“I like to keep track of stuff. Some of us do, and I believe it’s important to preserve the recordings and information for the bands.”

Out of Great Falls, Montana, Tim Christensen—a.k.a. Pastor Tim—is the vault keeper for The Big Wu and Yonder Mountain String Band. He started appreciating live music while growing up in the Bay Area during the late ‘60s, but didn’t immerse himself until the late 1990s. Christensen began by joining mailing lists for various bands, taping shows, and offering B&Ps (blanks and postage). His email address read “pastortim” and the moniker stuck.

“People always ask me, ‘Are you a real pastor?’ but not everybody believes it’s my day job.” On Sundays, Christensen preaches the gospel to his Lutheran congregation, tucking his salt and pepper hair in a ponytail, while firmly planting his feet in his well-worn Birkenstocks.

Although nobody pays for archivist moonlighting, the bands pick up the occasional repair bill to keep the donated DAT decks going in his studio. “I can’t think of a more qualified, caring and supporting person,” says Ben Kaufmann, Yonder Mountain String Band’s bassist.

Christensen inherited the Big Wu vault from his friend and then-Big Wu manager Paul Hagen. “He showed up with a big box of DATs and wished me luck,” Christensen says. A few years ago in Bozeman, Montana, Yonder asked Christensen if he would be interested in taking over their vault. “I said flat-out no!” he chuckles. A few months later they approached him again. “I’m already doing it for one band, I thought, so how much more work can a second one be?” Soon Christensen received another box of tapes, many unlabeled or with incomplete information.

Tapers across the nation provide him with fresh recordings for the two archives. In addition to technical information, Christensen records stage banter in the archives’ databases. “It’s all pretty geeky,” he asserts. “I like to keep track of stuff. Some of us do, and I believe it’s important to preserve the recordings and information for the bands.” A few years ago, when the Big Wu wanted a live release from its archive, they turned to Christensen. He immediately suggested a stellar performance from Cedar Cultural Center (3/13/98), which was released with the subtitle “A bootleg recording from Pastor Tim’s archives.”

Great Falls is a rare stop on jamband itineraries so Christensen makes frequent drives to hear live music. “I could never do the job if I didn’t like the guys [in the bands],” he says. “I’m doing it for friends, and that makes it worthwhile.”

-Eric V. Segalstad