Guitarist displays quiet passion

The mysterious Tim Reynolds, a quiet, reserved guitarist who rarely speaks during performances, made his presence known Monday night as he rocked Axis Nightclub. The 90-minute show displayed his ability to speak to the crowd through music rather than words, but it fell short of our expectations. The recital had emotion, but the energy needed for a spectacular show wasn't there.\nAfter a surprisingly energetic performance from opening soloist Peter Prince, Reynolds took the stage in quiet fashion and settled the crowd down with a slow beginning to the show. Playing his 12-string guitar, he opened with a hard, bluesy riff with an unsystematic rhythm typical of most songs in his collection.\nHe then moved into a lighter song, accentuated by quick changes from slow to fast and vice versa, invoking cheers from the crowd. This led into the third song, "Valley of Flowers," which had a pleasant rhythm. A brief look around the crowd revealed plenty of heads bobbing to the beat in enjoyment. This song seemed to grab the attention of the crowd more so than the first two.\nReynolds then spoke to the crowd, one of only two times in the show, welcoming them and introducing his next song, "Flourescence," from his newest CD release, Nomadic Wavelength. This song began like most of the others, with a fast-paced picking part, then continued with Reynolds' typical back-and-forth style of music, getting closer to noise, but always returning to rhythmic melody. The fifth song stayed on track with the same smooth sound characterized by his 12-string guitar.\nSwitching to the only other instrument on stage, Reynolds picked up his six-string guitar and began an eerie, electronically-produced song with the help of a Boss DD-5 stomp box. This controls the echoes and reverberations Reynolds creates for the audience by recording and repeating pieces from the guitar at different tone levels. Reynolds has proven himself a master of these electronics by mixing it with the acoustic sounds of the guitar and creating beats, melodies and echoes, especially for this sixth song. The loud booms swelled, then quieted, as soft, mellowing tones emanated from his guitar, making the song reminiscent of the calm after a storm.\nThe next song, "Hopeful Heresy," continued from the previous, with light, airy pluckings from the guitar. Off Reynolds' CD release See Into Your Soul, this song starts quickly, then, like a rollercoaster, shifts in speed and energy. He didn't let the show stop there as he led into another of his electronically echoing gems. This song featured spirals of sound, volume and pace, all combining into one amazing melody.\nWithout stopping between sets, Reynolds began another quick song, but this time he recorded a low, strumming part, then overlayed it with his characteristic high-string picking. Displaying his abilities with electronic mixers and his talent as a one-man band, he then switched guitars right in the middle of the song, leaving the recorded piece to reverberate. \nThis was the most energetic part of the show, yet Reynolds never seemed to get excited. His demeanor seemed to flow to the crowd, too, as most were talking between themselves calmly rather than up near the stage.\nReynolds then took off his sunglasses, as if to signify it was time to get more personal with the crowd as he began a slow, romantic number. This led into the next song, with a slow but full sound emanating from the speakers. Reynolds was obviously enjoying his peaceful recital, still smiling already an hour into the show.\nAs the crowd began to thin, only the true fans remained, and Reynolds pulled out a unique number with a soft beginning and end, but a spectacular swell of sound in the middle. The next song in his performance featured a heavier rhythm and fuller sound, almost reminiscent of a jazz piece. Reynolds put on his sunglasses again, began tapping his foot and played a tune that made the fans clap to the beat, finally picking up with the pace of the show.\nAs he pulled the six-string out once again, Reynolds played a rock/funk mix, using every fret of the guitar. Reynolds rocked back and forth with the resonance of the music. Reaching down to record another riff on his stomp box, he set an echoing pattern of music as he placed his guitar down and left the stage.\nReturning for only one song in his encore, the crowd was surprised to see he had taped his mouth shut. After a series of stretches, he returned to his 12-string for a song that was similar to "Stream," made popular in his tours with Dave Matthews of The Dave Matthews Band. The piece was mystical and dreamy, which agreed with the tone of the previous part of the show. \nThe show was typical of the eccentric but quiet Reynolds, with wild jams and softer melodies. Although the crowd was small, Reynolds played passionately and without reservation.