Release 10/31/13

After a summer of loud tunes, drama with the band Revival, and a much needed vacation to Nashville & the Smokies, we are finally ready to release my 4th solo album. It is a very different album in every way. Above the Snakeline is a CD two years in the making. It has developed and evolved out of a 24 song writing binge ala the power of the Holy Ghost. The album is a mixture of rock, world, electronic, and Christian themes resulting in a sonically diverse explosion of rhythms and textures. I'm really excited about this release as it is a departure from the direction of past works. Hey, if you don't continually change and grow musically, you become like the cheesy pop rock template music garbage that keeps me changing radio stations. Yes, Christian bands are frightfully like this as well. How many times do we have to hear lyrical cliches repeated over and over? (Hands & feet, city on a hill, Yadda Yadda)... Or a chorus of "whoa" over a chorus filled with toms and U2 ripoff riffs? Just food for thought. Some of us are still hungry. Hungry for something creative that can still praise GOD.

The inspiration and direction of this album was divinely inspired. I can't really take credit for it. Well, maybe on writing it down and recording it. I found myself playing certain parts of songs back and wondering how I recorded them. It seems like a weird cheesy thing to say but it's true actually. Everything seemed to move with the Spirit on these 10 songs. I'm thankful to GOD for the opportunity to be used in this way. Maybe some of these songs might be heard by someone that really needs to hear them. I don't know, but I do hope that people really enjoy them and rock out with positive encouraging messages. I know that the words speak to me when I really need to hear them.

Snakes & Ladders

 Above the Snakeline has been through the final mix. We are currently working with a mastering studio. A lot of work went into this particular album.... About 2 years of experimentation & recording. The album started with an intense visit by the Holy Spirit which resulted in a writing streak of 24 songs. In the end, 10 were selected for this album. One tune actually didn't make the cut for the Between the Sun & the Moon CD, but was revamped and reimagined for this project. 

I'll have to say that this is the most adventurous project to date.  I've been working on a country demo as well, which is a complete departure from anything I've been involved in before. That demo may be released in 2014. 

In Revival news, two founding members have left the band unexpectedly. I am not sure of the reason but it really left the rest of us hangin with an important show next weekend. Revival 2.0 practiced last night and still kicked out the jams acoustically. We are playing a closed door event but it will be a great chance to witness in front of some troubled teens. It's like our Christian rock version of Fulsom Prison if you will. Looking forward to it and playing with people focused on rockin in the name of The Lord. 

Above the Snakeline is scheduled for release in October 2013!

The Mission

We arrived at 6 Flags Great America on the morning of July 27th. After passing the security checkpoint we were allowed to park under the ----. The stage was unusual and cool as it was surrounded by old Spanish mission type architecture. Ironically the newly formed Christian band Revival was playing a stage called “The Mission Stage”. We were wondering how we would be received at a totally secular venue playing for five hours on the half hour. Turns out that people really dug it. We saw people jamming out, hands lifted, and even a few tears. Lot’s of spirit and emotion was flowing that day. Two of my new songs were also played from the upcoming Above the Snakeline CD. Revolve & Sacred Space are sounding good in the final mix and also take on a new vibe with a live band. As far as the CD goes, I recently sang the vocals to the final song Light of Love and assisted Dave Merrill of TBK with the finished production. Looks like we are ready for mastering!

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Country, Bluegrass, and a little Guinness on the side

And now for something really different.... In between shows and mixing the Above the Snakeline CD, which is near completion and sounding great, I decided to do something way

off the beaten path... at least for me. I'm currently writing and recording a country music demo with some really old school flavors and bluegrass harmonies. It's been brewing up like a Tennessee still for the last few years and it's potency is just about right. Yeah, you heard right. Not only working on the inner goth, Christian musician, composer thing, but adding good ol boy to the list. This is not a new direction mind you, but it is a hoot writing and recording this demo. I get to use my steel guitar, mandolin, and some nice Telecaster tones on this crazy experiment. The demo will probably consist of 7 songs and I'm really looking forward to arranging and recording a song that my wife wrote about Dublin. Yep, a country song about the land of Guinness. It's a clever tune but I can't say much about it quite yet. More news to come....

6 Flags 9 Sticks

Revival got off to a roaring start at Camp Spirit, an overnight camping and music event put on by Spirit Alive Church in Kenosha, WI. This hot and sunny July afternoon was filled with loud harmonic praise. We tore into 'Let the Praises Ring' by Lincoln Brewster, 'Search my Heart' by Hillsong United, and 'When the Stars Burn Down' by Phillips Craig & Dean. We played a new song from the soon to be released Above the Snakeline CD as well. We will be playing another new song from that album at our Six Flags show. I played these songs live a few weeks ago in more of a techno vibe but it was interesting to hear a more organic version. July 27, 2013 Revival plays Six Flags Great America.... for five hours....  

