Tim Kinsella

Last updated

Tim Kinsella
Timkinsella.jpg
Kinsella in 2006
Background information
Also known asTim Kinsella(s)
Born (1974-10-22) October 22, 1974 (age 50)
Origin Chicago, Illinois
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • author
  • university instructor
  • conceptual artist
  • bartender
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • Vocals
  • French horn
Years active1989–present
Labels
Member of
  • Tim Kinsella & Jenny Pulse
  • Owls
Formerly of
Website goofduck.com

Tim Kinsella is an American musician, author, and film director from Chicago, Illinois.

Contents

Known for his eccentric singing voice, [1] he first rose to prominence as lead singer and lyricist of the emo band Cap'n Jazz which he co-founded with his brother Mike in 1989. Following its dissolution in 1995, he formed Joan of Arc the same year and served as its lead singer, primary songwriter, and only continuous member until their breakup in 2020. [2]

In 2001, Kinsella participated in Owls which included all members of Cap'n Jazz except for guitarist Davey von Bohlen.

From 2003 to 2008, Kinsella also founded and toured with Make Believe which included his cousin Nate and former Cap'n Jazz member Sam Zurick alongside bassist Bobby Burg.

He has also released early solo material under the alias Tim Kinsella(s) in addition to participating Friend/Enemy and Everyoned.

Kinsella is the writer-director of the feature film Orchard Vale, [3] which opened at the Chicago Underground Film Festival on August 15, 2007. His first novel, entitled The Karaoke Singer's Guide to Self-Defense, was published by Featherproof Books in September 2011. [4] [5] His second book, Let Go and Go On and On (Curbside Splendor Publishing), takes its inspiration from the late actress Laurie Bird's brief film career in the '70s, and was published in April 2014. [6]

He currently performs, tours, and writes music with his wife Jenny Pulse under the name "Tim Kinsella & Jenny Pulse." [7]

Career

Tim Kinsella got his start musically around 1989 when he, his brother, Mike Kinsella, met Sam Zurick, and Victor Villarreal to form Cap'n Jazz. [2] They were all in school at the time, and it took them a while to get serious about playing music. After going through several name changes, and adding guitarist Davey von Bohlen, the group decided to make music seriously, ultimately garnering a cult following, and fame in the independent music scene of Chicago and the midwest. [8] Kinsella directed the film Orchard Vale, which was released on DVD through I Had an Accident Records in April 2009. [9]

Cap'n Jazz: 1989–1995; 2010; 2017; 2024

Following the release of Cap'n Jazz's first and only album, Burritos, Inspiration Point, Fork Balloon Sports, Cards In The Spokes, Automatic Biographies, Kites, Kung Fu, Trophies, Banana Peels We've Slipped On and Egg Shells We've Tippy Toed Over (also known as Shmap'n Shmazz), and their last show on July 14, 1995, they disbanded, and member Davey von Bohlen left Chicago to focus on his side project The Promise Ring. Three years after the breakup, in 1998, Jade Tree Records put out a double disc compilation, called Analphabetapolothology, which included all the songs from Shmap'n Shmazz, as well as songs from various 7", singles, demos and outtakes. Victor Villarreal went home, and after a year of playing music independently, Tim, Mike, and Sam recruited Erik Bocek and Jeremy Boyle for what would eventually be called Joan of Arc. On January 22, 2010, Cap'n Jazz played their first reunion show since the split in 1995 at the Empty Bottle in their hometown of Chicago. They have performed various other shows since and played their then-final show on November 8, 2017, at the Electric Ballroom. [10]

Joan of Arc

After the demise of Cap'n Jazz, Kinsella began writing new material with keyboardist Jeremy Boyle. At this point, he was learning a new instrument (the guitar), and his songwriting began to take an abstract/experimental turn. Simultaneously, Sam Zurick was learning the drums, and playing in a band with Erik Bocek (a high school friend and former Cap'n Jazz roadie). The two were joined, and after the addition of Mike Kinsella, Red Blue Yellow was born.

After difficulties, and a breakup after their first show, they threw away all of their old material, and started afresh, with a new name, and new songs. Three months later, Joan of Arc had their first show at Autonomous Zone in Chicago. After two promising 7" singles the band recorded their debut album A Portable Model of... for Jade Tree. The album introduced JOA's signature sound - a fondness for stark acoustic songs then altered with subtle electronics.

The 2017 Noisey documentary Your War (I'm One of You): 20 Years of Joan of Arc [11] focuses heavily on Kinsella's biography and personal experiences. [12]

Owls

Owls is an indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed by the original lineup of seminal experimental indie rock band Cap'n Jazz soon after its second breakup (the first came in 1994); Cap'n Jazz guitarist Davey Von Bohlen, who played in the band's second incarnation, had gone on to found, and was now playing in The Promise Ring. The band's lineup consisted of brothers Tim Kinsella and Mike Kinsella (on vocals and drums, respectively), along with guitarist Victor Villarreal and bassist Sam Zurick. Tim Kinsella and Zurick have also played together in Joan of Arc and Make Believe, and Villareal and Zurick have played together in the instrumental-rock Ghosts and Vodka.

