When you hear Timothy B. Schmit’s voice and see his face you might feel like you know him. And you might. He was a member of both Poco and the Eagles.
He’s been steeped in that California country-rock scene. He helped shape it. Schmit has also been a busy bassist and backing vocalist on other people’s sessions. He sang on “Southern Cross” by Crosby, Stills and Nash, and on Don Henley’s “Dirty Laundry.” Listen to Schmit’s 2016 solo record “Leap of Faith,” and you get the sense you’re hearing a distilled version of a lot of soft folk-tinged American radio pop from the last 40 years or so.
On his website it says that Schmit is the one who coined the name “Parrotheads” in reference to the fans of Jimmy Buffett. Like Buffett, Schmit, who turns 70 later this year, seems to be preaching the virtues of chilling out. “Slow Down,” off the latest record, is a reggae-inflected tune about down-shifting. Schmit sounds like he may have moved into the California Buddhist phase of his career, learning to flow with the changes, staying in the present tense, not trying to over-engineer everything, communing with nature.
Timothy B. Schmit comes to Infinity Hall, 2 Front St., Hartford, on April 28 at 8:30 p.m. $49 to $79. 866-666-6306 and infinityhall.com.
