Before settling into playing Standup and Electric Bass, Tim began his musical journey as a guitarist and songwriter. Born in Los Angeles in 1977, Tim Smolens has been a full time dedicated musician ever since he saw the movie La Bamba at age 9.
Tim is also an accomplished Producer and Audio Engineer, and is the central production force behind Estradasphere's elaborate recordings. Largely self taught, Tim learned production by meticulously scrutinizing the works of his recording heroes Brian Wilson and Trey Spruance. His recording catalogue includes more than 10 records that have sold in the tens of thousands worldwide. Tim is also an accomplished composer, playing a key role in Estradasphere's multifaceted compositions.
Playing bass in various acts such as Estradasphere, Secret Chiefs 3, and Fishtank Ensemble, Tim has toured the United States and Canada extensively. In Santa Cruz he has performed with such diverse groups as Shakespeare Santa Cruz, The UCSC theatre arts, The Robin Anderson Big Band, The Mel Wong Dance Company, The Cabrillo College Orchestra, and many others.
Being well versed in the technical side of music production and keyboard programming, Tim got a chance to work with his favorite band from his teenage years, Mr. Bungle, when they enlisted him as Principal Keyboard Programmer to adapt their densely orchestrated record, California, for live performance with 3 keyboards. Furthermore, Tim is a budding gospel vocalist, and has scored movie and game soundtracks. Tim studied jazz composition, big band orchestration, and performance with Ray Brown at Cabrillo College.
