Tim Steinruck confronts his past self with the help of Sarah Smith in his soulful new single and video Letting You Go — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
There often comes a time in a relationship when you realize that what used to sustain you no longer works for you, and that you need to move on. But what if the relationship is with yourself? On Letting You Go, B.C. alt-rocker Tim Steinruck faces the man he used to be, and hands him a breakup letter that is equally eloquent and heartfelt. Comparing his former self to a “darkness” and a “virus,” Steinruck takes a hard look in the mirror and announces that he’s cutting ties. “I want you to know/ I see who you are / And I’m letting go,” he declares. “I don’t need you now.”
Musically, the song has everything it takes to make that kiss-off land with all the force it deserves. It’s an instantly indelible latter-day muscle ballad, with a hint of country to widen its appeal. Joining Steinruck on the second verse is fellow B.C. singer-songwriter Smith, who literally meets him at a crossroads in the video to lend her vocal and moral support.
Arriving at that crossroads is the culmination of a five- decade journey for Steinruck, who’s finally been able to divest himself of the self-flagellation he learned from his harsh Mennonite upbringing. The casualties of that mindset were copious: A failed marriage, dead-end forays into businesses, and an ill-fated management and recording deal with Paul Stanley of KISS (one of Steinruck’s childhood idols).
The catalyst was a transformative life-coaching session on New Year’s Eve 2020, which showed Steinruck how deeply rooted his self-defeating tendencies were, and how he could live a different life free of shame and ego. Now, his creative life continues to flourish. Triumphs like Letting You Go exemplify his success as both a solo artist (billed simply as Steinruck) and the leader of the project The Mighty One, which he calls a cross between a band and an alter ego. Both undertakings allow him to express a new kind of spirituality, one more nurturing and forward-facing than the shame-based theology he was raised with that took so long to shake off.
But the fruits of his self-improvement don’t stop there. Today, Steinruck runs a record company, a reality TV show, and an independent multimedia network. He’s the proprietor of Begin Street Studios in Coquitlam, which provides recording, mixing, mastering and production facilities for musicians and others who are looking to polish their presentation. Clients can also avail themselves of his songwriting smarts.
Watch the video for Letting You Go above, hear more from Steinruck below, and meet him on his website, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
