Best Alternative Band • QORKY...the dumbest fun band you will ever see

When you hear the name Qorky, the winner of this year’s Review Music Award for Best Alternative Band, you might find yourself thinking that the name reminds you of some combination of “quirky” and “dorky.”  This may also be your first step in “getting in on the joke.”

Guitarist Carl Abila has had an idea for an act that was “a little less serious” for some time.  “I wanted to do something different for the last four or five years,” he explains. “I’d mainly done original music in bands like Silverspork.  Mainly metal.  It was all very serious. I wanted to do something fun.”

Enter Qorky, which is advertised as “the dumbest fun band you will ever see.”

With compatriots Jeff Schock on bass, Brian Gretzinger on vocals and drummer Matt Klaczkiewicz, Abila’s vision came together in one of the more entertaining and unpredictable acts currently working this area.

While you can classify Qorky as a cover band, they are anything other than your standard bar room fare.   The most noticeable thing is they really are an “act.” The band will assume their alter-egos for the evening, supported by ever-changing costumes that might range from propeller topped beanies to mock Home Depot aprons.

Aside from the striking visual presentation, the other thing that separates Qorky is their unique approach to building a set list.   As explained by Abila, “One minute we might do ‘The Wanderer;’ the next we might play “This Love” by Pantera.  We like to do songs from all eras, to appeal to all the different types of people in the audience.”

This difference extends the range of material to songs outside of those that people would typically play in a bar band.  Movie and TV theme songs and memorable jingles from vintage TV commercials live alongside songs that might have been hits in the 1950’s through the present.

In all it’s an entertaining concoction and the secret to their appeal.

As Abila explains, “We want it to be a little bit different every time.  Also, when you are being silly, it’s a lot less stressful.  If we screw something up, people will think it is just part of the show. But we want to make sure we do something new and different every show.  We want to have a new song, a funny new bit or both.”

The band will put their own spin on arrangements of pop classics. This adds to the intrigue as they turn familiar tunes on their head and make them their own.

The band has been together for approximately two years and has a growing footprint, reaching from their home base in the Tri-Cities to Tawas on the Sunrise Side to Ludington and the west coast of Michigan.

While many fans enter their first Qorky show unsure of what to expect, a growing legion of “Qorkonuts” are now making a point to catch the band whenever they are in town.  Friends and fans become fungible terms.

It’s fair to say that most of the time new fans had no idea what they were getting into when they went out to their favorite bar for some live music, only to be confronted by a band that channels the mirthful energy of Monty Python or Weird Al with the stylistic fashion choices of DEVO- except with polished chops.

As Abila put it: “We can appeal to a lot of age groups because we cover several eras of music.  There is something familiar to everyone.  People also seem to like it because it is not totally serious.  In an era where everything seems so tense, people are looking to have fun.”

As Abila explained, the band also has broader appeal than some of their member’s previous acts, mainly because they are playing largely pop covers rather than originals or heavy music.  This makes it simpler to book, as the concept is appealing to a larger range of venues and audiences.

“This is something I have thought about for a long time, and I really just wanted to get it out of my system.  It is certainly a lot less like work than being in an original band.”, he reflects.

The plan for the group is to “take it as far as we can go.”  More songs, more schtick and more friends along the way.  Sometimes being in a busy band can quickly lead to burnout, but Qorky is built for fun.

You can catch Qorky in one of their regular live appearances at area venues like the Willew Lounge orWhite’s Bar, or follow them on Facebook for more band news and gig schedules.