Tim Smolens is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 bass player, most notably a contributor to the artistic output of bands such as Estradasphere

Estradasphere

Estradasphere was an experimental band that originated in Santa Cruz, California during the late 1990s. The band, which in its last incarnation was based in Seattle, consisted of 6 multi-instrumentalists from a variety of musical backgrounds trained in disciplines ranging from classical music and...

, Secret Chiefs 3

Secret Chiefs 3

Secret Chiefs 3 is an instrumental rock group led by guitarist/composer Trey Spruance . Their studio recordings and tours have featured different line-ups, as the group performs a wide range of musical styles including surf rock, Persian, Arab, Indian, death metal, film music, electronic music,...

, and Fishtank Ensemble

Fishtank Ensemble

Fishtank Ensemble is a Euro-American musical group that formed in Oakland, California in 2004. They perform a variety of traditional musical styles including klezmer, flamenco, Japanese folk and Roma music....

, primarily as a bassist and songwriter. He was the primary recording engineer for Estradasphere

Estradasphere

Estradasphere was an experimental band that originated in Santa Cruz, California during the late 1990s. The band, which in its last incarnation was based in Seattle, consisted of 6 multi-instrumentalists from a variety of musical backgrounds trained in disciplines ranging from classical music and...

's early body of work including the albums It's Understood

It's Understood

It's Understood is Estradasphere's first studio album. It was released on Mimicry Records on June 26, 2000.Notably, the first track on the album, "Hunger Strike", sets the tone of Estradasphere by covering a wide range of musical genres...

, The Silent Elk of Yesterday

The Silent Elk of Yesterday

The Silent Elk of Yesterday is an EP by Estradasphere, released in 2001. It mostly consists of live tracks.Despite being nearly 75 minutes long and containing 18 tracks, it is classified as an EP by the band.The EP is "in loving memory of Butt Bud"....

, and Buck Fever

Buck Fever

Buck Fever was the second full length album released by Estradasphere. Notable assistance on the album comes from Trey Spruance, of Mr. Bungle and Secret Chiefs 3 fame.-Track listing:#"Buck Fever" – 5:45#"The Dapper Bandits" – 8:03...

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Smolens is heavily influenced by the songwriting and recording philosophies of Brian Wilson

Brian Wilson

Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...

 of The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...

. He was perhaps most influenced by the solo work of Brian Wilson

Brian Wilson

Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...

, particularly the album Smile

Smile (Brian Wilson album)

Smile, sometimes typeset with the idiosyncratic partial capitalization SMiLE, or referred to as Brian Wilson Presents Smile is a solo album by Brian Wilson, with lyrics by Van Dyke Parks released on September 28, 2004 on CD and two-disc vinyl LP...

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