The band released an album, Owls, in 2001. Unfortunately, the band dissolved after one tour. Rumours circulated that this was largely due to the complications arising from guitarist Victor Villarreal's heroin dependency. When Mike Kinsella left to continue his solo project Owen and to play guitar for Maritime, he was replaced for a few live shows by Ryan Rapsys.

The band did eventually get back together in 2012, and went on to tour and released a new album in 2014.


Friend/Enemy

Friend/Enemy was formed in 2001 as the next in a series of projects fronted by Kinsella. The band's core members include Kinsella, Todd Mattei (also of Joan of Arc), and Jim Becker (Califone). Friend/Enemy can best be described as a loose folk-punk somewhere between T.V. Smith and Captain Beefheart. Kinsella's trademark postmodern beat poet routine takes a sharper, more adult turn and Becker adds a host of incidental noises including banjo, pedal steel, and percussion. The first release, 10 Songs, was recorded at the Slabb in Chicago and had a handful of the city's musical intelligentsia adding sounds. These included vocals by Caryn Culp (Plastic Crime Wave), keyboards by Andy Lansagan (the 90 Day Men), bass by Nick Macri (Euphone, Sunny Day Real Estate), piano by Azita Youssefi (Bride of No No), drums by Zach Hill (Hella), and bass by Sam Zurick (Joan of Arc, Owls). [13]

Everyoned

Kinsella has participated in Everyoned, a supergroup which also includes members from Pigface, TV Pow, Joan of Arc, Town & Country, Revolting Cocks, and Central Falls.

Make Believe

Make Believe on tour, c. 2003. Make-believe2.png
Make Believe on tour, c. 2003.

Make Believe is 2003's touring version of Joan of Arc, consisting of singer Tim Kinsella, guitarist Sam Zurick, bassist Bobby Burg, and drummer Nate Kinsella. After 3 months of touring solidified their playing together, they returned home and decided to follow this impulse and write new songs with a more aggressive approach. But they all knew it had to be something different than Joan of Arc. For it to be represented as a true collaboration and reflect its totally different approach to songwriting and speak for itself it had to shake whatever connotations the band name Joan of Arc had acquired. Their first full-length Shock of Being was released on October 4, 2005. In June 2007 Kinsella left the band to focus on other projects and married life. However, months after his departure from the band, Kinsella rejoined his bandmates and recorded their third album in fall 2007. On February 22, 2008, the band played their first show since Kinsella's departure at Chicago's Subterranean. The third full-length Goin' to the Bone Church was released on April 29, 2008.

Collaborations

Tim Kinsella sings the songs of Marvin Tate by Leroy Bach with Angel Olsen Tim-kinsella-sings.jpg
Tim Kinsella sings the songs of Marvin Tate by Leroy Bach with Angel Olsen

Tim has also worked on numerous collaborations. One example of these collaborations would include 2014's "Tim Kinsella sings the songs of Marvin Tate by LeRoy Bach featuring Angel Olsen." Kinsella worked with an array of Chicago heavyweights including the prolific poet Marvin Tate, multi-instrumentalist (& former Wilco member) LeRoy Bach and singer-songwriter Angel Olsen for "almost two years" to record the eponymously titled LP, released by Joyful Noise Recordings. Kinsella is the album's narrator, walking the line between judgment and sympathy, and shepherding all of the characters through their various struggles. Themes of race, private culture, and psychological stress rise throughout the work. Eventually the consensus was made that some of the stories could be enhanced by an additional singer. The trio enlisted their friend Angel Olsen Jagjaguwar Records. The release is limited to just 1000 copies on splatter vinyl. [8]

Tim contributed his guitar work to the A Set CD "The Science of Living Things" released on the now defunct label Tree Records.

In 2013, Joan of Arc worked with the Chicago experimental theater-ensemble Every House Has a Door, to produce a dramatization of Charles Reznikoff's Testimony. [14] [15]

Joan of Arc presents Don't Mind Control, collects the work of 41 of the group's musical collaborators. [16]

Tim Kinsella(s)

After the release of the Gap, Tim started to do some solo work for Troubleman Unlimited, and decided that this new era should coincide with a name change. He released 4 works under Tim Kinsellas for various labels. Tim had a falling out with the head of Troubleman Unlimited over royalties and currently the two are not speaking even though Tim admits his error on the issue. Tim's solo release entitled "Crucifix/Swastika" was written while he was on his honeymoon. Field Recordings of Dreams was recorded late at night.

