My name is Tim Luce and I’m a rural carrier in Rockford, MI. I’ve been with the Postal Service since 2012.
USPS runs in my family. My mom was a clerk for 25 years, my aunt was a rural carrier and my uncle was in maintenance.
I originally thought I wanted to teach high school social studies, but I discovered that I wasn’t 100 percent into it. I became a bit directionless, so my mom encouraged me to give the Postal Service a shot.
Delivering the mail has made for a great career, but music is my life.
My earliest memories involve me enjoying music. When I was 6, I remember watching videos on MTV. I wanted to be a musician more than anything.
I was always writing song lyrics as a kid. I knew I wanted to write meaningful songs to sing on stage one day. It sounds cliché, but I didn’t choose to write songs. Songwriting chose me. I’m not saying I’m great at it — I just always wanted to do it.
As soon as I could tell what the bass guitar sound was, I knew that was the instrument I wanted to play. I took my first job at 15 just so I could earn enough money to buy my first bass and amp.
I’d listen to heavy metal bands that had good bass sounds, such as Black Sabbath. I taught myself how to play. I never took any music lessons. I just had determination.
I formed my band, Tombstunner, in 2018. I play bass and sing lead vocals. The drummer is my best friend. Our two guitarists have played in various metal bands with us for a long time.
We’re a tight-knit group of friends, and we complement each other as musicians. We performed 12 shows in 2024.
Performing on stage is an innate quality I just naturally have. It’s how I’m wired. There is nothing better than performing for an audience. It’s the ultimate thrill.
Writing and performing music resonates with me so much. It is the most powerful feeling ever to see someone in the crowd — who I don’t even know — singing along to a song I wrote. There’s nothing like that.
“Off the Clock,” a column on Postal Service employees and their after-hours pursuits, appears regularly in Link.