Bloomin Bands 2013

The Bloomin Bands Festival was held on a sunny warm and stormy weekend.The rain was gone by afternoon on both days and a breeze was blowing off of Lake Michigan. Tim Korry and Co. took the stage on Friday night in perfect weather. The show went off pretty well despite the sound guy not understanding my guitar amp. The techno/dance sound mixed well with the guitar rock that I'm used to playing. We had a positive response from the crowd as we debuted the new songs from the upcoming Above the Snakeline CD. Filming the show was my good friend Steve Tomczyk of Avxtra and WAMI. Another friend, Brad Trick of Trick Photography, did a great job on the photos.
We had a cool and unusual compliment on one of the new songs. A guy walked up to the person at our merchandise table and talked about being hit by a train. He said that 'Amazing Grace' was his favorite song, or his "theme song". He said that the last song we played, 'Show me a Sign', was his second favorite. That's pretty wild and cool stuff. I plan on sending him a copy of the song before the CD is officially released. The main riff in this song was actually written when I was in Rhinocerotic back in the mid 90's. It finally made it's way to a full song this year on the upcoming 'Snakeline' CD. 'Show me a Sign' is actually one of the last songs I delivered to Dave Merrill for final mixing and production.
The Revival show on the next day went well despite the sound difficulties with amps and monitors. The overall feedback was great. Revival plays a small church camp and then off to 6 Flags Great America on July 27th!

The Sequence

When I say musical adventures.. I'm saying that things don't always go as planned. We have gone through 3 bass players and one drummer as the show nears. Tim Korry & Co. will be going techno/rock for this show. Sequences have been finalized and we are sorting out minor bits with the stage manager. I believe that there are some big changes in the set and the sound coming after this appearance. It's time to reenvision the vision. I know that the Lord has a plan but I don't know what it is. It seems that everything changes so often that it gets hard to focus. I can say this... the Above the Snakeline album will be released in late July or early August and I think that people will be suprised with the new sound. Definitely looking forward to this one!

Boss Drum

And the adventure continues...  You've heard of Drum & Bass music right? Well take the bass out and insert a guitar... I decided to run with a drummer, sequencer, and guitar lineup after a series of bass players failed to commit to the Bloomin bands Festival gig. I have contemplated this setup for many years but feel that this is the right time to just go for it. I'm definitely looking forward to techno dance sound mixing with guitar rock. Mixing is moving along for the Above the Snakeline album and the majority of the songs played at the festival gig will be au courant, state-of-the-art, and unusual.
Revival practices are going well. The last performance at Spirit Alive Church seemed to gel more than in the past and did receive some great reviews. I think the band is finally starting to break free on the sound and go with the spirit.... the Holy Spirit that is. There is a strong country/bluegrass harmony type of sound creeping into the rock and I'm taking a fancy to it. I'm looking forward to our next outdoor show to see what happens in full rock mode outside of the church walls.

Live Music and Audio Recording Update

I'm meeting up with bass player extraordinaire Dave Merrill of the Blacktop Kings to start mixing the new CD. He mixed the first single First Heartbeat last year and did a great job. I haven't played a show with Dave since the old DFlowers days but he has helped me out with a few projects and I'm very thankful. He was in my first melodic metal band, True Logic, back when I was 19. Dave is a super talented blast from the past.
My  funky solid drummer CMac will join me this week to practice for a small festival in Kenosha, WI. I'm definitely looking forward to the rock/dance/live/sequenced combination that is planned for this supersonic event. CMac is leading the way into the future with his experience playing with DJ's and sequencing.
Practice with Revival continues and there have been some decent musical vibes floating through the practice. We should be ready to bring it with a heavy electric bluegrass bluesy country groove rock sound. Thats the best I can do for explaining it. June will be full of showsand we are thankful to be playing some great benefits and festivals right out of the gate. Stay tuned for more....

Alive and Pickin

The WAMI Downtown Alive concert event went well. The acts in the singer songwriter venue were all really talented and musically diverse. It was great to be a part of such an event. It was a challenge to present my songs in an acoustic format but it worked out quite well... with some reverse delay and other unconventional sounds jammin through an acoustic guitar. I'll be getting back to the rock band format for the next show with the band Revival. Two new songs were played  that night from the upcoming Above the Snakeline album and they seemed to go over pretty well. Yep, first time playing a Christian song in a bar... Thats a first for me. More news on the way!

The Show Must Go On

http://www.timkorry.com

I was contacted by WAMI to play an acoustic show in Milwaukee April 13th and very happy to have been selected for Downtown Alive concert event. Ironically the album that I am working on is mostly electronic. I met with my drummer CMac and talked about throwing together a live set with bass wizard John Owens III. This is the band that played in between the Music from Earth and Between the Sun and the Moon albums. These guys are amazing bluesy, jazzy, rock, and gospel musicians with years of touring experience. We are looking to play some live dates this summer and record a music video of the performance.
The newly formed band, Revival, is showing some signs of progress and possibilities after just a month of practicing. Some great grooves and harmonies are coming together and the first live set at Spirit Alive Church went well. We are moving in the direction of heavy groove rock with country bluegrass sounding harmonies. This should be very interesting. So, at the time of this writing, it would appear that I am in 2 bands, finishing a new Christian CD, and possibly working on soundtrack music for an upcoming indie film... Things are picking up...