Other solo work has appeared on Joyful Noise Recordings, where Kinsella was artist in residence in 2015. His residency boxed-set included: Issues EP, Firecracker in a Box of Mirrors LP, Joan of Arc's Greatest Hits 7", JOA 99 LP, Hunky Dory TK, and the book All Over and Over.

Hunky Dory TK was an electronic collage composed entirely of samples from David Bowie's classic, orchestral pop album, Hunky Dory, performed as part of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago's 2015 exhibition "David Bowie Is". [17]

Personal life

Kinsella has worked as a bartender at the Rainbo Club in Chicago's Ukrainian Village neighborhood for most of his adult life. His brother Mike Kinsella refers to his bartending in the song "Breaking Away" on Owen's (The EP) (2004).

Discography

Cap'n Jazz

Everyoned

Joan of Arc

Make Believe

Owls

Solo

EPs/7"

  • Gene McDonald/Ronald Simmons Split Demands Feminist Critique CD EP (BoxMedia Ltd., 2002)
  • Postmarked Stamps #6: Tim Kinsella/Jen Wood Split 7" (Tree Records, 1998)
  • Julia LaDense / Tim Kinsella Split CDr (Felt Cat Records, 2009)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan of Arc (band)</span> American indie rock band

Joan of Arc was an American indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois named after the French saint Joan of Arc. They formed in 1995, following the breakup of Cap'n Jazz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cap'n Jazz</span> American emo band

Cap'n Jazz is an American emo band from Buffalo Grove, Illinois.

Owls is an indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois. They were initially active from 2001 to 2002 and reunited in 2012. The band is composed of the original lineup of the emo band Cap'n Jazz excluding guitarist Davey von Bohlen, who had left to form The Promise Ring. The lineup has included brothers Tim Kinsella and Mike Kinsella, guitarist Victor Villareal and bassist Sam Zurick. Tim Kinsella and Zurick have also played together in Joan of Arc and Make Believe. Villarreal and Zurick played together in the instrumental rock group Ghosts and Vodka. The band signed to Jade Tree on May 3, 2001, and released their debut on July 31.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Football (band)</span> American emo band

American Football is an American indie rock band from Urbana, Illinois, originally active from 1997 to 2000. They reformed in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Make Believe (band)</span> American indie rock band

Make Believe was an indie rock band, initially formed in Chicago, Illinois in 2003 as a touring version of Joan of Arc. The band was composed of lead vocalist Tim Kinsella, guitarist Sam Zurick, bassist Bobby Burg, and drummer/keyboardist Nate Kinsella. After 3 months of touring as Joan of Arc, the quartet returned home and decided to begin writing new songs with a more aggressive approach. Following a self-titled 5 track EP, their first full-length Shock of Being was released on October 4, 2005, followed by Of Course in 2006.

<i>30° Everywhere</i> 1996 studio album by the Promise Ring

30° Everywhere is the debut studio album by American rock band the Promise Ring. It was released in 1996 on Jade Tree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Kinsella</span> American musician (born 1977)

Mike Kinsella is an American musician and singer-songwriter. Having been involved in many Illinois-based bands, he is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the emo band American Football.

<i>Shmapn Shmazz</i> 1995 Midwest emo album by Capn Jazz

Burritos, Inspiration Point, Fork Balloon Sports, Cards in the Spokes, Automatic Biographies, Kites, Kung Fu, Trophies, Banana Peels We've Slipped On, and Egg Shells We've Tippy Toed Over, more commonly known as Shmap'n Shmazz, is the only full-length studio album by the American emo band Cap'n Jazz. It was released in 1995 on the record label Man With Gun. Cap'n Jazz's lineup at the time of recording comprised Tim Kinsella on lead vocals, Davey von Bohlen and Victor Villarreal on guitar, Sam Zurick on bass guitar, and Mike Kinsella on drums.

<i>A Portable Model Of</i> 1997 studio album by Joan of Arc

A Portable Model of is the first full-length studio album by Joan of Arc, released in June 1997 on Jade Tree Records.

<i>Presents Guitar Duets</i> 2005 studio album by Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc Presents: Guitar Duets is the eighth full-length album by Joan of Arc, released in 2005. The album consists of ten guitar duets, each featuring 2 past members of Joan of Arc, paired up by pulling names out of a hat. On the album cover, the tracks are identified by pictures of the guitarists playing on them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davey von Bohlen</span> American musician and songwriter

Davey von Bohlen is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known for serving as lead vocalist and guitarist of the emo band The Promise Ring and also as guitarist and backing vocalist in short-lived cult band Cap'n Jazz originally from 1993 to 1995.

The Flying Luttenbachers are an American instrumental unit led by multi-instrumentalist, composer, improviser and producer Weasel Walter.

