Shake off the algorithm and get on the dance floor!

There are only three opportunities remaining in this calendar year to see Dead Root Revival, and two of them are this weekend! If you are fortunate enough to reside in the Peterborough or Napanee regions, please purchase a ticket and come out to the show. If you can't make these shows, perhaps you know music-loving family or friends that would benefit from a fun night out and a great rock and roll experience. Share this with them, please!

We are a fully DIY indie band, so we lean heavily on our fans to spread the word about DRR, and we are incredibly appreciative of the support you all have shown us over the years. As I have said before, there's no Ticketmaster, there's no Live Nation, there's no record label or government funding, there's only YOU! 

I'll let you in on a little secret. I feel like giving up every other week. It feels like the tide is turning against live music in general...oh the cynicism is palpable my friends! 😅 I'm sweating it out here practically begging people to spend $20 on a ticket for a show in a small hall, while watching folks effortlessly drop a grand to sit in the nosebleeds of some stadium to watch a corporate globetrotting superstar. 

I mean, don't get me wrong, the two aren't mutually exclusive, but if you're ONLY taking in live music in stadiums, then you're not supporting your local music culture.  

Those of you who know me know that I'm all about grass roots community and culture...I feel in these times we need more of that face-to-face connectivity; away from our human storage units and our seemingly endless screen time. Live Music (particularly in a smaller venue) is the greatest tool for bringing people together...and we very much need to bring people together. Shake off the algorithm and get on the dance floor! 

Buy a ticket...for our show(s) or some other show in your hometown. Get out and support live music and have some fun, while letting your actions make a statement about the kind of world you want to live in. 

Yours in Rock and Roll,

Tom

P.S. ...don't worry about me giving up. I've made my choice and I'll die on this hill. 😎🤘

This Weekend's Shows

Friday, November 22nd

Peterborough Legion -  1550 Lansdowne Street Peterborough, ON K9J 2A2

$15 advance/$25 at the door

TIX- https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bringing-the-drr-rock-show-back-to-peterborough-tickets-1008411856007

wsg Jeff Gutteridge and The Black Aces

Doors at 7:30 PM/ Show at 8 PM

Saturday, November 23rd
Doghouse Studios -  99 Dairy Ave, Napanee, ON K7R 1M5
$20 + fees advance/$25 at the door
https://www.ticketscene.ca/events/49561/
Doors at 7 PM/Show at 7:30 PM

Dead Root Revival Releasing Live Album on Bandcamp Friday (October 4th)!!!

It's Bandcamp Friday this week! Purchasing your music on Bandcamp is the best way you can support independent artists in the digital realm. For example, the $12 purchase of a digital copy of DRR's album "The Controller's Exam" is roughly equivalent to the royalty payment from 5000 Spotify streams. On Bandcamp Friday, it's even better because the site waives all of their processing fees, and directs 100% of earnings to the artists, which also makes it a great time to pick up physical merch like vinyl, CDs, and t-shirts.  For music fans, Bandcamp is a great music discovery tool, and you can stream your purchased music and create playlists using the Bandcamp app. It's a fun way to share music as well. My brother and I often send albums to each other(there is a 'send as gift' option when purchasing) on Bandcamp Fridays, or for birthday or Christmas gifts.  I'm a big fan of this site. It's really one of the shining lights in a music industry that often seems increasingly bleak for artists. To celebrate Bandcamp Friday, Dead Root Revival are releasing a live album, available exclusively on the site. *** Savage Song Supporters: This album has already been added to your collections! Learn more about becoming a Savage Song Supporter(for as little as $5/month)here: https://tomsavage.bandcamp.com/song-supporter *** On March 9th, 2024, Dead Root Revival celebrated the release of their album "The Controller's Exam" with a concert at The Broom Factory in Kingston, Ontario. The band performed the album in its entirety then came back for a second set of epic jams. This amazing two hour concert event was captured by sound tech Geoff Chown for your listening enjoyment! Swing by https://deadrootrevival.bandcamp.com on Friday, October 4th to check it out. Please purchase, download, stream, and share the news! Rock and Roll, Tom

Love for the Grad Club - Fundraiser at Blu Martini - Sunday, June 9th + DRR Concert News

Attention music fans: the Grad Club needs you. Let's show the city of Kingston that we want live music to survive and thrive!

