KRONK

My name is Kevin T. Idso. I am the Founder, Frontman, Singer, Guitarist, Multi-instrumentalist, Producer, Manager, songwriter, and Janitor for the Minnesota based Heavy Metal band, KRONK. I am a reborn Christian who just happens to write extremely thrashing, shredding, pounding METAL. As a matter of fact, on the latest release by KRONK titled, "SPILL YOUR GUTS" etc..., I played all of the instruments and wrote all of the songs... As well as, producing the feature length CD cover to cover.
For performances I like to keep it to a three-piece formula.
( updated: see also "Band Members" to check out KRONK’S NEW LINEUP)
It all began as a side project (long story)... of Kublai Khan (which I co-founded at it’s very beginning)..., named KRONIK DEATH, in 1986.
(I could be directing you to www.myspace.com/kublaikhantheband, but that would be futile, possibly, in that the profile has been inactive for quite some time now... KUBLAI KHAN is dead... Greg Handevidt is no longer a musician. He went into the Navy right after the band dissolved our relationship with him. After that he became a lawyer, so whatever. Since then we have semi-resolved this to a point where we can at least be civil. We got together in 2oo3 to remix the ANNIHILATION EP which was retitled Annihilation 2003 and is available through New Renaisance Records.)
Kublai Khan was only together for four years while I’ve been in KRONK for thirteen years. It’s not a question of "Where are they now?", it’s more like "Where" have YOU been, that you don’t know these things? Have you been living in a cave? Well, not all of you have missed out on the TRUTH.
Okay, KRONIK was not really a side project, since when I finally had enough of Greg, I took the rest of the band with me and left him with the name. I no longer wanted anything to do with KUBLAI KHAN, which was basically, in my view, just an extension of my high school band called MACE, anyway.
John Fedde (Kublai drummer) played drums for that band(MACE). Greg actually was a guest performer for one of the MACE Band’s early shows. I, along with John Fedde went to Greg to approach him about forming a band. We found out there was another band named MACE from France, or Kublai Khan would’ve more than likely been called MACE.... Which, I still like better. I plan on blogging about this in the near future, so keep checking for updates and gap fillers...
At this time, the project was called "KRONIK DEATH",Then, was changed to "KRONIK", in 1988 . I moved to California with one Rick Tyler (Fork), who was the replacement for Greg... Shortly after this, John Fedde (drummer for MACE/Kublai Khan) moved to the new location in Monrovia, California... Where we hooked up with Bassist Mike Lyon, A severely crappy sounding demo was recorded in Southern California... One thing led to another... The situation with Rick became a temporary one and he bailed back to Minnesota.
The name of the project was then changed to "KRONIC" after the Germanic word meaning "To be sick". This name became very well known for other reasons we won’t go into here, but it has to do with what became a ’Hip-Hop term, and why that came about...
"KRONIC" was based first in North Hollywood Ca., then in San Francisco and was "cemented" in the literal sense... up and down the West coast of the United States... As "KRONIC", we recorded a pretty cool 5 song demo titled "KRONIC" at the imfamous "RAZOR’S Edge Recording Studio"... This got us quite a few gigs. I lived in California just short of four years... And to think, I only had 40 bucks to my name when I first got there...
Then, after my first daughter was born, while I was listening in on the phone from San Francisco, I moved back to Minnesota, Regretfully disbanding the group at the end of 1993. Mike Lyon is one of the few "true band-mates" that I’ve worked with... He seemed to realize the extra work involved is always worth it... He’s now doing Lyon Entertainment in Santa Cruz, California. He also works with "YOUR MUSIC MAGAZINE"... He’s got some great stuff going on.
I retained the rights to all the music I had written, and it would’ve been a waste not to play it. And, not wanting to use the name KRONIC for anything more than what it was... I changed the name to KRONK... in 1994.
KRONK has been the name of the project ever since... The character I portray on stage is what you could call my alter-ego "Drid the Warrior" was actually created on October 31st, 1984 for a Halloween party... That’s the first time I did the face... Okay, it’s kinda like KISS only with TEETH!!! The face has gone through many transformations but it’s still basically the same.
The project KRONK has been in existence since 1994 with the creation of it’s first demo... titled "KRONK"... To start off, "KRONK", was a one-man band. I started out just playing all the stuff myself on the initial demo(s). I worked with a four track recorder and an EMU SP12 Drum Emulator. I’ve played Gibson flying V guitars since I began my professional guitar playing career. I had a nice all-around mic and, an old, beaten classical guitar that I rigged a pickup for.
