Double Album Pre-order Plus New Single "Trillions of Stars"

It's happening! The long-awaited studio album from Dead Root Revival, "The Controller's Exam", is on its way! The official release date is March 1st, but you can preorder today on indiegogo: https://igg.me/at/DRR

We've also released the first single from the album,"Trillions of Stars". It is available on all streaming services and on Bandcamp.  

Check out the video on YouTube :

A Double Vinyl Album Recorded Completely Analogue

In 2023, we had the incredible opportunity to travel to Athens, Georgia to record our debut studio album at Chase Park Transduction, under the guidance and tutelage of renowned engineer and producer David Barbe, who is known for his work with Drive-By Truckers, among many others. The result is "The Controller's Exam", over an hour of music recorded completely analogue(16-track to 2-inch tape) that exemplifies the raw energy, tightness, and astounding musicianship of Dead Root Revival.

We are releasing this record to the world on March 1st on double vinyl, CD, and digital formats.

What we need from you and what you get

Pressing a double album is very expensive, and we are completing this project without any government grants, or record label assistance. The band has laid it all on the line to bring you our best, and we sincerely encourage you to support this momentous rock and roll achievement by preordering the double vinyl album, or one of the other perks we've made available exclusively during this pre-order campaign.

Here are the different perks:

• The Controller's Exam on digital, CD, or double vinyl album
• Vinyl Bundle including "The Controller's Exam" plus my 2022 release, "21st Century Lo-Fi"

• Tom Savage CD Bundle - 5 CDs for $60(a 40% discount)

• DRR Merch Bundle - includes Double Vinyl Album,CD, DRR LIVE - VOLUME I - CD,DRR T-SHIRT

• a rare opportunity to have a drum Lesson with Bonz Bowering!

• sign up for an exclusive Tom Savage comprehensive 3-hour guitar workshop( limited to 10 people).

• Tom Savage will write a song exclusively for you and record it with members of Dead Root Revival!

• Your very own private rock concert with Dead Root Revival

• The original 32 x 32-inch painting of "The Controller's Exam" album cover by artist Jeremy Bruneel

• Plus, when you pre-order the new album, you can add-on discounted tickets to the album release celebration on March 9th at The Broom Factory in Kingston.

Your support is invaluable to us! Our fans were there for us in the first phase of this project, helping us with travel costs to Athens, Georgia, and our recording expenses. Now that the project is complete, we are calling on you once again for your support, by simply purchasing a copy of the album we've created.

Other ways you can help the cause

If you are not in a financial position to contribute at this time, we encourage you to show your support for Dead Root Revival by spreading the word by sharing links on social media, and talking up the album in your in-person conversations. Word-of-mouth is an essential tool towards this campaign's success.

Thanks for helping the DRR train roll on!

Tom

What's This? A Surprise Album?!!

 Two more shows for Dead Root Revival this year! Friday, December 1st we will be at The Atria in Oshawa, warming the stage for Doghouse Rose and Trash Puppets, then on Saturday, December 16th, we will be at the RCHA club in Kingston, for our final show of 2023(Get your tickets at the bar or on Eventbrite).

I know there's a lot of anticipation for the release of our album that we recorded in Athens, Georgia this year. We are putting the finishing touches on the record, with the album cover being painted by London artist Jeremy Bruneel, and I can tell you that the release date of the album will be March 1st, 2024, with a Kingston release celebration to take place at The Broom Factory on March 9th. 

It has been a long wait and we appreciate your patience. With that in mind, I've decided to release a surprise album to tide you over until then! 

As recording sessions for my 2017 release Everything Intertwined came to a close, we decided to add another day in the studio, switching out bass players(Seamus Cowan played on EI), and bringing in Geoff Chown to record some Blues tracks. It was a really fun day of letting it all hang out musically and getting gritty, live off the floor at North of Princess studio. The recording turned out great, but was promptly put away in the archives for future considerations. In the ensuing years many crazy events occurred in this world of ours, so in the archives the Blues record stayed.

Until now!!!

Looking back at Everything Intertwined and now listening to Sure Can Play That Guitar!!, I can really see how my music and songwriting were turning a corner in 2017, and the seeds were being planted that would grow into what we now know as the band, Dead Root Revival.

Many songs have found their way into the DRR setlist. From EI, there's Kid, Burnt By The Sun, Come Home, and 17 Years, and on Sure Can Play That Guitar!!  you will hear the familiar jams An Angel Rose, Train Blues, Moonshine Baby, as well as the title track.

I hope you enjoy this collection of previously unreleased music.

 

Pick it up Friday, December 1st on Bandcamp as part of #BandcampFriday. Available only in digital or CD format. No Spotify...no Apple Music...no Deezer...no Tidal... you get the idea. 😄😉

Rock and Roll,

Tom 

Georgia Recording Session Exceeds Expectations!