Come to Blu Martini on Sunday, June 9th from 3-8PM to support the Grad Club, and to take a stand for local culture and the small live music venue.

The story of the Grad Club's financial troubles are far from uncommon across the province, country, even across the world! Small music venues everywhere were forced to cease operations during COVID, burning through any reserves they had, and taking on support loans just to keep the lights on. Now loans are coming due and rents are being increased, the result being that the ecosystem of small venues in this country is under threat.

It's time to stand up for culture and recognize the importance of art and music as it relates to the collective well-being and mental health of our society.

Tickets are by donation($25 suggested) and are available on Eventbrite - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/896504116947 

This is going to be an incredible afternoon/evening of music!

Luther Wright will be hosting this concert event which will feature performances by:

Holy Wow
Jon McLurg Old Tyme Trio 
Piner
Hugh Christopher Brown & Stephen Stanley
Goldwing
The Mill-Rights
Tim Sheffield
Dead Root Revival

**plus surprise guests!!**

________________________________________

DRR CONCERT NEWS

In addition to the Grad Club fundraiser on June 9th, DRR has some fun concerts coming up over the next month. First up is the Summer Kickoff Music Festival at Centennial Park in Harrowsmith this Saturday, May 25th. This is a free admission event, and features music from 4-10 PM (our set is at 7 PM). 

Ottawa fans be sure to catch our show at The Rainbow Bistro on Thursday, May 30th with well-known local singer-songwriter Graven opening the show in full band style! Tickets available here: https://therainbow.ca/event/5434804/670192413/dead-root-revival-kingston-wsg-graven

On Saturday, June 22nd, Dead Root Revival returns to Furnace Falls Farm in Lyndhurst, ON. We are really looking forward to this concert, as we had an amazing show there last year, and the setting is magical for live music: a big old barn with a 100-foot ceiling. An important note for DRR superfans: while we are playing some shorter sets in the Kingston region, June 22nd will be one of the only chances this summer to take in the full-on two hour concert experience that you have become accustomed to seeing from the band. Not to be missed!

Toronto: we are returning on Friday, June 28th! Hold off on your holiday weekend excursions out of the city and take in a good ol' fashioned (early) rock show! We're at The Painted Lady on Ossington, Lauren Carson opens the show with a solo acoustic set at 7 PM. Get your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/dead-root-revival-with-lauren-carson-tickets-850383037557

See you at the rock show!

Tom

One Year of Tunesdays plus the DRR Rock n' Roll Experience

 I feel I've been shouting this from the rooftops for years: Live music = Community. Music is an integral component of our collective mental health as a society. It brings people together. Whether in a participatory fashion through community choirs and orchestras, open mics and jams, in passive engagement with intensive listening, or in a casual setting where music is the backdrop used as an opportunity for socialization.

The beauty of the TUNESDAY open mic at the RCHA is that it brings all of these components together with the added bonus of accessibility due to the early hour of the event (4-7 PM). It is a joy to see the dance floor full at 5 PM on a Tuesday afternoon(with some of the dancers in their mid-eighties! There's no age limit on having fun!).

This Tuesday marks one year since we started the mighty TUNESDAY jam. Thanks to all of you who have made it an overwhelming success.
Come celebrate with us. Rumour has it that there will be cake!
And pizza too of course. ; )

Dead Root Revival Concerts

I often feel a bit embarrassed, seemingly tooting my own horn about DRR, but really I'm not. I'm simply repeating what fans new-and-old tell me at the end of every concert we play. I wish I could bottle their enthusiasm. I wish I could convey the overwhelmingly positive(oftentimes profound and emotional) experience to those who have never taken in one of our shows...

...but barring the act of me shoving a phone in their face to record these testimonials...

I'm not gonna do that.

What I will do is continue to tirelessly promote this band! I'm fast-approaching my 50th birthday...I've spent 30 years (and recorded 11 albums..??) as a musician/songwriter. To be creating and performing some of the best music of my career, with this scarily super-tight band of musicians, with collectively over 100 years of stage experience...well, it's a sincere honour and privilege.

Yet, it's still at times like pulling teeth to convince people to buy tickets for our shows. As my friend Seamus Cowan said to me recently, in regards to concert promotion, "It's a heart attack game!" So true!

