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Artist's debut is what she wanted
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
With a little help from her friends, Katianne Timko has crafted the sound she was shooting for — and then some — on her debut EP.
The acoustic singer-songwriter assembled a crew of some fine musicians at Pete Drivere’s Ampreon Recorder studio in Youngstown last month and cranked out a four-song disc.
The title track is “What I Wanted,” and that kind of sums up how Timko feels about the record.
“I am super content with it,” she said. “It’s a good place to start.”
Timko wrote the lyrics and music for guitar accompaniment only. She went into the studio with Khaled Tabbara of The Zou on piano, Robbie MacFarland of the Robbie Jay Band (harmonica), Jay Heinrichs of RJB (banjo) and Sandi Quotson (violin).
Their contributions give each song a sonic fullness with a folky/alt-country vibe. “They hit the nail on the head with the sound.”
Timko said she tends to focus on the words. “I like to write lyrics ... maybe at the expense of the music,” she said. “But the band, they ‘get’ me, my personality, and it came out just like it was supposed to, just what I wanted.”
The EP is available on iTunes. Timko will release the hard copy after the jacket artwork is ready and will do a record-release party at that time.
The only problem with Timko’s dream team is that she can’t keep them. She’ll go back to performing with just her voice and her acoustic guitar, at least for a while.
“My friends are cool and so talented, and they help me out, but they all have their own bands,” she said. “I would love to have a band with all of these instruments, but until I find the right people, I will remain as a solo acoustic performer. I need to find people who are on the same page as me.”
The pleasing outcome of “What I Want” is only half of Timko’s serendipitous story this fall. She also got what she wanted when she was asked to open for New York-based singer-songwriter Jann Klose at the Lemon Grove on Friday.
Klose is one of Timko’s favorites. She caught his show the last time he was in town and introduced herself to him afterward.
When Klose’s agent later called her to ask if she would open for him, Timko was surprised — and somewhat blown away.
Not bad for someone who first picked up the guitar not even two years ago.
An Austintown Fitch grad, Timko is a junior telecommunications major at Youngstown State University. But music is her passion.
“The more I do it, the more I realize it’s what I want to do,” she said. Her first gig was in October 2010, and she now plays just about every weekend.
A prot g of the Robbie Jay Band, Timko regularly opens at their shows.
In fact, she’ll also open for RJB Friday night at The Cellar. That means she won’t have much time after finishing her set at the Lemon Grove before she’ll have to pack her gear and head over to Struthers.