Back from our trip down to Athens, Georgia, and I have to say, the sessions with David Barbe at Chase Park Transduction exceeded all of our expectations. We had a short window to lay down tracks for the album, and we took full advantage, recording more songs than we had anticipated, and really capturing the Dead Root Revival sound.

16-track 2 inch tape. The parameters put in place by this technology might be seen as a hindrance in today's digital world of limitless tracks and limitless possibilities, but when dealing with a band known for live performance like DRR, there really was no other way to go. Limitations can be a good thing! They can allow you to get right to the heart of the matter.






Dead Root Revival. When deciding upon this band name, we wanted to convey our mandate as a band:

Dead = Lamenting things we feel are being lost: An appreciation for the rock show, that is being swallowed up by karaoke machines, home theatre systems and big screen televisions, and corporate-run streaming behemoths all across this land.

Root = Where we came from: Our influences, our rock and roll heroes, and our search for the magic tone that speaks to us.

Revival = Bringing the jams back to the people: The older generations who may have seen Jimi Hendrix in concert, and also to the younger kids who find themselves listening to the classic rock hits from 40 and 50 years ago because the music of today doesn't speak to them. DRR is here for you.😎🤘🎸


It only made sense for us to record the way artists like Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, and Deep Purple did in the 1970s. There's definitely a change in perspective when "fix it later" is taken out of the equation. You've got to perform! And that, my friends, is exhilarating.

Tracking for the album is complete, but it will be a couple of months until mixing and mastering is finished. Stay tuned!


SINGER-SONGWRITER SHOWS

I'll be putting on my singer-songwriter hat for a bunch of shows in April. Coming up first, I'll be performing alongside umberlune and Brock Zeman at ABC Hall (3166 Bolingbroke Rd, Maberly ON K0H 2B0) on Saturday, April 1st. Three songwriters with distinct styles performing in-the-round in a welcoming country hall setting.
Grab your tickets online at Eventbrite 👉 https://tinyurl.com/57zuazhh or send an etransfer for $20 to tomsavagemusic@gmail.com to reserve your spot. You'd be a "fool" to miss it! 😉😄

Doors at 6 PM/ Show at 7 PM

There will also be coffee, tea, and PIE available!

Fresh-baked pie and live music. How can you say no?!





Brock and I will be out performing some shows later in April as well...

April 20th - Jethro's - Peterborough 7 PM - Get tickets
April 21st - Bracebridge Hall - Bracebridge 8 PM - Get tickets
April 22nd - House Concert - Guelph ( Contact Larock Productions for details)
April 23rd - Havelock - matinee show as part of Stone Hall Sessions (2 PM) - Get tickets


TUNESDAY

Thanks so much to Jon McLurg for filling as host for the Tunesday jam while I was away. By all accounts it went swimmingly and our bass player streak is still in tact. Awesome! 😁👍🏻 I look forward to getting back to this fun-filled Tuesday routine at the RCHA(4-7 PM, live music, drink specials, and pizza!).


See you out there!

Cheers,
Tom

Exciting Announcement: Dead Root Revival set to Record New Album with Producer David Barbe(Drive-By Truckers, Son Volt, R.E.M.)

It has been a great musical beginning to 2023! A couple of amazing concert events for Dead Root Revival, first in Sharbot Lake, collaborating with Frenchie's Chip Hut and K&P Brewing to put on the first annual Wintertide Meltdown on January 13th, then performing to a sold out audience at Sans Souci in Belleville on January 28th. Both of these concerts were incredible community gatherings. We as a band are thankful for the support of our fans(old and new), and are feeling the momentum as we shift our focus to performing the majority of our shows as ticketed events. The quality of these shared experiences, and interaction between audience and performers, is definitely spurring us on to continue down this path. 

Tunesday Afternoon Jam

Music is such an important tool in bringing people together, and expression of art on any level should be encouraged and nurtured, for the health of a community. There was a time not long ago in human history, that if you wanted to be entertained by music, you would have to learn to play an instrument, or sing, or (going way back) bang a couple of bones together. A time before radio, before recorded music. With the advent of technology, we as a society have turned more passive than active in how we experience, and how we digest music.  More background music everywhere you go(except Dollar Tree...I'm a big fan of their no background music policy), more mindless streaming, dismissing a song if one is not hooked within 30 seconds(I’ve often listened to an album 10 times through before I truly appreciated what it had to offer), and less engaged listening and learning of instruments/performing, then in the past.

