The Time Enders’ performance is so impressively dead-on to folk music produced in the ‘50s and ‘60s that you might wonder where they parked the time machine. Channeling the lyrical simplicity of cowboy songs and the mellower side of life, Nicholas Spyker and Orlando Gonzales create a timeless sound. Their set captured a moment in the early ‘60s where songs radiated an ethereal beauty and blossomed into the flower-power movement.
Although The Time Enders is a relatively new project (the duo officially formed in February 2018), neither Nicholas nor Orlando are new to the music industry. Separately, they both explored different genres before forming their folk duo; Nicholas used to be in a metal funk band called The Bakery and Orlando mostly performed flower-folk music. After meeting at a guitar expo, they started playing together in a band called Dirty Sponge which Nicholas described as a “crazy blues band.” According to Orlando, once that venture ended the duo decided to give folk music a try.
Recently, Nicholas and Orlando have been exploring the landscape of country music. Orlando noted that they have been listening to and have taken inspiration from Hank Williams and Webb Pierce. They have felt particularity drawn to the country music of past eras because they feel the messages got through to listeners easier. The heartfelt music reflects a simpler time. When considering their own music, Orlando stated "maybe we won't reach everyone, or not everyone will like what we are playing, but… somebody might just enjoy it.” Their warm vocals and acoustic-oriented sound bear a resemblance to The Paper Kites’ Woodland EP.
As they performed “The Flower Weeps,” “Belladonna,” and “Good Company” for us in the Texas Public Radio studio, we were struck by the story-like nature of their lyrics. A listener can easily be transported into a journey across Texas, filled with gin and set against the backdrop of a big blue sky, which is described in “Good Company.” In an industry dominated by self-reflective and artist-specific lyrics, The Time Enders break from the mainstream by writing songs in the third person. Nicholas said that’s intentional: "we like trying to make a timeless song.” In order to do that, he explained you have to make the experience accessible.
Although there is currently no official The Time Enders album out yet, they hope to release an album within the year and are working on a plan and place to record. Currently, their main focus has been their songwriting and finishing up their own recording studio, which should be done in a few weeks.
“We want to record,” Nicholas explained, “so we are building a studio right now, near downtown. We already have the name — Dignowity Studios — because it is in Dignowity village. We are really excited about it, and have both been working on it — building baffles and microphones, we want to record our album there.
It’s a forward-thinking move for the duo, who plan to record on their own there, as well as lease space to other musicians. “Absolutely! The recording studio is going to be a business. It's a nice little casita, like a backhouse, but it is pretty big like 600 or 700 square feet… We are excited about it; I have been collecting equipment for about a decade!”
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