His style is country mixed with a little blues and Southern rock, but at heart, Tim Lynch is all Trigg County.
That’s why it’s fitting for the Tim Lynch Band to kick-off the 2011 season for the Trigg County Wildcat football team with a concert on July 29 at Perdue Field.
Big Black Madness, scheduled from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m., will take the place of the annual Meet the Wildcats dinner. It was the brainchild of one of Trigg County’s football coaches, Coby Lewis, although he admittedly borrowed the idea from a nearby county.
“We want to get the kids excited about it, and get the community excited about it,” Lewis said. Big Black Madness should do that with its festival atmosphere of food, bouncers and music.
Lynch’s band was a natural choice. Not only did he spend most of his high school years at Trigg County, but he also played football his senior year.
And it’s an investment in his children, Caleb and Kenna, both Trigg County students.
“Tim’s wanted to do something for the community, and this gives him a chance to play in front of his hometown crowd,” Lewis said.
“I want to help the team out the best way I know how, and that’s by playing guitar,” said Lynch, who now lives in Clarksville. “That’s what I do.”
Lynch is a firm believer in the philosophy that community support will help the team play better.
“It’s very important to have the community behind you,” he said. “It gives you a stage to play on, kind of like what I’m doing.
“If I’ve got people looking at me, I’m going to play a whole lot better than if I don’t, because the pressure’s on.”
That idea falls in line with another parallel Lynch draws between sports and musical performances.
“It’s really a fact of discipline, something I learned in football,” he said. “Discipline and practice. If you’re going to make a living doing something, you have to practice it, especially if it’s something in the arts or sports.
“There’s no telling how many hours I’ve logged on guitars since high school, but that’s why I can do it now.”
And he’s done it full-time since 2003.
The Tim Lynch Band averages three shows per week, including a regular Thursday night show at Cheap Shotz in Clarksville. Lynch also just released a new album, “This Forgotten Son,” which is available on iTunes along with his first album, “American Dreams.”
When Lynch takes the stage at Perdue Field, he’ll be joined by long-time band member Isaac Frost of Clarksville on bass and Trigg County’s own Collin Baker on drums.
“I’m excited to help Trigg County football,” said Lynch who rarely gets to watch a Trigg County game because of job conflicts.
“I always tune in as much as I can on the radio. I would probably never miss a game if it wasn’t for work, so this is going to be fun.”
Fun and excitement are the plan for the night the Wildcats will first take the field for the season, but Lynch knows that it’s not only about football. It’s about life after football, too.
“I want to see the team be successful, and I want to see the kids go on to accomplish things instead of going down a road that is cold and rough, like some of them have.
“There’s a bigger picture to it, but for right now, I just want to help get the season started off good.”
