Connections and Creations. Part 1: Starting a Song

Tim Arnold, Canadian Music Week 2016

Sunday 8^th October.

Weird day today.  After Michael and Katie lost their home a few weeks ago in a fire, the same thing has now happened to my friend Kathy and her mum Neva.  In fact all the apartments in their block have burnt down, related to an attack on one of the Syrian families living there.  I can’t believe it.

I remember the first time I met Kathy.  It was my first trip to Canada for Canadian Music Week 2016.  I was very torn about the trip because on one hand, I was excited to have an opportunity to meet new people in a new part of the world that I had never been to before, and on the other hand, my other Mum, Toni, the lady who helped bring me up, had just entered the final stages of terminal cancer.

Tim and Toni, Brighton 2016

On the first day of the conference, I couldn’t leave the hotel room.  I was in bits.  And yet, downstairs on the concourse, the music conference was in full swing with people who work in, and love music.  I had only found out how bad Toni’s cancer was before I left England, and it was hard for me to embrace something that I felt I had waited years to be a part of – being included in a small way, in a new and exciting part of the music industry. Suddenly there was another world that was open to me and had invited me to participate.  It was a real honour.  All I had to do was take the elevator down and start meeting people. But I was on the phone to Toni who was sounding weaker and weaker.  She told me ‘get off your arse and go downstairs, don’t worry about me’.  I did what she said and when I got down there, the first person I met was Kathy.  I apologised for being late and explained that I had some family stuff going on.  She could tell by the look on my face that I was distressed and within two minutes, Kathy had sent one of her friends to go fetch some Bach’s Rescue Remedy for me.  From that moment, we somehow started to talk about healing, crystals and Rosicrucians – in the middle of the international market place at Canadian Music Week.

Since then, Kathy, me and my music have travelled together to Cannes, London, The Isle of Wight, Montreal and Brighton, where she got to meet Toni before she passed away.  They also became friends and stayed in touch over Skype and Facebook.  Everyone I’ve ever written a song for always have one thing in common: they bring light into my life.  So when the news travelled quickly that Kathy and her mum had lost their home and everything they owned – the words and the music just flew out of me.  The song took as long to write as it takes to listen to.  Just under five minutes. Because Kathy is a true friend. ‘Be There To Find You’ was written as a reaction.  I didn’t think about it.  Until after I wrote it, and then I set up this fundraiser to try and help her get back on her feet.

I posted a video message on Facebook and played the song, which at the time was called ‘Be There To Find Me’.  I since changed it  to ‘find you’ when I thought the song could be better served for any singer to be able to sing to anyone who is in need.  I think when I wrote it originally, I was channelling back to myself when I had lost my way.  Kathy helped me to find it again. Now it’s time to fold the karma back around again.

 I will try to do whatever I can to help her, just as she has helped me these past 18 months, and I will record the song and release it before the end of the year if I can.  It would be nice if it could raise more awareness about what has happened, and if it succeeds in raising more funds, all the better. We’ll see.

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Tim and Kathy, Isle of Wight Festival 2016