Timothy Frank von Gremp (born 27 December 1988) is a musician, multi-instrumentalist, film editor and voice talent, best known here as the bassist for The Whereabouts and Gone Wayside.
Timothy was born in Los Angeles, California. He was educated at Saddleback Community College, where he studied composition and jazz history, and the University of California in Santa Barbara to receive a degree in Film and Media Studies.
Timothy formerly worked as an independent film maker but was simultaneously pursuing career positions in Los Angeles and Orange County with television and documentary production companies. Upon his return to Orange County, Timothy was reunited with school friends Chris Griffith and Joshua Ahrens who had been founding the first iteration of the band Rebels of Analog.
In Rebels of Analog, Timothy worked as a lead guitarist, with an effect-laden style heavily influenced by psychedelic music and post-rock. However, he eventually came to understand that his guitar technique would not be advanced enough to fulfill the creative direction of the band and eventually quit to pursue his career in film again.
In that following year, he would join another foundling surf-rock band, Rossby Waves, but the band insisted that he join on as a bassist instead of a guitarist. This sort of change was also encouraged by his cousin, Drew, who donated a Fender Jazz Bass to help get things started. Tim took this as a sign that it was a change worth pursuing, and pursued bass wholehearted with an understanding of keeping time and maintaining melodies that came with years of jazz appreciation.
Since then, as a bassist, Timothy has rejoined his friends from Rebels of Analog as The Whereabouts, and now works as a career musician with experience both on the stage and in the studio. He has co-written several songs with them, contributed a multitude of instruments and harmonies to their productions and has helped to bring them close to other musicians in the community. His playing style is “strictly fundamental,” using no effects and even less treble; however, he also lends his talents in his vocals, hooks on both harmonica and melodica and hopes to bring more new tones to The Whereabouts “classic sound.”
Timothy is an avid music collector, and a regular customer at Laguna Beach’s Sound Spectrum record store; he is also a big fan of Laguna Beach’s 93.5X local radio station, which he listens to on regular drives through the city, and hopes to one day do similar work behind a microphone. Timothy no longer works with video, but has interests in 3D computer generated entertainment and voicework.
Gear:
Warwick German-made Corvette 5, J-style configuration, passive electronics
Fender Mexican-made Standard Jazz Bass Guitar
Kala Fretted Solid Mahogany Ukulele Bass Guitar
(check out Beginner Guitar HQ’s article on the Ukulele Bass Guitar here)
Fender Mexican-made Telecaster Deluxe Electric Guitar
Seagull Entourage Mini Jumbo Acoustic Guitar
Hohner Marine Band Harmonicas
Hohner 37 Melodica
SWR Bass 350 Bass Amplifier
Carvin 2×15 Cabinet
Low Down Sound 2×10/2×6 Cabinet
Fender Blues Junior Amplifier
Musical Influences:
Frank Zappa
Les Claypool
John Entwistle
Victor Wooten
Roger Waters
Cliff Butler
Chris Squire
Tony Levin
Glen Cornick
Andy Connell
Brian Wilson
Carol Kaye
Wilton Felder
Paul McCartney
John Linnell
Lee Mavers
David Lowery
Bakithi Kumalo
Charles Mingus
Walter Becker
John Norwood Fisher
A Few of His Favorite Things:
Whiskey
BBQ
Seafood
Caffiene
Music Festivals
Road Trips
Hiking and Biking
Loitering