Interviewed early summer 1995 at Kijkduin near Den Haag

The term ‘lo-fi’, the most important reason all those bands gathered for the Fast Forward festival at Doornroosje (Nijmegen, Holland). Tim Foljahn isn’t too happy about it. During their live performance he fooled around with it and called Two Dollar Guitar’s music ‘blow-fly’. And in a way he’s right, live they sounded a lot heavier than most of the other bands and artists.

“I’ve got nothing against lo-fi. I think it’s wonderful people record their music at home. But it’s just a moniker that doesn’t hold a whole lot of meaning. It’s just a way of saying that if something is recorded badly then it has quality. I think it’s strange they call Two Dollar Guitar ‘lo-fi’, only two songs on the record I’ve recorded at home. Oh well, it’s probably because I used a toy piano on the single.”

Tim Foljahn is a happier person than you would expect from listening to the record, “Let me bring you down”. He talks a lot and tells funny anecdotes. Like his most favourite live experience ever. He once supported the Black Crowes, together with Steve Shelley he played Led Zeppelin riffs, while Thurston Moore screamed obscenities at the audience. After a few songs they were pulled of the stage. On record Tim sounds like a Leonard Cohen on the verge of suicide, acompanied by the Palace Brothers. The subject of death obviously plays a major part. “I don’t think I’m more fascinated by death, then by being born. But I don’t really remember much about that. But it’s a main thing as well. It’s a real good hammer. You say that, and it makes a big picture. It means a spinal thing. It can either be good or bad, it’s a fine line. It’s not really like “oh this is depressing” because someone died. Eventually we will all die, it’s just the way it is. Death isn’t that horrible a word anymore to use in a song. It’s overused. Most of my shit is overused. I do a lot of stuff that’s very tired in a way.”

The lyrics and music of Two Dollar Guitar have a lot in common with Country music. A comparison with Palace and Will Oldham is very easy to make. “I appreciate any comparison I get to them. But still it’s a pretty different thing. He does his whole thing nailed down in a lot of ways. I don’t really know what the fuck I’m doing. He has done the singer/songwriter thing a little longer than I have.” Because Tim is only just starting, he hasn’t got a clue what will happen next. “It’s really exciting that things are changing so fast. I’m sort of seeing where it’s going. I don’t want something so conscious that sort of left the art train. I don’t something so preconceived that it’s about this specific somewhat controlled thing. I’m more interested in seeing what I get.”

In the past Two Dollar Guitar has been described as Tim Foljahn’s hobby project. “I see it as a band. The line-up changes slightly, but Two Dollar Guitar is a band interaction thing. The first single wasn’t like that. But that was before we got really going.” The changed rhythm section was the most important reason the band sounded much louder live. Steve Shelley, who plays on the record, couldn’t come because he had to record with Sonic Youth. He was temporarily replaced by Keith Nealy, drummer of the since november 1994 defunct Cell. Together with David Motamed he let sound of their former band shine through in Tim’s songs. Tim finds it very important all bandmembers can add their influence in the songs. “I don’t want it to be this revolving door thing. Where there is this guy singing and doing the songs. Who keeps doing the songs no matter who’s playing on them. I’m not into that at all. There were like three songs that we were doing every night, that Steve has never played on, and Keith had wrote the parts for. I’ve been in that position before, that you step in. It can be not so fun if you don’t have a hand in writing your own parts. I don’t really have no conception of how it looks from the outside. But as long as we’re having fun it’s worth while.”

It’s quite exceptional Two Dollar Guitar do a tour of five concerts in a row. “We played more here than in the United States. We were really surprised it was going like this. This tour is kind of a fluke in a way. Maybe we will do a few shows with Steve when we get home. I think we’re going get around recording some things this summer. So probably, Steve, Dave and I are going down to Rolly and record a record. It would be nice now Keith has played with us, to get Keith on the record. But he’s pretty much here and happy over here.” No doubt, we’ll hear more of Two Dollar Guitar in future, with or without Keith. For now check out the debut on Smells Like Records.