Tim Kilbourne, singer and banjoist of Bristol, Virginia, based roots rock outfit Annabelle’s Curse, shares a singular distinction amongst all of the musicians whose bands have been featured here on this blog.
Tim is the one and only musician who has shared a table with me at a mathematics conference for elementary and middle school teachers.
It turns out that Tim and I share the same mild mannered alter ego – Southwest Virginia mathematics instructors – when we aren’t busy playing music (Tim’s case) or writing about it (mine).
Annabelle’s Curse, one of my favorite regional bands, has just released its latest record, Worn Out Skin. The band has evolved to a quintet after its 2010 inception as a trio, and the music has grown accordingly. Still rooted in the acoustic sensibilities of its earliest days, Annabelle’s Curse shows a greater penchant for effects-laden rock grooves that are wonderfully accented by the vocal interplay between Kilbourne and mandolinist Carly Booher.
Featured this month on Trail Mix is “Lovedrunk Desperadoes,” a tune Kilbourne describes as being about beating one of any good relationship’s pitfalls.
“‘Lovedrunk Desperados’ is a song about unavoidable confrontation that occurs within any relationship,” says Kilbourne. “It is about accepting that challenge and understanding that conflict does not alter love. Love holds no bounds and it can overcome any dispute.”
I recently caught up with Tim to chat about a bunch of things. I didn’t ask him which of these two things – crafting an authentic and rigorous mathematics assessment or writing a catchy riff to match a poignant lyric – was more difficult. Instead, we just got totally random.
BRO – Guilty pleasure pop song?
TK – Any and all Taylor Swift, of course.
BRO – TV commercial you just can’t get out of your head?
TK – “Give me a break, give me a break, break me off a piece of that Fancy Feast. . . . ” That’s it.
BRO – If you were a character on Saved By The Bell, who would it be?
TK – A hybrid mix of Mr. Belding and Screech.
BRO – Beer, wine, or whiskey?
TK – Whiskey, whiskey, and whiskey.
BRO – Preshow ritual?
TK – We always say a prayer before we start. It goes like this – “God of music, God of war, may out hammers be mighty.”
BRO – Something you always have in the fridge at home?
TK – Eggs and cilantro.
BRO – Hiking or biking?
TK – I cannot choose between those! I love road biking and hiking.
BRO – A week at the beach or a week in the mountains?
TK – The mountains. I’m far too white for a week at the beach.
You can catch Annabelle’s Curse on December 6th at The Grey Eagle in Asheville with The Black Lillies.
For more information on the band, how you can grab a copy of Worn Out Skin, or when Annabelle’s Curse might be appearing on a stage near you, check out the band’s website.
