Tim Kirker

New Album Available Now.

We stood in the shadow of the great bridge, its ancient stone towers sparkling like new in the mid-autumn sun. Years before, in the same physical space, a different reality existed. I turned my head, squinted, did my best to block out the background noise, and I was almost there again. A century-old market, a cobblestone walkway, the arched doorway leading to the battered wooden tables. The missteps of the past erased, we start out on a brand new journey. This time, we will be...

A stylistically diverse collection of songs that explore a wide range of subject matter—reinvention, standing tall, overcoming adversity, lending a helping hand, and recognizing when to step away from the crowd—"This Time" is centered around the idea of acknowledging all the yesterdays, and moving forward to more hopeful tomorrows.

Written, Performed and Produced by Tim Kirker*

*John Papa—Bass: I Would Give You Mine

Recorded at Studio 2, New York

'Things Are Different Now' Lyric Video

'Chip on Your Shoulder' Lyric Video

'Faces in Clouds'

Previous Releases

A 20 Watt Bulb Can't Light Up a Room...

Here comes Mr. Know-it-all, the blustering loudmouth with enough misguided, unsolicited opinions and advice to make your head swim. Subtly shift your gaze to the floor and search the far reaches of your mind for any excuse to head for the door. And when you're safe, rejoice. That was a close one.

Written, Performed and Produced by Tim Kirker
Recorded at Studio 2, NY

Check out the Chew Gum Walking Lyric Video

YOU define the world you see...

A kaleidoscopic sound journey through the sun-drenched, bird-singing, revolving sounds of an often-recalled summer many years ago, Heart's Desire is an ode to the power of positive thinking. Of not letting them tell you what you can or can't do. Setting your own boundaries, finding your own way. You define the world you see. Don't believe what they say when they say it can never be. Their time has expired, but your's has just begun...

Tim Kirker: Lead and Backing Vocals, Guitars
Michael Cartellone: Drums
John Papa: Bass
A.J. Meglin: Backing Vocals

Written and Produced by Tim Kirker
Arrangement by Tim Kirker & Michael Cartellone
Recorded at Suite Lorraine Studios, NY

Check out the Heart's Desire Lyric Video

Who Knows What Tomorrow Will Bring?

Tim Kirker returns to his rock and roll roots on his latest single, Unpredictable Thing. Featuring his former Boy Wonder colleagues Michael Cartellone on drums and Scott Hanson on backing vocals, the song harkens back to the untold hours the trio played—along with bassist Greg Thomas—in the clubs and bars in their hometown of Cleveland OH, as well as countless stops throughout the region. Late nights, last calls, autographs and phone numbers, driving through the night, collapsing into bed at 7:00 am, and then back at it right after your first cup of coffee. This, my friends, a band shall make. And now, all these years later—a little more seasoned, a little more refined—the sound has returned.

YouTube Exclusive

Check out our throwback, vintage-style mono mix, available only on YouTube:

Tim Kirker: Lead and Backing Vocals, Guitars, Bass
Michael Cartellone: Drums
Scott Hanson: Backing Vocals

Written and Produced by Tim Kirker
Arrangement by Tim Kirker & Michael Cartellone
Recorded at Suite Lorraine Studios, NY and Wildwood Studios, Cleveland, OH

Sometimes you wake up in the morning and wonder how you got here. You think back to the things that mattered all those years ago and realize how much you've changed. Would you make the same choices, reach for the same goals? Worry about tomorrow while disregarding the moment? When the clock strikes 12:00 you'll be on your own with a world of memories and a lot of questions still left unanswered. And sooner or later, if you're lucky, you'll realize that you don't need to own the mountain in order to take in its beauty. Someday, you'll come to understand, you probably already have everything you need.

Tim Kirker: Vocals, Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Bass, Organ
Michael Cartellone: Drums

Written and Produced by Tim Kirker
Arrangement by Tim Kirker & Michael Cartellone
Recorded at Suite Lorraine Studios, NY
Cover Photograph: Eric Johnson

BOTH EYES ON THE ROAD

Curse the rear view mirror

A stripmall parking lot outside the club at 3 am
Empty save for a sketchy van
If you stare at it long enough it seems like it might be moving, almost breathing
Or is that the barely perceptible throbbing of the street light
the effect of too many phone calls
or your eyes knowing long before your brain does that it’s time?
A buffalo charges, you run
Those decisions are easy
But the incremental ones don’t hit you like that
Your vision changes, undetected
To let you know
That sometimes you just have to go
Capital G
And to start
it might be as simple as pulling out of that parking lot at 222nd and Lakeshore.

Henry Tenney
Brooklyn NY, 2018

Tim Kirker: Vocals, Electric, Acoustic, Slide and Lap Steel Guitars, Piano, Bass.
Michael Cartellone: Drums, Percussion
Written and Produced by Tim Kirker
Arrangement by Tim Kirker & Michael Cartellone
Recorded at Suite Lorraine Studios, NY

Goodbye to Yesterday’s News.

On his 2015 album release, Tim Kirker invites you to take a hard look backward while still keeping a sharp eye focused on the road ahead. It's a multidimensional compilation of songs that evoke battles lost and won, triumphs past and yet to come, and the ever-present struggle to keep moving forward when the water starts getting too deep.

