Aidiaphora

So it’s been awhile since I’ve written a blogpost. Well, a lot has happened. Let’s start at the beginning. After the rock band Rhinocerotic burned up with parts flying everywhere, my trajectory shifted to a solo musician mode. Now this was after a few years gun slinging guitar in the DFlowers (Mercury Mayhem), playing quite a few open blues jams, and going through a lot of heavy life experiences. This year is actually the 10^th anniversary of my first solo album MUSIC FROM EARTH. It’s been an interesting 10 years. I went from playing shows as a three piece band with the late melodious monster Timmy Wolf, Tracy Graff, the crazy and great Thundersticks, and the amazing and super cool John Owens III to sequenced shows with my wife Liza. Currently I haven’t had the time to gig out as myself due to joining the Midwest’s premiere U2 tribute band U2Zoo. That in itself is a bizarre thing but has been a fun challenge so far. It’s pretty much like show tunes man. I have to play a character and try to be convincing doing it.

This summer has brought some new opportunities and decisions to make. Suddenly I went from U2Zoo and solo career into being a member of 4 bands! This seems like a bit much with a day job and a family but at this point I’ll give it a go. These are all different genres, different crowds, and different roles. Actually I don’t know if I’ve processed all of it yet but I’m dusting off the guitar and getting ready to string again.  As of this fall I’ll be releasing solo material, the lead singer of U2Zoo, vocals and guitar in a new wave band (an offshoot of U2Zoo) called 1^st Wave, and lead vocal and guitar in the infamous Blacktop Kings! It is sure to be a busy time but promises to be quite an adventure. More info will be on the way so stay tuned and tell a friend to sign up at www.timkorry.com to receive show announcements and special edition free mp3’s periodically.

To mark the 10 year solo anniversary I will be releasing an album of demo songs that were never released on any album. This is not a best of and will be a very raw collection of demo material. I guess we can call it alternative eh? These songs span actually  from the dissolving of Rhinocerotic (roughly around 2000) into the current decade. I’m curious to see the reaction to this very unpolished yet sonically quirky mix of tunes….     

TPK

Luck

I don't believe in luck. No, that's not a Queensryche song. 

So here it is, a well overdue blogpost. Not that anyone reads this…. 

As St. Patrick’s Day is now over and a successful gig with it, I’m thinking back to 2012 when we were in Ireland. It was an amazing time and a great memory which I wrote a daily post on. I’m thinking about the things that can happen in 5 years man. It’s crazy how much change can occur in a relatively short span of time.

Being a member of U2Zoo has been a real blessing and an interesting experience so far. I never in a million years pictured myself in a band like this. I’ve heard the “You sound a lot like Bono” or “your songs sound like U2” comments but really… I’ve had many years of modeling The Edge and crossing that influence with SRV, Hendrix, and others. Then this gig pops up last June. Man, it’s been quite a ride and it’s just starting.

I haven’t had much of a chance to work on new music in 9 months but feel some brewing up soon as I get back into the guitar and writing aspect. Hey, it’s been 10 years solo since my first album. I’m thinking about releasing a special “best of” or whatever you want to call it. Maybe including something new and something never released. Be sure to let me know at www.timkorry.com if you would be interested in this.

Looking ahead, I’ve started vocal training with Kay Sparling. She’s got quite the resume herself and has taught some famous names including one lead singer of The Grateful Dead who you may have heard of. I’m both terrified and excited about the lessons but this is a long overdue move on my part.  Stay tuned for what happens next.

We are still adjusting to being parents of a little Filipino dude. This is WAY harder and different than I thought it would be. Language barrier, strange kid living in the house, weird and unexplainable teenage behavior… What a long strange trip it’s been. I can’t really say I understand any of it but we move ahead and we change physically, spiritually, emotionally, what have ya. Hopefully our eyes become open so we can see what is around us before it’s too late. So in closing this particular episode, make sure you come and see U2Zoo and make sure you live in the moment, enjoy it, and be thankful for it.       

  That which I have set out in Latin is not my words but the words of God and of apostles and prophets, who of course have never lied. He who believes shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be damned. God has spoken. 

