Let's Keep the Music Alive!

One week left in the "Driftwood - Remembering Sandy Stubbert" GoFundMe campaign. Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far. It feels good to be sending Sandy's music out across the country. She put her heart and soul into this record and would have loved that it is being heard.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/sandystubbert

We are wrapping up the campaign on June 15th, so get your donation in if you haven't already. Raising funds for AMHS-KFLA (Addiction and Mental Health Services, Kingston Frontenac Lennox and Addington) and MIKES (Music Industry Kingston Emergency Support).

DRR Live Stream from The Toucan

Dead Root Revival has been on a forced hiatus due to COVID-19, so we were most thankful for the opportunity to perform at our hometown pub again, even if there was no audience. The rock show is definitely another energy level!

Here is the full concert for your viewing and listening pleasure!

As the country continues to reopen, many in the arts community will be left behind, with no live shows aside from some possible summertime outdoor activities. Art is a vital part of our society, and I encourage everyone to do what they can to support the many artists who are in need at this time. This can be done by purchasing merchandise or sending virtual tips for livestreams, but also I encourage you to lobby local, provincial, and federal governments to continue (or give funding to new)programs that support artists during these drastic times.

Let's keep the music alive!
Tom

2020 : Year of the Revival

The release of Great Beyond in October felt like the culmination of an eight-year long art project. So many miles on the road, so many shows, and years honing my approach to the solo performance. I'm proud of the recorded result of my efforts.

Toward the end of 2018, I began to feel the call of rock and roll again. Dead Root Revival was born, and since that time, the band has garnered more and more of my creative focus. This is why, in 2020, I will be taking a break from solo touring, and focusing on developing the DRR sound, and performing more shows with the band. I will still be performing solo shows in Ontario, and if anyone wants to offer me a grand a night to go on tour as a sideman, I would be happy to change plans! 😄

The release concert for Great Beyond made for a very special evening, bringing the two very different facets of my creative output together in one show. For many Kingston fans, it was the first time they had seen the solo performance, seeing as most shows over the years had been on the road. Then the other side of the coin: Dead Root Revival hit the stage (after a stellar set from our friends The Mill-Rights)! We were fortunate to have Geoff Chown on sound that night. He also was there to record our set. The resulting recording captures the band at its best, and where it belongs: On stage powering through some epic jams!

To be released on March 2nd, DRR Live : Volume I will bring you to that show. Come rock out with us again and again on CD or digital format ( Yes, this album will be on Spotify, etc. despite my ongoing protestation of the streaming platform.) Our hope is you will purchase the live album to help DRR raise funds for a future studio release. The plan is to release a couple of live records before the studio release, in order to give fans new music, and to keep feeding our musical engine(the band bank account!!).

(Side Note: DRR is a band that likes to jam. Every show is a different musical journey. We encourage "taping" and sharing of shows. If you want to bring mics and recording gear to shows, please feel free. We only ask you don't obscure sight lines of audience members.)

On Friday, March 13th, we will be celebrating the release of DRR Live : Volume I with a show back where it all went down: The Mansion in Kingston, Ontario. Get your tickets here
. Connor Poulain opens the show, then Dead Root Revival hit the stage. The band will feature Tony Silvestri on keyboards, Daniel Chalmers on congas/percussion, Paul Stacey on saxophone, Richard Piche on bass, Bonz Bowering on drums, and myself on guitar and vocals. Powerhouse!!!

Doors at 8 PM. Tickets are $10 in advance/$15 at the door ( tickets are available at The Mansion or from me in person. Hit me up at open mic at the Rose & Crown).

New Album on the Horizon

It's been an excruciatingly busy time over the past few months. This is good though. The April US tour was a heavy one and a bit of a hard slog. Many a Walmart parking lot and too much fast food. The schedule was chock full and there was not much time for sightseeing...unless you count the interstate rest stops. Such is the glitz and the glamour of the independent touring musician. That said, many interesting characters met and many songs to be harvested. And that is a very important factor for why touring is important. Honing the craft, shaping the songs, and finding the stories. It damn sure ain't about the money.

Speaking of songs and stories, upon returning from the US tour I headed into North Of Princess Studios the last week of April to record with my good friends Tony Silvestri, Bonz Bowering, and Seamus Cowan. A lot of it live off the floor, it was a spirited session, and I think you all will be very pleased with the results. It's a bit of a different direction for me and I hope you are all willing to take the trip. The album is scheduled for an official release in October, but I hope to have copies available for MUSICWestport in August (where I'll be performing with the band) and for my Canadian Tour in September.