Featuring performances by drummer Michael Cartellone (Damn Yankees, John Fogerty, Adrian Belew and Lynyrd Skynyrd) and Peter Keys (P-Funk, Bootsy Collins, Isaac Hayes and Lynyrd Skynyrd), Shallow End of a Deep River covers all bases.

Tim Kirker: Vocals, Electric, Acoustic, Slide and Lap Steel Guitars, Bass.
Piano on "Don’t Give up on Me"

Michael Cartellone: Drums, Percussion
John Papa: Bass on "Blink of an Eye," "Don’t Give up on Me" and "I’d Walk a Million Miles"
Peter Keys: Piano on "Shallow End of a Deep River"
Benny Harrison: Keyboards on "Everything Changes"

Written and Produced by Tim Kirker
Recorded at The Valley, Katonah, NY
Drum tracks recorded and engineered by Cliff Hackford at Park Hill Recording

"Like Distant Sounds," Tim Kirker’s debut release, is a guitar-based, melody-driven, multi-stylistic collection of songs with a fresh perspective on ideas and subjects ranging from self-exploration (Another Side of Me), the search for salvation (That Sacred Place), the futility of regret (Wish I Could) and more. From the hard rocking, defiant “Somebody Just Like Me” to the sad and shimmeringly beautiful “It’s Time”, Like Distant Sounds features 12 new songs written and produced by Tim in a fluently painted musical landscape you won’t want to miss.

Vocals, Guitars, Bass (track 12)

Michael Cartellone

Drums and percussion

Greg Wooten

Bass (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11)

John Papa

Bass (tracks 2, 6, 8, 9)

Click on the images above to see what the playewrs have to say about Like Distant Sounds

Written and Produced by Tim Kirker
Tim Kirker: Vocals, Guitars, Bass (track 12)
Michael Cartellone: Drums and percussion
Greg Wooten: Bass (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11)
John Papa: Bass (tracks 2, 6, 8, 9)
© 2003 Tim Kirker/Adarya Music (ASCAP)

Recorded at Metrosync Studios, Cleveland, Ohio and
Clutterville Studios, New York

Midnight, The Devil, and You

A 1940's, film-noir inspired tale of temptation, deception, and regret. A vision of beauty beckons you to sit, share a drink. A smokey bar, a dark booth at the back of the room. It's quiet save for a sultry torch song being played on the jukebox in the corner. You both want something, but only one of you will walk away unscathed. Your sense of judgment takes a powder and you stumble into a complex web of greed, manipulation, and deceit. You've been duped. Taken. Nothing left to do but run...

Who gets the blame? Of the three I could name, there was Midnight, The Devil, and You.

Written and Produced by Tim Kirker

A.J. Meglin: Drums

Tim Kirker: Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Electric Piano, Organ

Recorded at Suite Lorraine, NY

This record represents a significant stylistic departure from Tim's first release, Like Distant Sounds. While LDS featured a full-force production assault—the "Rock of Gibraltar" rhythm section of Michael Cartellone, Greg Wooten and John Papa, numerous guitar tracks (a Les Paul here, a Telecaster there),layered backing vocals and the occasional synth—we take a 180-degree turn with this new release.

The songs on "Worms for Early Birds" are presented in their purest form; a single acoustic guitar track and a lead vocal with the occasional duet. To add a little bit of spice to the mix, old friend and Like Distant Sounds engineer Frank Vale has—in addition to resuming his duties behind the mixing board—added a few tasty piano and organ tracks, and Tim had a grand old time banging tambourines and shaking various exotic gourds and dried vegetables into very expensive microphones.

As well as the new material on this disc, you'll find a few revisited tunes from Like Distant Sounds. In retrospect, this bare-bones treatment served them extremely well. Hope you enjoy the show, and see if you can tell which tracks features the realistic-looking imitation avocado shaker.

Songs by Tim Kirker

Produced by Tim Kirker
Engineered and mixed by Frank Vale
Mastered at Metrosync Studios by Greg Zydyk

Recorded at Metrosync Studios, Cleveland, Ohio and Down North Studios, New York.

For A&R.

Slam Bamboo Cleveland, OH. 1984-1988. Rocking the clubs. Peabody's Down Under (in the Flats). The Phantasy Nite Club (Nowhere near the Flats). Eventually scoroing a Top 20 (#17) hit on local FM powerhouse WMMS with the Kirker-penned "House on Fire"—listen and watch here on YouTube. Still playing the clubs, but picking up opening slots with the likes of INXS, The Bangles, World Party and others at venues like Cleveland Public Auditorium and Blossom Music Center. A fun, eccentric, no-holds-barred live act, where the audience was likely to be invited on stage to provide percussion accompaniment. Or on occasion, to take over Tim's guitar duties as he headed to the bar for a refreshing Tanqueray and tonic, observeing the goings-on on stage all the while. Enjoy these vintage studio recordings from days of yore. Korg setting: A5.

Songs by Tim Kirker

Scott Hanson: Lead Vocals
Tim Kirker: Vocals, Guitars
Greg Thomas: Bass
Ron Musarra: Drums