Friday’s homecoming set culminates tour that included West Coast swing
When BLANK catches up with Connor Kelly and the Time Warp in advance of their homecoming show at Barley’s (10 p.m., April 21), they are waking up early on California time in preparation of playing venerated Los Angeles venue Venice West.
“We’re pretty much on the road full time,” Kelly, a Knoxville native and Webb School dropout, says. “We’re kind of always gigging. We just go with whatever happens … we do our best to go with the flow.” “Inspiration comes from experience,” bassist Aiden Lamb adds.
Kelly and company stay busy when they return home, as well. In recent months, they’ve performed at Sunset on Central, New Ground Music Festival, Second Bell Festival, Waynestock and a handful of one-off shows.
The band discusses how its recent recordings – new single “Wake Up” will be released in June – and the slew of live shows have refined their sound and approach.
“Investing in this versus trying to do everything,” Lamb explains. “The whole time I did that, I wished I had a life doing this.”
Forays to Auburn, Birmingham, Charleston, Charlotte, Nashville and multiple California dates should have the band primed to unleash a tight set at Barley’s on Friday night.
“You reap the benefits,” Lamb says of the tightness and togetherness forged as a result of near-constant touring.
Kelly’s father was a drummer at the University of Tennessee and always enjoyed sharing the music of his youth, like Led Zeppelin, with his son.
“As a kid, I liked that a bunch,” Kelly recounts, going on to divulge some of his own musical influences, such as the Flaming Lips, and a current fascination with late-‘90s post-grunge. “I’m one of those people who always changes phases,” he says.
The band recorded “Wake Up” half in Nashville and half in Knoxville with Mike Armstrong of Lost and Found Records, and are now working with Radiohead and Pixies collaborator Paul Kolderie on mixing the song to perfection. A “big shoutout” is given to Armstrong, who Kelly credits for helping them throughout the process.
For the Knoxville show, UT band Common Interest will open, followed by a trio set and then a regular rock set from Kelly and the Time Warp.
In the meantime, what is the group up to as it counts down the hours to their next hard-driving rock ‘n’ roll set?
“I looked over and Aiden was on TurboTax doing taxes on the way to the airport at 3 a.m.,” Kelly laughs, recalling the bassist’s rush to file by the deadline.
Come for the professionalism and stay for the eclectic fusion of classic and indie rock when Connor Kelly and the Time Warp hit the stage at Barley’s in the Old City tomorrow.