My grandmother was a piano teacher and choir director. My mother was piano teacher and choir director. I've only ever dabbled in teaching, but I have been running various jams/open mic nights for over twenty years now, so I suppose I am a third generation nurturer of musical talents, working to shift the balance between active and passive engagement in music. All of this is a long-winded way of saying that I'm so pleased with the success of the "Tunesday" Afternoon jam at the RCHA in Kingston. I want to thank everyone who has been coming out on Tuesday afternoons (from 4-7 PM, Happy Hour drink specials 😁 ) for their enthusiasm and encouragement of the musicians on stage(I can tell you the players really enjoy the jazz club-style practice of applauding after solos), the dancing, the community spirit, the laughter. These afternoons have shown me the essential need for a relaxed, welcoming, environment for musicians and music lovers to gather, particularly in the afternoon and early evening. As our society ages I feel events in this time slot will become even more essential for our collective mental and spiritual health. Here's to many, many more Tunesdays to come!! 💃🏻🕺

DRR is Georgia Bound!

In other super-exciting news: Dead Root Revival is heading to Athens, Georgia in March to record our debut studio album(!) with none other than legendary producer David Barbe, who has worked with the likes of Drive-By Truckers, Son Volt, and R.E.M., among many others. 🤯😎🤘

I personally have been impressed by David's production style since I picked up the DBT album, The Dirty South at a CD store in Calgary while the Tom Savage Trio was on tour, way back in 2008. We wore that record out in the ol' Sienna CD player on that run. What struck me was the tonal warmth and rock and roll power of that recording. After talking with David, I now know that this is a result of the recording process. Completely analog. Reel-to-reel tape!

He says his process is very much like making a record back in the '70s and this couldn't be a better fit for DRR and our music. We are so stoked!

We are having a couple of concerts to raise funds for our travel expenses down to Georgia and back.

Feb. 18th at the Gananoque legion

Dead Root Revival with special guests Weathered Siding and Old Pony

Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 92

55 King Street East Gananoque, ON K7G 1E8

Doors at 7 PM/ Show at 8 PM

$15 advance/$20 at the door

Tickets available online : https://www.eventbrite.com/e/520236911607

Folks living in Gan can purchase in person from the DRR rhythm section (Bonz or Richard), or from Mike Corrigan at the Wooden Boat Shop

and

Feb. 25th at Blu Martini in Kingston

Dead Root Revival with special guest Graven.

BLU Martini 178 Ontario Street Kingston, ON K7L 2Y8

Doors at 8 PM/ Show at 9 PM

$15 advance/$20 at the door

Tickets available online - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/520234424167

or from me in person(drop by the Tunesday jam and pick them up) or via etransfer to tomsavagemusic@gmail.com

We hope you'll buy a ticket for one(or both) of these shows and help us out as we embark on our greatest rock and roll quest!

Cheers, Tom

New Live Album/Summer Shows/ 21st Century Lo-Fi Vinyl Update

Live at the Old Church Theatre 

More exclusive music for Savage Song Supporters! Bonz brought microphones to our show at the Old Church Theatre in Trenton a couple weeks back and the recording turned quite nice indeed! This was the first show Tony and Benji performed together and there are some great musical moments. Bandcamp subscribers can stream or download now!

https://tomsavage.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-the-old-church-theatre

Summer Shows! Summer Shows!

Looking forward to getting out and playing this summer. It's the first "back to normal" summer since the pandemic started, and it feels good to have a full schedule for the first time since 2019! Keeping it local as I'm not feeling like hitting the road, but playing with...5(?!) different band configurations will keep things creatively satisfying for sure...if you count the jams at Spearhead for industry Mondays, you could say 6,7,or 8 different configurations! 😄

Here is the schedule. Hope to see you at a show or two.

June 24th - Doug Fluhrer Park for River Love! w/ Kevin Davidson on violin (5-7 PM)

June 24th - The Toucan - Kingston - Dead Root Revival (10 PM)

June 25th - Keystorm - Brockville - Tom Savage and Kevin Davidson (8 PM)

June 27th - Industry Monday at Spearhead Brewing (3-6 PM)

July 1st - ArtFest - Kingston - solo show (12 PM)

July 1st -  Bay of Quinte Yacht Club - Belleville - Savage Family Band (7:30 PM)

July 2nd - Private Party - Westport - Dead Root Revival

July 3rd - 1000 Islands Regatta - Brockville - Dead Root Revival 

July 4th - Industry Monday at Spearhead Brewing (3-6 PM)

July 7th - RCHA - Kingston - solo show ( 7 PM)

July 9th - Hotel On Wolfe Island - solo on the patio - 1 PM

July 11th - Industry Monday at Spearhead Brewing (3-6 PM)

July 15th - Joel Stone Park - Gananoque - Dead Root Revival (8 PM)

July 16th - WestFest - Westport - Return of The Foley Mountain Playboys! (2 PM)