Early May saw the release of Al Duquette's new record, Tales of the Wild West. A project I had the pleasure of acting as producer on. Al has lived a life and his experience and authenticity comes through in the way he delivers his songs. There is no pretence here. A beautiful collection of songs that will fit nicely between Hank and Lefty on the shelf. Head over to Bandcamp and download your copy today.

Early June was all about the East Coast of Canada. Always good to get down there and catch up with friends, and perform for friendly faces. Highlight of the tour was a Monday night concert in a little church in Alma, NS. Google didn't even know where it was! Great acoustics and good vibes.

That's it for now. I'll be around the Kingston area for the summer. check my site for dates, and stay tuned for more details about the new record.

Lonesome Highway Tour : September 1st - October 8th

Hitting the road again, friends. The solo show is taking it up another notch this year. A couple of new surprises in store and a pretty awesome sound if I do say so myself. Hope to see you out at one of my stops across this fine country of ours. Please share and help spread the word.

Best,
Tom

9/1 - Pan Chancho BBQ and Band Series - Kingston, ON

9/2 - The Garnet - Peterborough, ON
9/3 - HopeFest - Pefferlaw, ON
9/4 - Acoustic Grill - Picton, ON
9/6 - The Townehouse - Sudbury, ON
9/7 - Naturally Superior House Concert - Wawa, ON
9/8 - Apollo - Thunder Bay, ON
9/9 - The WhiskeyJack - Perrault Falls, ON
9/10 - Selkirk, MB - TBC
9/11 - Watson Arts Centre - Dauphin, MB
9/13 - The Needle Vinyl Tavern - Edmonton, AB (5:30 PM)
9/13 - Cha Island Cafe - Edmonton, AB (8:00 PM)
9/14 - Rum Runner - Coleman, AB
9/15 - The Twin Butte General Store - Twin Butte, AB
9/16 - Palomino - Calgary, AB (5-9 PM)
9/17 - House Concert - Red Deer, AB
9/18 - Lorenzo's Cafe - Enderby, BC
9/20 - WISE Hall - Vancouver, BC
9/22 - Rockwater Bar & Grill - Golden, BC
9/23 - Auditorium Hotel - Nanton, AB
9/24 - Mikey's Juke Joint ( w/ Kent McAlister) - Calgary, AB
9/25 - Last Chance Saloon - Wayne, AB ( 3:00 PM)
9/26 - Shannon's Pub - Regina, SK
9/27 - The Capitol - Saskatoon, SK
9/28 - Winnipeg, MB - TBD
9/29 - Pappy's Cafe - Wabigoon, ON
9/30 - Apollo - Thunder Bay, ON
10/1 - Loplops - Sault Ste. Marie, ON
10/2 - The Townehouse - Sudbury, ON
10/7 - Grumpy's - Montreal, QC

10/8 - House Concert - Ottawa, ON

Have Yourself a Brooding Lo-Fi Christmas

Now available on CD Baby  you can purchase my 2011 Ep, Living Room Session.  This record is what the title indicates : songs recorded in my living room. Me, my guitar, and one microphone recorded live off the floor. Truly lo-fi. I love the simplicity of this recording and may revisit this production style in 2016.  So, if the holiday season gets you down, with its rampant consumerism, credit card debt, and surfacing of deeply-hidden family issues, my record may just cheer you up.

I kid. Actually, I really enjoy Christmas, though I could do without the materialistic aspects of it. Which strikes me as funny as I write this because I am asking you to buy my record! 

But, on that subject, I was reading a post from a friend online the other day, and she said that the best gifts are those made by independent artists. This is so true! Whether it be music or art, or even furniture, supporting those who are making their own way with their craft has a real impact. First, the financial benefit for the artist. Second, the money goes straight back into the local economy. Third, the social message it sends. I support the arts. I support community. I am not a slave to the corporation by giving gifts made of pieces of plastic that have been shipped over from China.

So, swing on by CD Baby and download Living Room Session. Six songs of dark, brooding, lo-fi, anti-folk goodness. What could be more Christmasy than that!

1. The Less You Seem To Know -  a psychotic breakdown in a big box store 3000 miles from home
2. Par For The Course - about getting old ( the title is in tribute to my late grandmother. Par For The Course was one of her favourite sayings)
3. A God I Can Call My Own -  an agnostic gospel song
4. Bleed That Pig -  raping the planet is just no good
5. Lonesome Highway - a dark secret, a hidden past, a fork in the road between calamity and redemption
6. Never Been Seen -  quite possibly the saddest song I've ever written about what else, mortality