Rock guitarist, guitar player and session musician, Richard Barber - available for hire for your working band in Oahu, Hawaii

Kilroy creates melodies with local military musicians

Story and photo by BLAIR MARTIN - Hawaii Navy News Contributing Writer

HONOLULU - The Oahu rock band, Kilroy, who plays all original rock songs, is comprised primarily of active duty and former military service members, choosing to blend their musical talents, while juggling hectic work schedules or deployments, with hopes of breaking into the Oahu music scene.

"Being part of Kilroy is a lot of fun, and we all hope to be able to make something out of it," said bass guitarist and Army veteran Todd Anthony. "The [band] has taken us places we've never been, to stages we've never thought possible, and we've met hundreds of people who are just like us."

The band members scramble to meet after duty hours and fit in two practices a week, plus three-hour-set shows.

The band formed in 2009, when lead guitarist Richard Barber, the only non-military band member and writer of much of the band's original music, started looking for seasoned musicians interested in a jam session.

"Writing songs is my way of making sense of the world," he explained. "The music is a vehicle to deliver that message."

Completing the fusion of sound, Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Claude Paddock, from Special Operations Center, Pacific Command, joined the band as drummer, along with Navy Chief Warrant Officer Doyle Purdy, from Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station, Pacific, on lead vocals and guitar.

Anthony, now working in civil service after an 11-year career in the Army Ranger Regiment, as well as in the 10th Special Forces Group, said the common military background helped him and other band members "click" during initial band rehearsals.

"I love being part of a team," he said. "You listen to a lot of music while in the military. I was in the infantry, so every time we were on a Blackhawk or jumping from a plane, we had our music."

Anthony also suggested the name "Kilroy," which is an expression and icon adopted by U.S. servicemen during the WWII and Korean War-era.

Legend has it that service members would doodle the phrase "Kilroy was here" on the walls where they were stationed or visiting.

The name stuck, and the common theme of military service continues to resonate with the band members.

"[Kilroy] has a historical value to it that represents a little of who we are and what we do," Purdy said.

Purdy said the skills he has gained from his 24-year naval career have helped him effectively juggle his responsibilities to the Navy and the band.

"I am on duty 365 days a year," Purdy said. "The experience I have gained through the military helps me assist other band members in managing band dynamics like scheduling, practices and promotions.

"Not only am I committed to my [day] job, I apply the same level of commitment to all I do, and that includes Kilroy," Purdy said.

Paddock has been drumming since he was five years old, and although making music has always been a part of his life, it does not always complement the constant demands of being an active-duty Airman.

"It makes it extremely difficult to commit to a band," he said of his 18-year Air Force career. "I have been hesitant over my career to join a band because deployments and temporary duties force time away from the band, and that makes it hard.

"The last thing you want is to get a band rolling and then you get a snap deployment or TDY that takes you away for an extended period of time," he said.

Kilroy is working toward a CD release in June before Paddock's upcoming permanent change of station move in July.

Purdy, who is stationed in Hawaii for at least another three years, said the immediate plans for the band are to continue booking venues, especially at local military installations.

He said the band is scheduled for a show in May at Schofield Barracks' Tropics Recreation Center, and the group is talking with Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

"This is the return of original hard rock and roll music," Purdy said. "We have our own unique blend of sounds with old school influence."

(Editor's note: Lacey Justinger, Pau Hana editor, contributed to this article.)