July 18th - Industry Monday at Spearhead Brewing (3-6 PM)

July 23rd - Island grill - Savage Family Band - (3-5 PM on the patio)

July 24th - The Mansion - Kingston - Savage Family Band (3-5 PM on the patio)

July 25th - Industry Monday at Spearhead Brewing (3-6 PM)

July 28th - RCHA - Kingston - solo show ( 7 PM)

July 29th - The Toucan - Kingston - Dead Root Revival (10 PM)

July 30th - Keystorm - Brockville - Band Format TBD (8 PM)

Aug. 1st -  Industry Monday at Spearhead Brewing (3-6 PM)

Aug. 5th - Lockmaster's Taphouse - Smiths Falls - Dead Root Revival (7 PM)

Aug. 6th - Private Party 

Aug. 8th - Industry Monday at Spearhead Brewing (3-6 PM)

Aug. 11th - RCHA - Kingston - solo show ( 7 PM)

Aug. 12th - Skeleton Park Brewery - Kingston - solo show (5-7 PM)

Aug. 13th - Private Party - Dead Root Revival

Aug. 15th - Industry Monday at Spearhead Brewing (3-6 PM)

Aug. 16th - Confederation Park - Kingston - Savage Family Band (12:30 PM)

Aug. 19th - Private Party

Aug. 20th - Private Party

Aug. 22nd - Industry Monday at Spearhead Brewing (3-6 PM)

Aug. 25th - Limestone City Blues Fest - Confederation Park - Kingston - Dead Root Revival (4:30 PM)

Aug. 26th - Toucan - Dead Root Revival (10 PM)

Aug. 27th - Z.A.M.F.I.R. - hosting the jam (3-6 PM)

Aug. 27th - Toucan - Dead Root Revival (10 PM)

Aug. 29th - Industry Monday at Spearhead Brewing (3-6 PM)

Sept. 3rd - Longtooth Brewery - Stirling - solo show(2-5 PM)

Sept. 4th - The Mansion - Savage Family Band - Savage Family Band - (3-5 PM on the patio)

Still waiting on vinyl...

It seems like forever since 21st Century Lo-Fi came out in digital and CD formats, but here we are still waiting on the vinyl records. They will get here! The supply chain has messed with delivery schedules for many indie artists, along with major label artists(looking at you Adele!!) monopolizing the pressing plants. We're looking at a ballpark timeline of end of July/ early August for delivery. Thanks to everyone who preordered, and we will have a celebration one day...looking at the end of September for a vinyl release party in Kingston. 

If you haven't heard the new album yet, give it a spin on Bandcamp ( http://tomsavage.bandcamp.com) or add it to your preferred streaming service at https://tomsavage.hearnow.com

What people are saying about 21st Century Lo-Fi:

"With 21st Century Lo-Fi Savage continues this journey, bookending the album with the type of songs we would expect a songwriter of the folk ilk to explore during a pandemic. Just as intriguing is a trio of challenging songs serving as the nervous system of the album, songs that bring to mind various faces of David Bowie, of all people, including guitar threads that remind us of Carlos Alomar and Earl Slick, and creative bass effects that would not have been out of place on the Serious Moonlight tour.

These songs—“The One I Wouldn’t Let In,” “We’ve Outgrown Everything We’ve Known,” and “In the Evening Glow”—are absolutely fabulous, taking the listener on an appealing journey of sounds and visions. Savage’s vocal phrasing on these songs is pure genius, whether intentionally going places I’ve not previously heard from him or not.

But truly, the entire eight-song disc is bleeding amazing, and is certainly my first ‘favourite’ of 2022, closely followed by my recent purchase of Ann Vriend’s new one! The storytelling here is that of experience and emotion rather than narrative.

The press notes site the requisite Van Zandt and Springsteen comparisons, and Yeah, sure. I find Savage more individual, and comparisons—despite my previous attempts—don’t truly work. Toss in Tom Petty, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Ian Hunter while you’re at it, but I prefer to just let his songs—the lyrics, the guitar effects, the vocal harmonies (check out the lead track, “Right Where You Found Me” for the combination of the three)—pull me close and keep me riveted." - Fervor Coulee

"The eight-song collection expands his familiar Roots Rock sound into previously uncharted territory, combined with lyrics that address many issues we are currently grappling with as a society". - Wildfire Music

"I’ve had the privilege of discovering various new talents hailing from Canada in this year alone, but Tom Savage may just be the very best to emerge thus far, and with an album as adept, as diverse, as spurring and overall as remarkable as 21st Century Lo-Fi, that shouldn’t come as much of a shock." - Small Music Scene

"...a rapid-fire indictment of economic disparity overtop a pulsing beat." - Canadian Beats

Hope you enjoy a safe and happy summer season.


Cheers,
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