DRR put on our own shows or work with small independent promoters. We are attempting to operate outside of the traditional music industry structure. No agents, no managers, no record labels, no Live Nation, no Ticketmaster. This is grass roots rock and roll. For my money, that's where the true spirit of rock and roll lies.

Why wouldn't you want to be a part of that?

Prince Edward County and Kingston, here is your opportunity.

Join the Revival!

The unofficial Pumpkinfest kickoff concert!
Tickets available:
Wellington Legion - $15
Eventbrite - $15 + fees
$20 at the door
or contact organizer at:
780-691-2887
or lowperchproductions@gmail.com

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dead-root-revival-with-tony-forbes-tickets-718507765067




https://www.eventbrite.com/e/704546195637

Dead Root Revival return to rock Blu Martini in Kingston for our fall concert, this time with special guest Josh Piché(Toronto)!

Yours in music,
Tom

Support Local this Christmas and Give the Gift of Music!

I hope everyone is doing okay, as we are headed into round five of this long bout with COVID. Today is the first day of a long winter ahead.

Musicians have barely had a chance to recover, and now it looks like we will be facing more restrictions that will prevent us from doing our jobs( restrictions are in place in Kingston, already, and in the province of Quebec).

I encourage music fans to think local this Christmas season, and purchase music or merchandise from artists working (or not able to work)and living in your community.

Bandcamp is a wonderful tool for this, as you are able to send music as a gift. Consider sending digital albums this year instead of Christmas cards!

Seeing as I live in Kingston, here are some artists from my community that you should check out:

Miss Emily - https://themissemily.com/order/

The Mill-Rights - https://themillrights.bandcamp.com

The Wilderness - https://www.patreon.com/thewilderness

Megan Hamilton - https://meganhamilton.bandcamp.com

Oakridge Ave - https://oakridgeave.bandcamp.com

Kasador - https://www.patreon.com/kasador

Clem Chesterfield - https://clemchesterfield.bandcamp.com

The Gertrudes - https://thegertrudes.bandcamp.com

The Ropes - https://hughchristopherbrown.bandcamp.com/album/the-ropes

Michael C. Duguay - https://michaelcduguay.bandcamp.com

…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg in this town!

Thanks to My Supporters!

I’ve been very fortunate over the course of this pandemic to have the support of many fans, who have either subscribed to my Bandcamp, or purchased merchandise, to help keep me going. Truly thankful for this! 😌🙏

For my Bandcamp subscribers ( Savage Song Supporters) I’ve done my best to provide interesting and entertaining content  in 2021, and now there are currently 19 titles available to subscribers on the site!

For $5/ month you can stream/download these albums and receive any new albums I post in the future…and there will be more, trust me. 😄

Here’s what has been added to my Bandcamp page in 2021:

Tom Savage Trio - The County Line -I just added this 2008 release. Dirt Road Rock N' Roll! Featuring familiar songs like "The County Line", "The One", and "No-Win Situation".

Dead Root Revival - Live Before Lockdown - Recorded live at The Mansion on March 13th, 2020. The last rock show in Kingston before COVID hit.(subscriber exclusive)

Dead root Revival - Live at the Toucan featuring Chris Rio - A fun night with Chris on vocals recorded at the Toucan in 2019. (subscriber exclusive).

Tom Savage Trio - Overdrive Express Deluxe - The 2012 TST album with 5 previously unreleased bonus tracks, including a barn burning rendition of Townes Van Zandt's "Waiting Around to Die". Also familiar numbers like "Train Keeps A Rollin", "Amarillo", and our famous slide blues version of Dylan's "Down in the Flood". 

Live From the Jam Zone - Session #4 - Savage Family Band - Me, Benji, and Bonz laying down some serious groove here. Live from the basement! (subscriber exclusive)

Live From the Jam Zone - Session #3 - Tom Savage and Mike Corrigan - Me on acoustic guitar and Mike on cajon. Acoustic Blues and Folk vibe. (subscriber exclusive)

Living Room Session - A reissue of my 2011 lo-fi acoustic folk EP. 

Live @ The Acoustic Grill - This 2009 release was on Bandcamp already, but I added it as part of the subscription package. Among the songs on this album are "Northern Ontario Highway" and "You'll Come Around To Me".

Lots of music out there to appreciate and support. Please spread the love around this Christmas season!

Stay Safe,

Tom

Music City Monday Concert Stream / Live from the Jam Zone - Session #1

 Music City Monday Series

Dead Root Revival had the incredible opportunity to take part in the Music City Monday Series at the Empire Theatre, in Belleville recently. Mark Rashotte and the crew started this series of live stream concerts as a way to support local musicians and venue staff during the pandemic.

Read more about it here : https://themusicexpress.ca/live-stream-events-plan-b.../...

The production quality of these live stream shows is stellar. I highly recommend you check them out. Shows air live at 7:30 PM every Monday evening.

Our recent concert, which aired Monday will be showing until December 20th. You can view it here: https://vimeo.com/489129839?ref=tw-share...

Become a Savage Song Supporter!

As many of you know, COVID has decimated the live music industry, and has forced musicians to think outside the box to come up with new ways of generating income, engaging and entertaining fans.

At the beginning of the pandemic, I started a subscription service on Bandcamp to help offset my lost touring income.

https://tomsavage.bandcamp.com/song-supporter

Become a Savage Song Supporter for as little as $5/ month, and you will receive EVERY new piece of music I release. So far in 2020, I've released three singles and one full-length album:

Beyond the Great Beyond * Song Supporter Exclusive * (full-length album of bonus tracks from 2019's "Great Beyond" recording sessions)

Beach Blanket Bingo Bottle Toke * Song Supporter Exclusive * ( This single is from the "History of a Common Man" recording sessions, reinvented with new instrumentation and a space folk vibe.)

Something Real -https://tomsavage.bandcamp.com/track/something-real ( This is truly my pandemic song, with the lyrics focusing on the inequalities in society that have been laid bare by COVID-19, and my personal belief that a universal basic income is needed to stem the tide of economic disparity, to address poverty, and mental health issues of all citizens. Musically, it's a bit of a departure for me. A slow groove vibe with important synth flourishes and bass guitar contributions from musician, Jason Mercer.)

In the Evening Glow - https://tomsavage.bandcamp.com/track/in-the-evening-glow ( this is a moody, melancholic piece that will hit you in the feels. Solo and acoustic, with an overdubbed spicy guitar solo ).

PLUS you will receive these back-catalog releases:

Great Beyond (2019) - https://tomsavage.bandcamp.com/album/great-beyond

Everything Intertwined (2017) - https://tomsavage.bandcamp.com/album/everything-intertwined

History of a Common Man (2014) - https://tomsavage.bandcamp.com/album/history-of-a-common-man

Never Shed No Tears (2006) - https://tomsavage.bandcamp.com/album/never-shed-no-tears

Early next year, I will be adding re-mastered versions of Tom Savage Trio releases, The County Line (2008) and Overdrive Express(2012) to the list! Along with previously unreleased bonus tracks!!! Engineer Geoff Chown is in the lab working on it at this very moment. : )

What was that? That's not enough, you say? Well, there's more!

Live Streaming + Multitrack Recording = The "Live from the Jam Zone" Series

My initial plan to put on live streaming events exclusively to subscribers hit a bit of a road block recently when it became apparent that Facebook would have to handle the money...I wasn't down with that plan...not that there is anything wrong with giant evil corporations. Hahaha.

But when I stared at this brick wall, I realized another opportunity to give subscribers more value, and more music. I'll be multitrack recording my live stream shows and releasing them exclusively to Savage Song Supporter Subscribers (say that 5 times fast) in a series of "Live from the Jam Zone" sessions. Actually, this process has already begun. Song Supporters can stream/download Live from the Jam Zone: Session # 1 starting today! - https://tomsavage.bandcamp.com/song-supporter

It's a live stream. It's a podcast of sorts. It's a series of albums. I'm excited to see where we can take this. Possibly special guest collaborations. Definitely a Savage Family Band concert coming soon.

Lots to look forward to. Join me on the ride!

I hope you have a safe and happy holiday season. Let's hunker down for the winter and with the vaccine being distributed, Spring will hopefully offer up opportunities for us to gather for live in-person concerts again.

Best,

Tom