Press - t.k.bollinger

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Short Biography

The music of sad sack t.k. bollinger is a sweetly tortured fusion of Doom Blues, Gothic Country and post apocalyptic Gregorian Chant. A predominantly solo artist, this tiller of doom’s songs speak of the horror and the hope that lies in a world where each of us is forced to find our own meaning and purpose. Plaintive melodies meet literate lyrics, all played and sung in bollinger’s idiosyncratic style and voice.

t.k. bollinger has been writing and recording songs since the grunge plague of 1991. He cut his teeth playing drums for one of the best bands you’ve probably never heard of, The Stinking Badger of Java. He briefly defected to electronica at the end of the millennium, but saw the error of his ways driving through the deserts of Australia in 2004. Collecting songs and impressions on his way to the top-end caused him to strip back his material and to begin playing an idiosyncratic style of country blues.

Not content to leave things there, and to cries of Judas, he went electric again in 2011, and began jamming with old friends Vis Ortis and R.S. Amor. The ensuing musical apoplexy coalesced into the doom-blues outfit t.k. bollinger and that sinking feeling. They completed their first album, A Catalogue of Woe, in August 2014. Upon it’s release, the rest of his band was so appalled that they moved to Tasmania and now seek to redeem themselves whilst crafting the log awaited sequel Doom Blues, to be released in late 2017 early 2018.

While patching things up, via Ouija board, Bollinger took it upon himself to complete what emerged as his bummer opus – Shy Ghosts. Released in January 2016, it was a collection of tales of lost and little mourned ghosts – slow, delicately arranged songs that spoke of sorrow and loss, dementia and decay, fog and fear.

2017 proves to be an exciting year for bollinger and his musical fanatics. A new album, What’s Left Now You Are Dead to Me has been completed and set for worldwide digital release on 31st October 2017. Still in bollinger’s confessional style it promises to be a lusher and, possibly, more hopeful collection of songs.

2017 Image Gallery

What’s Left Now You Are Dead To Me – Landscape

Forward to Death Video Stills

What’s Left Now You Are Dead To Me – Crowd Funding Press Release

Independent musician and professional sadsack t.k. bollinger is undertaking a self managed crowd funding campaign to raise money to press and release his 3rd album “What’s Left Now You Are Dead To Me.” What makes this crowdfunding effort unusual is that he is hosting the campaign on his own website.

Bollinger has always been an advocate of keeping his creative output open and independent and feels that artists can best achieve these aims by learning, adapting and embracing the tools that have been disrupting the music industry for the last 20 years.

“There’s no point waiting for things to fall in your lap,” says bollinger. “Artists have always pushed the boundaries, but business was not one of those things considered creatively kosher.”

“These days, to stay truly independent, you need to wear different hats: musician; manager; graphic designer; web developer; social media manager; entrepreneur; the list is almost endless and it can be a real struggle to make a living in the arts. But that’s pretty much what I’ve had to learn in order to create this campaign.”

Bollinger says that hosting the campaign on his website cuts out the middleman and maximises the return on the herculean effort that artists need to put in these days.

As well he feels it keeps his creative vision pure.

“This gives me the freedom to create my art – which is personal and idiosyncratic – something the established industry is not that keen on cultivating any more. Artists these days need to uncover their own listening community – find the people out there in the shadows – who want music and art that speaks to them about their lives, their problems, their sadness and joys. That’s the art I want to continue to make and crowdfunding is the purest way I can think to engage directly with my fans and my community and create the work both they and I want to hear.”

You can visit t.k. bollinger’s crowdfunding website now at: http://pledge.tkbollinger.com and help him to realise his brave vision of artistic independence.

What’s Left Now You Are Dead To Me – Press Release and Lyrics

ALBUM COVER: Click on image for larger file

The music of t.k. bollinger is a sweetly tortured fusion of Doom Blues, Gothic Country and post apocalyptic Gregorian Chant. A predominantly solo artist, his songs speak of the horror and the hope that lies in a world where each of us is forced to find our own meaning and purpose. Plaintive melodies meet literate lyrics, all played and sung in bollinger’s idiosyncratic style and voice.

influences

The music of t.k. bollinger is mined from the same dark vein as such late 20th century Australian underground artists as The Birthday Party/Nick Cave, The Wreckery, and Crime and the City Solution. It blends Gothic Country with Folk, Punk Rock and Blues. Bollinger’s musical influences are not only home grown. He derives his inspiration from many sources, including Cow Punk/Alt country (Country Teasers, 16 Horsepower) Dark Folk (Qntal, Elliot Smith, Jason Molina) , Sad Pop (Weyes Blood) and Americana (Gillian Welch); a mish mash of genre that revolves around the ugly twin of Happiness, Sadness. If any single word sums up his sound, it would be Sadcore. Bollinger says, “If you can find beauty and hope in sadness, then you can find it anywhere.”

BIO & RELEASE NOTES: Click on this image for downloadable PDF

the music – an overview of the songs on this album.

The entire album can be heard on YouTube by following this link

This 16 song collection continues to explore t.k. bollinger’s usual dark terrain, though with a little more lushness than 2016’s Shy Ghosts. The stripped back minimalism is still there in songs such as Shovelling/Struggling, but with the inclusion of long time co-conspirator Vis Ortis wearing a co-production hat and providing drum programming and sound manipulation, the atmosphere has thickened and accordingly the sonic texture has become much richer.

LYRIC SHEET: Click on this image for downloadable PDF.

Bollinger has even added the occasional keyboard line and there is a distinct triphop feel to some of these songs (see Enough Rope for instance and the sinister and seductive collaboration with Texas’ Pixie Muse – Dark as Night Sweet As Sin). Some of the tracks are more along the lines of the angular minor key rock that we would expect from bollinger’s band, That Sinking Feeling – songs such as The More I See The Less I Want and It’s Just Changed. The Gothic Country vibe however is still strong, particularly in opening track, A Life of Fear and the latin tinged May Death Come Welcome. Folky elements also appear, reminiscent of bollinger’s earlier Country blues explorations, in songs such as Where We Walked Today and The Same Tears.

testemonial – Previous Critical Reaction for bollinger’s work

“Equal parts mystifying and beautiful, t.k. bollinger has created an album that forces the listener to ponder the most intricate and infinite of questions, without ever promising any answers. It’s a rare class of music that may have been built from one man’s isolation and tormented exploration, but it was created so that we might all find something bold and new within ourselves. All we can hope is that bollinger has more dark realms that he can explore and more emotive music that he can bring to life.”

Thomas Bedward – broken8records.com

“I’m overwhelmed by what Mr. Bollinger has achieved. This is sadcore of the highest carat. Making this kind of music is a difficult balancing act. Sad songs without honesty is just embarrassing. However, there’s no lack of honesty here. In fact, t.k. bollinger sings so emphatically on the album that it feels like he is the last man left on the planet. Naked, tormented and not overly beautiful, but with a heartfelt presence.”

The Ambassador – Swedish Embassy of Gothic Country

“Not an album for everyone, And not for all the moments of the day – or life – but if you have ever more or less direct contact with life’s pain, in any of its forms, you will not be led astray. Minimalist, essential, dark, beautiful.”

Mauro Catena – the pit of the damned

Community Reaction

Bollinger has been slowly gathering a loyal group of listeners around him who share his downbeat and sadcore musical passion. This group meet in the dark alleys of social media to discuss their own dark tastes. The following quotes were given freely, without bribery or duress: