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REAL VEGAS PEOPLE - Timothy Connolly, "Ukulele Hero"

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REAL VEGAS PEOPLE - Timothy Connolly, "Ukulele Hero"

A deaf musician shares his story and the many gifts that allow him to spread joy...

Update 5/19/25 - Timothy Connolly has notified VEGAS 411 of a new official website. Head here to learn the latest on this gifted and unique artist. He's also scheduled to record a live album on May 31st:

“I was saddened by the recent loss of a good friend’s cat (the cat’s name was Stanley), and it’s my hope that this new album of 11 original songs will be a balm for my friend (in addition to being just another batch of original songs in my portfolio.) That’s why this album will be so special. I don’t yet know which streaming platform the songs will be available on, but I’ll announce that in my newsletter. Folks can sign up at www.ukulelehero.vegas to receive my newsletters by email."

"The album will be recorded on May 31 at Audio Culture in Henderson with engineer Jack Lavine. As usual, it will feature my Fender tenor ukulele with Italian strings. No bells-and-whistles. No smoke-and-mirrors. Just the ukulele recorded acoustically with a bit of reverb. It feels great to finally be recording original music again, for the first time in a long time, and for my first time without any bandmates on the East Coast. I am enjoying a full-circle moment. "

Check out Timothy Connolly's wonderful music on Reverbnation at https://www.reverbnation.com/timothyconnolly/songs

- Courtesy of VEGAS MUSIC SCENE Update 9/1/24 - Timothy Connolly has released a new album, and would like everyone at Vegas 411 to download and enjoy it for free. Please follow this link to access it.

Here at VEGAS 411, we've been fortunate to feature dozens of amazing Sin City residents. From a doo-wop singer to a high-flying aerialist, displaced seniors to a magician/mechanic, every story has been authentic, inspirational, and unique. Today we're pleased to introduce you to Timothy Connolly, a gentle soul who's overcome a disability and several traumas to bring serenity to others. Career opportunities and a favorable economy have drawn thousands to a life in Las Vegas. For a few, the attraction is surprisingly spiritual. Timothy Connolly is one such individual. Driven to escape the harsh realities of New York, he was compelled to begin again in a place surrounded by natural beauty. Connolly says that coming to Las Vegas saved his life.

VEGAS 411 visited Timothy as he was performing for an intimate group. The location was Copper Cat Books, a community-style nook in Henderson that was hosting a fall festival. Connolly chatted with me after his session and agreed to do a written interview. His email identity as "Sonny Calzone" warranted a question of its own: "My first home was in Long Beach NY (where Vito Corleone had his family compound in the Godfather novels/films.) Sonny Calzone was my nickname in the old neighborhood from when I was a troublemaker like Sonny Corleone (and from when I was obsessed with calzones.)" Timothy can easily classified as a "survivor". Losing his ability to hear happened in 1974 at the age of three. A simple bit of rough playtime at the hostel where his parents worked led to a head injury. It was just the first of many traumas that followed throughout his life. "Being the young adrenaline junkie that I was, I put a whole bunch of pillows at the bottom of a stairwell. Jumping into the mountain was fun, until it wasn't. There was no baseboard heating in the hostel but old-school "widowmaker" radiators. My final leap down the stairwell involved an impact, head first, with a widowmaker." "Later in life, I cheated the Grim Reaper a few more times. I'm a boat explosion survivor, a drowning survivor, a head-on car-collision-while-riding-shotgun-with-no-seatbelt survivor, a self-destructive New York City nightlife survivor, and more. But, bro, that 1974 one was the big one." [embed]https://youtu.be/gbmTAxMeNTU?si=dqAklmXpqTzNxZSS[/embed]

"My old band in New York" - Timothy Connolly

Most of your life was spent in New York City before relocating to Las Vegas. How do the two differ in your everyday life? "Everyday life is very much the same. I did jettison numerous self-destructive habits (alcohol, nightlife, malnourishment, fraternizing with underachievers, et cetera). My move also represented a doubling-down on (an) inner journey of self-discovery. I underwent a necessary transformation, and became a "morning person", an avid reader again, a Qigong coach, a "Ukulele Hero", a narrator extraordinaire, and the well-adjusted person I was always meant to be."

