Timothy B. Schmit replaced Randy Meisner in Poco in 1970. Seven years later, in 1977, he replaced him in the Eagles. Now, in 2011, Timothy has given up on replacing Randy and is hitting the road with his own band.

Tour dates run through December 13^th and take place up the West Coast of the USA but don’t expect that to be the end of the run. Schmit is excited to be playing live, with his own band, performing his own music, so if time allows then this writer would expect the rest of the country will be hearing more out of Timothy in 2012.

In the interview that follows Schmit discusses how he came to release his latest solo effort, Expando, and take the next step to tour. He talks about his band, his style of songwriting and, of course, the upcoming 40^th anniversary of the Eagles.

Timothy: It has been out since the fall of 2009. It is my most recent album, so I’m going on tour. I am not really going out specifically for that reason, but it is my most recent effort. I will tell you this, there is going to be more new music in 2012.

Timothy: I will be playing a lot of the songs off the album and I will be doing a song from the album I did before Expando. Even though I was in Poco, and I am in the Eagles, I did not sing a lot of songs in those bands, especially the Eagles. I am not going to sing something Glenn [Frey] sings, so my repertoire is pretty much just the songs that I sing in those bands, plus the recent material. I just finished a rehearsal before I called you and I have to tell you that I’ve got a great band. The show is going to be really entertaining.

Timothy: So far, I have not been tempted to do that. The difference is that Joe co-wrote that song.

Timothy: The only person who has been with me for any length of time is Hank Linderman. He was also the engineer on my record. The rest of the band either tried out, or I had heard about them and contacted them. Herman Mathews is my drummer and I have Chris Farmer, who was the musical director for the Beach Boys for years. I also discovered that my tech from the Eagles is a great player. He comes on and plays bass on some songs so I can go out front. I have three ladies who sing and they sound awesome. They have sung for guys like Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Phil Collins.

Timothy: It is primarily West Coast; I’m going up the Coast. I will play until about mid December and that is all I have time for right now. I am hoping to do more because it is very exciting to play in some of the smaller places, as they are very different than playing in the huge arenas like I do with the Eagles. It is more challenging in some ways, as the audience is right there in front of you.

Timothy: Joe has been doing solo stuff for a long time, so this is a newer experience for me. When I started doing solo shows a couple of years ago, it was really intimidating because I had never done it before. Once I did it, however, I really got into it, so now I am back to do it again.

Timothy: It really is nice. It is something that I always wanted to do in the past but I never took the risk to do it. I am very glad that I finally came forward because it really is a sweet feeling.

Timothy: I have been shy all of my life. In both Poco and the Eagles, I joined established bands, so there was already a set pecking order. I was the new guy in both of those groups and I found my place – which was, and is a good place to be, by the way. My role was pretty much defined when I walked in the door. When I joined the Eagles, they had just won an award for Record of the Year for Hotel California. In a situation like that, you don’t want to upset the applecart. You want to jump in and do your job well.

I was very comfortable from the very start, actually. They wanted me to join the band and they actually came to me and asked me to be in the band before I ever played a note of music for them.

Timothy: I am always working on new music. I get so busy sometimes that it is hard to finish. I do believe that there is going to be a lull with the Eagles for the first part of 2012. During that time, I plan on cranking out few more songs and finishing the ones that I have already started.

Timothy: It will not be exactly what they expect, as I have more of a rock base in my music. I am experimenting with stuff that I have wanted to do outside of country rock. I still love that sort of music and there is some of that on the album. There are still beautiful harmonies but it is not all that. It is more about expressing my own version of me, rather than me within the context of the band.

Timothy: There are a lot of differences. I’d say my band is a looser situation. I’m not saying the Eagles are uptight, I’m saying that my band situation is not as perfection oriented. Within the context of my band, I think a little imperfection is perfect.

Timothy: I don’t want to come across that way, either. Just know that my show is a bit looser. I have a song titled “Friday Night” on Expando. That is an example of a song that I have written that is really autobiographical. I find that writing that way is good therapy for me. To be honest with you, I really wasn’t planning on writing an album; I was just writing some songs. Because of that, I ended up writing some really personal stuff. I am sure that people can relate to songs that are about real life instead of songs that are about make believe stuff.

Timothy: It will be forty years since the release of “Take It Easy,” which was their first hit. One would think there would be something planned, but right now we have no concerts scheduled. I think you will hear something towards the end of the year, or maybe at the beginning of the following year.

We’ve played a lot lately. You can’t go back to cities that you just played and expect to sell out again. Ticket prices are expensive. We always give the best show we can give every night. You can’t go right back to the same city and expect the same people to come back right away. You have to get away for a while. How can they miss you if you never leave home?

I think we have been to every major city in the United States over the last couple of years. We’ve gone to China, Japan and Australia and I think the time has come for everyone to do other things for a while. Everyone is working on other records. Joe has got one coming out soon. Don [Henley] is working on one and so is Glenn. This is a perfect time for me to write my next album. You have not heard the last of the Eagles but this is how it is going down right now.

Timothy: I was just interested in doing the best I could; I was just working. It was obvious that there was a whole bunch of great music coming out of those sessions. It didn’t surprise me that it was received so well. You’ve got to remember that I had been on the road with them before we recorded The Long Run. We spent about a year and half in the studio making the album and then we came out and really worked it.

Timothy: I try to be. I think there is a lot in my life that has settled down just by nature of getting older. I live in the daytime now; it is more fulfilling for me.