Adventure Pics Here

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Revival

Ever notice that things seem more stressful and frustrating when you push toward a goal and things come up everyday to block or slow the progress? Well, not to mention a day job that is draining and I’m not well suited for. I guess that’s a good time to really put faith and trust in God. Sometimes it feels like a miracle just to push through and finish an album that was initially set for release in 2012. Sometimes its hard to let go of our plan and just have faith that God will pull us through in his time. We have met and discussed the direction of Revival, the new praise rock band forming, and have planned songs for the initial set last. This again is taking time away from the release of the  Above the Snakeline CD but I do feel like I’m getting closer to figuring out which direction I should be headed musically.
I miss playing the loud uncontrolled rock shows and playing in church is no substitute. I can't jump around and be as flamboyant and funky. I'm hoping that I can get the spirit of praise as in church and the full on "close your eyes and feel it" rock as I've played in the past in this new band Revival. The name of the band was put into my heart one cold night which resulted in a conversation with my wife and a conversation with Neil and Terri Vranek. These core members had been playing at Spirit Alive church, also shows outside of church, and felt the spirit calling them to praise in a new way. That night it was very clear that I should be a part of this group and that we do something unique in the sometimes cookie cutter world of Christian music. Revival is the perfect word for this movement in our lives. Just as the church needs revival, so do our souls. We tend to get lazy in the world's culture, Christian culture, and artistic expression. It seems that the powers that be have turned the soul and artistry of the music"business" into a glamorous empty product that is frequently given away as free mp3's. These songs sound like pro wrestling music or cheesy choppy mandolin/ukulele kitchen soap commercial sounding pop. The may be nothing new under the sun but musically I think we still have options. Let the Revival begin.....?

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Sacred Space

 

I met with a good friend to discuss a live show opportunity this week. He has a good amount of connections and is himself a talented artist and musician. I’ve been aching to play a live event. I’ve been in the studio recording for the last year pluggin away at some very experimental tunes. We are planning a night of Christian rock with some local bands at a church in the area. This event, if it takes off, could certainly develop into something ongoing. Hey man, anything is possible with the Lord’s grace and blessing.

Talk is continuing with the other members of a newly forming praise rock band. We are sorting out schedules, songs, and possible venues. We are no farther than this initial stage but continue to push ahead. I’ll keep you updated in the next two weeks.

I pray that these plans are all moving in the right direction and I do appreciate your prayers very much. Especially on the ‘Above the Snakeline” CD I am close to finishing. We are almost ready to mix but having a bit of technical difficulty on the title track. It seems that the song continues to evolve even this late in the process. That being said, it's time to step back and reflect on the direction of the music and the current opportunities. I'm still a rock dude but I've been writing and recording so much indie rock, Christian, country, and electronic instrumental music that I've been stuck in the studio. I miss the energy of a live performance (outside of church) and the loud guitars. I am trying to follow in the will of The Lord but am terminally very human all the same. Life is so hectic and the life of a musician is so erratic and trying at times. Sometimes we need to get back to our heartbeat....We need to step into the sacred space and listen to the Spirit. 

Sacred Space Pics Here

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The Snake Line

Work is resuming on the 'Above the Snakeline' album planned for release this year. Most of the guitar, drums, bass, and synth programming has been finalized but vocals are still being recorded along with some rough mixing. The album will have a decidedly electronic, world, Christian vibe which is a departure from previously released guitar led albums. As January twisted and turned, so does the musical journey.
I received an email from Scorccio informing me that the vocal I recorded for him last year was finally being released by a very talented South African DJ named Maxume. It seems that I'm starting off the year internationally thanks to these guys! Maxume's remix of U2's "Where the Streets have no Name", vocals ala me, was released in preview form in January. The official release will be February 2013 and I'm very excited to hear it. I am told that it will be hitting the clubs soon!

And here we go - TimKorry Indie Musician Blog

Tim Korry Live

2013 Will be a year of change. The previous months saw the release of 'Strange Horses' a live and remixed retrospective, 'First Heartbeat' a Christian contemporary single, and a collaboration on a rap tune with the Classy Thugs due out soon. A majority of the year was occupied with the composition of a 2hr musical performance art event scheduled for production in 2013. Music from the project will be released as well in the near future as an electronic download. Initially the project was to be performed in 2012 but life happens and schedules adjust. I've decided to resume the indie musician blog after last year's  Ireland adventure. So, back to the glamorous life of an indie musician.
I played as a part time worship leader at a local church but have opted out as of this writing. It seems that churches are not immune to monetary and political sways and plays. There are however many new projects on the table for this year.
Shooting a video with Classy Thugs and contributing some tunes 
( possibly an acting part) in Empala's movie is in the immediate future. Finishing the 'Above the Snakeline' album and forming a praise and intense rocking worship band are on the horizon. There are a few country tunes I am hoping to release as well this year. Live shows will resume I. One form or another in 2013. There is never much time, but there is time to change.... This is the year and the path will be strange...

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