Uncommon Folk

Since debuting as a columnist for the legendary Trouser Press magazine when he was only 16, Tim Sommer has been a participant, witness, and catalyst in some of the pivotal moments in the last 37 years of music history. He has worked extensively as a musician, journalist, major label creative executive, MTV and VH1 producer and VJ, record producer, and club and radio DJ.

As a musician, Sommer is likely best known for his work as a conceptualist and bassist for the 1980s’ American dreampop band Hugo Largo, who released two albums on Brian Eno’s Opal/Land record label. Sommer was also a member of the Glenn Branca Ensemble from 1983 to 1986, and in the early 1980s performed in the punk band Even Worse, alongside Jack Rabid, Thurston Moore, and Steve Waxman. In addition, Sommer has produced records and sessions for Drunken Boat, Paul Sanchez, Kara’s Flowers, Alexandra Scott, Cowboy Mouth, Susan Cowsill, The Prettiots, and the Indecent. In 2005 Sommer and Scott, working as Hi-Fi Sky, released Music for Synchronized Swimming in Space, an album of electric ambient landscapes based on traditional Cajun and Acadien folk songs.

As a journalist, Sommer has contributed regularly to The Village Voice, the LA Weekly, Spin, the Daily News, the English music weeklies, the Observer, and others.

From 1989 to 1992, Sommer worked with both MTV and VH1 as an on-air news correspondent, and he was the host of the nightly Post-Modern MTV alternative Music Show. In 2004 he acted as producer for the Louisiana Jukebox television series.

For the bulk of the 1990s, Sommer worked as an A&R rep with Atlantic Records. In this capacity, Sommer signed and supervised production for Hootie & the Blowfish, Duncan Sheik, Michael Crawford, the Tea Party, Scott Weiland, Bruce McCulloch, 7 Year Bitch, and others.

Since 2006, alongside his work as a producer and journalist, he has been recording the Uncommon Folk project with Stuart Chatwood and Dr. Jennifer Brout.