In the meantime I played guitar for a local band called "False Oath", with Dave Marcin n’ Clint Burton and some guy who played bass... I think his name might’ve been Steve. I continued to build KRONK while jamming with this group. Stay sober and you might not have to be "institutionalized"!!
In 1996, my fiance’ and I had our second daughter. Just as gorgeous as the first. I was still at "ground level" with the KRONK project... I decided that I was going to have to get together with some other Like-minded individuals and attempt to "form a band".
So, I tried the local version of the "talent" pool for awhile, here in Minnenoplace/St. Small, but do to a severe lack of the ability on the part of this talent, to take it to the next level... I decided to return to the pursuit of my own endeavors... Oh, don’t get me wrong, there was some real talent, but nothing worth putting up with the extra crap... They seem to think someone is going to come and fly them up to the top of that mountain, when in reality it is a long, arduous journey. One that sometimes ends in or becomes seriously delayed by tragedy. I really wouldn’t wish my life on anyone. But, nonetheless, noone said it was going to be easy. Sometimes, I’d like to punch "noone" right in the nose.
I am Christian from my birth and have no room and even less tolerance for Satan in my life ever!!! Although, it may be hard to tell the difference with many of the songs written for KRONK... That is, until you read the words a few times... Then you may or may not get it.... But, when I hear anything that is just blatantly irreverant out there in the music industry, I just basically roll my eyes and don’t care what it sounds like, I’m not gonna condone it, much less live like that... Yeck!!
Although, I grew up on the "right side of the tracks, I’ve had my share of the trouble that kids get into. This crap doesn’t appeal to me much... I’ve hung out with these types enough to know, however, that it has a lot to do with what you were born with. Cuz’ they say, "you are what you eat"... But I say that if that is so, then, in the spirit, "YOU ARE WHO YOU HANG AROUND WITH"... I’ve been in jail before, Stupid people go to jail!!! When I did stupid things I went to jail, that’s the way it should be. ..... Not Cool ever....
However, I believe everyone is put here for some reason and it’s not up to me to know God’s purpose for everyone.......And, it’s not for everyone to know GOD’s purpose for me either... I can’t expect anyone to be able to know what I’m thinking to perform the stuff like I can...
I’d like to think of KRONK as being as entertaining for the audience as it is for me... Cuz’ all the songs are really fun to play!!! If you like it, that’s cool... Buy it! If you don’t like it, I could really care less cuz’ I’ll just keep doing it anyway!!!!
KRONK has always been about the music and the fans who have come to expect that certain elements remain steadfast in the writing... I have to thank them for forcing me to take it all seriously, and offered me some serious humor!!
KRONK FANS RULE!!!
I love ALL people... I Don’t always love what they do, or what they stand for... sometimes. But, it’s not their fault, completely... I have to blame Satan... I hate Satan!! And that’s about all I’ve got to say about that...
KRONK throws a lot of different musical styles at you, yet each of these styles is delivered with a "Harder Edge". If it does mellow out, it’s usually intended to be satire...Although, an acoustic album would be fun as well as possible...we’ll see what the future holds..
YOU CAN BUY KRONK MERCH AT CHEAPO DISC’s or at CAPITOL GUITARS in St. Paul, Mn.
Thanks for your time in reading this... Please read the blogs n’ bulletin posts for further news about Kevin T. Idso and The Heavy Metal Band, KRONK!!
KRONK is KRONK... KRONK sounds like KRONK... KRONK is punk, KRONK is METAL, KRONK is Rock n’ Roll..., KRONK is HEAVY BLUES n’ KRONK is METALLIC JAZZ... KRONK is verging on NEO- Classical... KRONK means to be inside the sound... looking out on the rest of the World... KRONK is not your average, run of the mill, sounds like everyone else band... KRONK is it’s own tree..... Tell me it should sound like someone else... I tell you to "KRONK off"!!!
... KRONK… KRONK… KRONK… KRONK… KRONK… KRONK… KRONK… KRONK…KRUSHING IN THE FORHEAD OF SATAN Since 1994!!!
Come KRONK with KRONK sometime....
KRONK ON YOU KRONKING KRONKERS... KRONK ON!!!!!!!
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