I was saddened to find out that Seattle drummer John Spencer passed away last May at age 79. This is from a session John, Geoff Harper and I did in March of '07. I played just a bit with John right before I left for New York. He was a great drummer with decades of experience. He started his career in England in the 40's. He was very supportive of my playing and I really enjoyed working with him. I wish we had played more together.
I am from Seattle, WA. I've also lived in Boston, the Bay Area and Amsterdam. I'm now starting a new phase of life in Brooklyn. I have several new projects going; including String Power, a group of 11 string players playing arrangements I've done of everything from Slayer to Earth, Wind and Fire. I've got some very great players lined up for this and I'm very excited. I've also started playing keyboard with a killer band called $.99 Dreams. The Golden Crackers (which I play violin in) has played in parks and subways all over New York and we plan to finish a CD this spring. I am also playing violin with Emanuel and the Fear, freelancing with classical, jazz, experimental and rock ensembles throughout the NYC area and writing music for two musicals and couple of short films. I hope to reach the point where playing and writing music is its own reward. It's easy to get obsessed with audience approval- and don't get me wrong, I want people to be genuinely moved by the music I play- but I think that the healthiest approach is to derive real satisfaction from the process of creating. And that includes everything from the initial impulse to the final product. Finding that intrinsic motivation is the key. I like to think that whether or not I become really famous or successful, I will always be able to enjoy making music.
Hi Tom! Thanks for the kind words. Your tracks sound great! I'll be in NYC for a few days next month. I'll be playing at the World Flute Fest Concert at Carnegie Hall. Should be fun! Carol
hey, tom, it was great playing with you on the 12th at Listen/Space. Thanks for playing the "Snail Road House!" Let me know when you come to the Bay Area.
Tom hope you had a great 4th. I shot a few vid's over the weekend on fretless guitar and violin, sending one of the fiddles as a 'hello'. Thanks for your inspiration and till the next study...
Addicted Bones will be doing the first part of the worldwide popular band The Musical Box (Genesis-Selling England By The Pound) at the Bell Center, May 30th 2008. The band will perform for about 20 minutes before giving up the stage to the main act.
whoooo! it is snowing hard in april here in AK! jeezus... i though winter was over a month and a half ago. was recruited to play bass for a Haydn Mass in a couple of weeks. i'd forgotten that a little classical music goes a long way in satisfying the soul. enjoy brooklyn! and good luck next week at the tea lounge....
Tom!! How the hell are ya?! Looks like you've put yourself smack dab in the middle of awesome. Keep creating! Whoo-hoo! I added one of your pieces to my page. Nice stuff (as always). xo
Tom: Seems you are being more than just my muse now. Oh well, the world had to find out about you too. Hope great things are happening for you. Patricia