SaintPatrick

Colors spin

So there I was… The last day of 2016. Man, it’s been a crazy year. Some of it was foreseen and some just crazy out of the blue stuff! All of it was life changing… all of it. Unfortunately we lost Timmy Wolf of Rhinocerotic. I never thought Id write anything like that but the year did take an upturn after that tragic event. My wife and I started out as a couple, became a  family in April with a trip to the Philippines, I was hired as the frontman of local tribute band U2Zoo, and was joined in that band by Don Hazlett from Rhinocerotic. Musically I haven’t had a lot of time to put out much as far as originals this year due to all these events but I hope to release some singles or a best of album next year.

I’m excited to see what happens with U2Zoo particularly. Shows are being booked every month and in some interesting places. Turner Hall, Shank Hall, Lake Geneva, Summerfest, an airplane hanger, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, and more…  Should be wild year.  Stay tuned and sign up at www.timkorry.com for updated info. Cheers!

 TPK

www.timkorry.com

Fluidity

 Click above 2 C Pics!

The summer has passed quickly. The U2Zoo experience is still new but promising. Singing in a tribute band is definitely not the same as a cover band. There is a lot of fluidity and opportunity to sing as Bono would and not just strictly duplicates a song. So far one of the coolest things is that Don Hazlett from Rhinocerotic has joined the band! We have many years of chemistry and history. Lots of stories too... Combining this history with Brian and Mike, who have been friends since high school, will be a recipe for a killer sound. I think we are all getting comfortable with each other. I will say that it is a little weird having me on the lead vocals instead of guitar. BTW, I'm still working on some new tunes for a sort of goth album...

Both Don and I received some classic phone calls from Johnny Stevenson of Rhinocerotic. It seems that Timmy Wolf's nephew may be learning some Rhino tunes. Not a lot of info yet on this one but it is an interesting turn of events. Maybe a couple new songs?.. Don't know yet but I've just released Glamorous Star and the Rhinocerotic black album digitally only on CDBaby if there is a demand we will get it out on other sites as well. 

Back to U2Zoo. We performed our first full show with Don (my first huge show, 29 songs) at the Brass Tap for their Tap-Toberfest event. Great crowd, friendly, and knowledgeable on their U2 songs! Did I mention super responsive... When I'm singing '40' they are coming right back at me. Awesomeness! Don and I were both saying what a great crowd dude... We hit deep with some 'Spanish Eyes', 'One Tree Hill',  and the most dangerous 'Bad' along with 'The Unforgetable Fire', and 'A Sort of Homecoming'. Definitely going old school in the new vibe for U2Zoo.

Check out our schedule HERE

We will be heavily focused on the earlier era of the band. It's sounding promising at practice. Stay tuned for what happen next!  

Welcome to the Zoo

(Click photo for images)

Now this might sound more like a sermon or something of that nature. It's not. It's still a blogpost but with an extraordinary story. Two weeks ago I was wondering how I could get back out there on stage in front of an audience. I've been away from the live stage for a year due to life really. Nothing was looking very promising  on musician classified sites and I didn't have any decent musician connections that were viable. I prayed about finding the right people to hook up with and start back into the rock and roll. After totally giving it to God in prayer I had the idea to look on Craigslist. Now this is not the place I would normally think to find musicians but I was running out of ideas. I saw an ad mentioning a great U2 tribute band that I had seen many years earlier. They were looking for a new Bono. I've sung Bono parts professionally before in the past and been accused of sounding a bit much like U2 on my earlier  CD's. This was worth a shot, at least to contact these guys. I've pretty much studied the band for 30 years and Bono was really my main inspiration as a singer.

I reached U2Zoo by email and literally heard from Brian the guitar player within a half hour. Talk about the power of prayer. Later that afternoon Brian called and we talked for a bit. He said that he went to www.timkorry.com, listened to about 4 seconds of a song, and called the bass player. The next thing I know he's asking me if I want to play Summerfest 2016 in front of around 6,000 people. Whoa... dude. I know my U2 songs quite well but not every word. He was talking about 90 minute set. There was a few things to think about but I was feeling the pull to say yes. We practiced once just to get a feel for things and I decided to just go for it. Jesus said that with God anything is possible. Well, that's what went through my head and I said let's do it. Why start doing things normal at this point in my life. First show as a lead singer singing Bono in front of thousands? OK, that's rock and roll right. Crazy... a day later I developed a wicked sinus infection. There went my voice. Crap. I started taking every medication I could think of, tea, honey, etc. We were able to have one more semi practice where I was singing kind of quietly. Still no voice. I was starting to get nervous but kept the faith regardless. I was not able to make a 3rd practice with the guys due to my vocal situation but got an appointment with my ENT. This guy is great. He's worked with Skillet as far as the same kind of problem and he trained under Celine Dion's ENT. Heavy meds for a couple days seemed to really help. Not 100% but way better. I had purchased some singer's throat spray and lozenges. I was ready to walk out in faith and give this one to God. You can do that without being in church. It's still praise man. We hung out in the dressing room for a bit and prepared for the show. 

