’m right at home, Andy loved the studio and I thought it was so boring. Andy made me sing ‘*Sky High’* for 7 hours straight!” Wayne responds “conversely we didn’t have any skills in the business side of a band, so we were very lucky in that you took on that role because it let us have the luxury of not having to worry about that stuff.”

In recent years, Campuzano has often applauded Taber’s ability to take the lyrics he gave him and turn them into songs without any guidance. In response, Taber has said he would sometimes have to be brutal and cut some of Campuzno’s lyrics if they simply didn’t fit the song, despite Campuzano’s protests of how hard he’d worked on the lyric.

Producer Steve Hingalong says "Tim Taber was a drop of syrup in a jigger of bourbon. He was less cynical than his peers, and more sympathetic to his audience. And there were steller vocal performances. Consider his emotive renderings on *58*and *Bendy Line.*The first time I ventured out to observe the band at a rehearsal, Tim was the one whose intensity impressed me most. He was a captivating front man...a handsome chap. He held the conch shell. He swung the machete to lead the way through the brush. The only member with any instinct for survival, he actually made the group a profit for a while."

Taber blames himself for the break-up of the band. In 2012, he said "Honestly, I think some of why we broke up was me. I think I felt self righteous, and some of the guys had different views & different conduct than what I thought was what a Christian band should be about. And I broke up the band. Looking back on it, I'm not sure that was God's will. It wasn't really looking at my brothers in love and accepting them. It was more about me thinking that this is what a Christian looks like."

After the The Prayer Chain, Taber started a band called El Matador which never had any recorded output. He intended to record a worship album, but the only song that was ever released was *God Of Mine*. He worked occasionally with Cush, contributing the vocals to *Jesus Is On The Mainline*, a small cameo on *Shining Glory*, and sang live for them towards the end of their run. Prickett got Taber to work on some vocals for other Cush jams around this time, but none were deemed fit to release.

Taber went on to start Floodgate Records and Transparent Productions. Floodgate Records dissolved once the mp3 era took over.

Taber also made a brief appearance on Australian comedy program John Safran Vs God, commenting on the mock Jewish boy band "Jewtown".

Taber has done a lot of ministry work in Uganda helping displaced children.

Tim enjoys U2 and making children.