Ghosts and Vodka was an American instrumental math rock band from Chicago, Illinois. The band was made up of two guitarists, Victor Villareal, and Sam Zurick, bassist Erik Bocek, and drummer Scott Shellhamer.

<i>Owls</i> (album) 2001 studio album by Owls

Owls is the debut studio album by American rock band Owls, which was released on July 31, 2001, through Jade Tree. After the disbandment of Joan of Arc, frontman Tim Kinsella reunited with the former members of Cap'n Jazz to form Owls. They recorded with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago, Illinois, in April 2001. The album is an emo and indie rock record that has been compared with the works of Ghosts and Vodka, Pavement, and Captain Beefheart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nate Kinsella</span> American musician (born 1980)

Nate Kinsella is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, sound engineer, and producer. He performs solo as Birthmark and in a number of other projects, many with one or both of his cousins, Mike and Tim Kinsella. These include former bands Joan of Arc and Make Believe as well as ongoing projects American Football and Lies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gauge (band)</span>

Gauge is an American post-hardcore band from the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.

<i>American Football</i> (1999 album) 1999 studio album by American Football

American Football, also known retrospectively as LP1, is the debut studio album by the American emo band of the same name, released on September 14, 1999 on the record label Polyvinyl. It was recorded shortly after the band released their debut self-titled EP through Polyvinyl in October 1998. The group, consisting of vocalist/guitarist Mike Kinsella, guitarist Steve Holmes, and drummer Steve Lamos, recorded their debut album at Private Studios in Urbana, Illinois, with production from Brendan Gamble.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victor Villarreal</span> American musician and songwriter

Victor Villarreal is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his role as guitarist in Cap'n Jazz, Owls and Joan of Arc. His music incorporates elements of classical, indie and emo, and contains surreal guitar solos and instrumentals.

<i>Hes Got the Whole This Land Is Your Land in His Hands</i> 2017 studio album by Joan of Arc

He's Got the Whole This Land Is Your Land in His Hands is the twenty-second full-length album of American indie rock band Joan of Arc. It is the first album by the band to include guitarist and vocalist Melina Ausikaitis as part of the lineup. The LP is a set of eleven tracks assembled from nine hours' worth of jam session recordings. Despite following a more restrained of the band's chaotic, unconventional style, He's Got the Whole This Land Is Your Land in His Hands still garnered mixed responses from reviewers for said style's lack of accessibility to listeners. The album peaked number 26 and five on Billboard's American Independent Albums and Heatseekers Albums charts, respectively.

<i>Tim Kinsella Sings the Songs of Marvin Tate by Leroy Bach Featuring Angel Olsen</i> 2013 studio album by Tim Kinsella, Marvin Tate, Leroy Bach, Angel Olsen

Tim Kinsella Sings the Songs of Marvin Tate by Leroy Bach Featuring Angel Olsen is a 2013 collaborative album by Tim Kinsella, Marvin Tate, Leroy Bach, and Angel Olsen.

References

  1. ↑ "Tim Kinsella et al// Joyful Noise Recordings". Archived from the original on November 1, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  2. 1 2 Jade Tree | Press Archived February 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ "Orchard Vale". Chicago Underground Film Festival. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  4. ↑ Featherproof Books. Fall 2011 Archived July 3, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Accessed September 24, 2011.
  5. ↑ Lutz, Eric (January 17, 2012). "Fiction Review: "The Karaoke Singer's Guide to Self-Defense" by Tim Kinsella". Newcity Communications, Inc. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Curbside Catalog Spring/Summer 2014" (PDF). Curbside Splendor Publishing. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 25, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Gimme Altamont, by Kinsella & Pulse". Kinsella & Pulse. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  8. 1 2 "The Reluctant Survivor: Tim Kinsella on a Prolific, Polarizing Career at the Art-Rock Margins". Spin. December 16, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  9. ↑ Paul, Aubin (April 3, 2009). "'Orchard Vale' Tim Kinsella's directorial debut on DVD". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Cap'n Jazz, Electric Ballroom, gig review: A glorious, gut-spewing funeral procession" . Independent. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  11. ↑ Noisey (February 13, 2017), Your War (I'm One Of You): 20 Years Of Joan Of Arc, archived from the original on December 21, 2021, retrieved May 24, 2018
  12. ↑ "Inside 20 Years of Joan of Arc: Watch 'Your War (I'm One of You)'". Noisey. February 13, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  13. ↑ Adapted from band bio on Joan of Arc website Archived May 26, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ↑ "Joan of Arc | Testimonium Songs | Joyful Noise Recordings". www.joyfulnoiserecordings.com. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Testimonium". Every house has a door. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Joan of Arc Presents: Don't Mind Control". PopMatters. February 14, 2010. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Tim Kinsella, Hunky Dory TK". MCA. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.