The crowd was huge and I'm glad that Mike brought a few libations. It was a great feeling to see such a crowd and responsive at that. The guitar for I Will Follow kicked in and we were off. All my gears switched into Bono mode. This felt good despite my slight vocal handicap. I was able to bring it pretty good thanks to the my faith and God's power. I was so super thankful for the opportunity and the experience and felt renewed both spiritually and performance-wise. To top it off, our new adopted son was able to see dad on stage do his thing. This will be the start of a new chapter in my musical career. Who saw this one coming? Two weeks and what a change. #Thankful. Stay tuned for the new adventure!

 

Zero Hour

A New Chapter. Everything has changed… and that’s fine. I’ve been out of the music scene for a year due to the adoption and all that goes with it. Rhinocerotic is permanently put to rest due to the passing of Timmy Wolf and I’m still having a hard time with that one. I’m working on some new styles of music but getting anxious to play live again. Currently I’m looking to start either a goth/blues band or guitar/dance hybrid. It’s not as easy to find musicians my age to collaborate on innovative ideas. People usually give up or play in “old man weekend warrior” bands. Sorry, I will never play ‘Mustang Sally’. This will be a challenge to move ahead, clear the slate, and re-imagine my relationship with music. Time for a new approach? Stay tuned... news is on the way!

MUZIK

www.timkorry.com

Time Travel : The End of the Philippine Adventure

(Click the photo for pictures)

4/17

It's 3:18 in the morning partly on the way to Korea. There is turbulence and I'm watching Macbeth. I do not care for turbulence and do get quite nervous. I'm sure I'm not the only one. I do however like Shakespeare... very much. I do currently wish I had some whisky. We put our lives in God's hands and hope that he will protect us in safe travel. We have been very blessed on this trip with safety and the good people that God has put in our path. We are thankful.

The airport in Seoul was pretty empty on the walk through immigration and to the gate. That was great. The 4 hour wait was rough. Still no sleep for me. Liza and Joshua were able to grab a few winks but I kept awake with a few cups of coffee. The airport was cold and irritating this time. Announcements were going off all the time, r's were used in place of L's (sorry, but after no sleep for over a day it's not amusing), and airport staff was definitely not as helpful and friendly as in the Philippines. Aside from that stuff, we were looking good.  That's just a long time to wait and it's cold in here. After a mini cowboy meal of beef jerky and coffee I was ready to go. We finally were allowed to board and I was ready to throw party. Sleep deprivation and oxygen in the cabin are a great combination, plus we got slippers on this flight. Sweet...

3:11 PM? AM? I don't know but we have been having the worst turbulence I've ever experienced. Poor Joshua has been sick and probably scared. I can't say that the rest of us feel much better. Still 8 hours to go. This is the day that will never end. I was able to get s brief amount of sleep but I'm afraid that's it. This has been a rough one. I'm looking very much forward to landing at O'Hare Lord willing. I know you've probably never heard anybody say that. Just meditate on that one for a sec. One of the flight attendants on Korea Air gave us a pill for Joshua's upset stomach. These attendants are awesome, pro all around and we can't say enough. Now at the same time we get the overhead announcement for turbulence at least every half an hour. I think a more appropriate announcement would be,"Hey, it's going to be smooth for a few minutes".  I would rather hear that one.

We did arrive safe and sound in Chicago but I've got to tell ya, the turbulence was remarkable. Yes, those bags in front of the seat do work... We were so thankful to get on the ground. After being treated like some kind of threat by our immigration, we finally were allowed to leave the airport an hour and a half after we landed. Seriously, the things we had to go through at the airport were ridiculous. Yes we arrived with an innocent 15 year old boy. Really guys? I could write several posts about this episode. We were picked up by a limo (don't get used to it kid) and driven back to Wind Point where we deliriously overtired people had..... McDonalds (that's really the only reason, plus the kid was asking for it). From Macbeth to McDonalds.Yep, now the real adventure begins.... back home, back to the gazebo, back to the lake....


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www.timkorry.com