Meeting you is a very soothing experience. Your voice, demeanor, and kindness are comforting. You practice certain disciplines and work with energies that allow people to achieve deeper levels of serenity. Can you tell us more? "Qigong is energy work. Being both a Qigong coach and a mediation coach allows me to help others become more grateful, mindful, and peaceful. To become their real selves, have better mobility, reconnect with breath, utilize breathing patterns for certain results, and so on." "Becoming balanced and centered is always within our grasp. There is an ancient pathway that leads us towards better health and inner peace, away from anxiety, depression, and stress. No pharmaceuticals, no psychiatrists, and no-nonsense. I'm a fun coach, too, with many years of experience. A specialty of mine is helping beginners to discover both Qigong and mediation for the first time."

"More affordable than a personal trainer. Essential for longevity and wellness. Instant results. And besides, you get ME as your coach. How satisfying is that?" - Timothy Connolly

Do you have any recollections of what it was like to hear fully? "I was born with healthy hearing. Approximately ten percent remains, and I have no recollection of what it was like. My relationship with sound...and reality, to be honest...is quite different from that of others. I mostly "feel" sound instead of "hear" sound." How did someone with your challenges gravitate towards music being a central part of your life? "I remember thinking that I chose music, but it was the other way around. My parents had a nice vinyl record collection. Mom liked The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Smokey Robinson, the Doobie Brothers, Donovan, and The Doors. She was often the one who brought records to the parties." "My Dad was a self-taught, talented guitar and piano player. We had a piano in the house, and he would often play. Mom didn't play any instruments but would sing at karaoke. By the time I arrived at adulthood, I'd already absorbed so much music."

Aside from Tiny Tim and Hawaiian vacations, most people have never seen or heard a ukulele. How long have you been playing, and how did it become your instrument of choice?

"My first ukulele was a gift by New York bandmate Russ Rogers in 2008 - a Carlo Robelli soprano ukulele with a note inside. I never had any aspirations of becoming a ukulele player, but would play at campfire jams even though I didn't know what I was doing at first."

"Eventually, I taught myself enough to build a repertoire. Fifteen years later, I can strum a thousand songs spanning the 1920s to the 1980s, including a bunch of my material. I'm nowhere near as talented as Jake Shimabukuro or Taimane Gardner, two experts who fascinate me. I always learn a lot from watching them perform."

A much heavier Timothy (rear/center) with friends in 2009

As someone who prefers simplicity, you've chosen to live without a significant other or pets. How does solitude provide a sense of comfort?

"Cultivation of a stoic calmness. It's safe to say that I've become far more tranquility-oriented than when I was king of the night-time world in New York. I should have been conserving and cultivating my jing. My weight is down from 310 to 180, by design, not by accident. I have balance and time for relaxation and quiet contemplation."

"Reading is the very foundation upon which my inner peace was built. Whether it's the Taoist texts, philosophy, poetry, non-fiction, fiction, 1st edition AD&D, biographies, graphic literature, periodicals, crossword puzzles (what I think of as interactive reading. My ongoing Qigong studies occupy a good portion of my life. Good stewardship of the gifts."

People without the use of one of their senses describe their others as being heightened. Often, you'll wear sunglasses indoors and have greater-than-average responses to things like taste and temperature. Is this a gift, and how does it impact your ability to perform?

"I do consider the heightened senses to be a gift. It's true that my remaining six senses (we actually have seven senses, not five) are all heightened. Wearing sunglasses indoors helps to prevent my inner peace from being compromised. From a musician's standpoint, deafness has given me a secret weapon. I feel the vibrations of the instrument when playing and my larynx when singing."

"My heightened sense of touch allows me to know where to be, sonically, before I begin performing. Combined with muscle memory from hours of woodshedding, it enables me to be exactly where I need to be on the (ukulele) fretboard. Sometimes my heightened sense will overexpose me to negative/strange/weird energy. That's something I need to be cautious about, and I'll excuse myself from those kinds of situations. Good vibrations are where it's at!"

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If you'd like to add more "good vibrations" to your life, visit Timothy Connolly's Qigong Coach Facebook page. Timothy is also available for live ukulele performances at your event. Email sonnycalzone@gmail.com or call 516-351-3575 for details.