Tom Conlon

Biography

Since his 1996 debut Soil Out of Sand, Tom Conlon, a native of New York, has been enchanting audiences across the country with a distinct blend of rich poetic lyricism, driving, elegant guitar work and an intensely personal delivery. “Growing up, my biggest musical influences came from my home and the church. I remember my Grandmother’s playing – she was a fantastic jazz pianist. Each time she played, it was a journey. The same was true in church – the music began, and you just sort of dove in....

Since his 1996 debut Soil Out of Sand, Tom Conlon, a native of New York, has been enchanting audiences across the country with a distinct blend of rich poetic lyricism, driving, elegant guitar work and an intensely personal delivery. “Growing up, my biggest musical influences came from my home and the church. I remember my Grandmother’s playing – she was a fantastic jazz pianist. Each time she played, it was a journey. The same was true in church – the music began, and you just sort of dove in. It was something you could get lost in, but together. So I guess my music tries to keep that tradition of taking a journey in the context of relationship – creating a shared space to experience eternal, timeless things.” After being featured on several compilations and touring the US extensively, Tom went back into the studio in 1999 to record Things Said In Passing, a combination of studio and live concert tracks, allowing listeners a sonic glimpse of the intimate gatherings his concerts had become.

After another 2 years of touring, Tom took a sabbatical, returning to the road in 2002 with Country Dog - City Boy, recorded live in studios in Manhattan and Boston. After a year of quiet reflection, this was perhaps the purest presentation of Tom’s material: one voice, one guitar.

Later that same year Tom released Five Year First Impression, including the familiar, solitary soundscapes as well as some roots/groove rock and soul.

In 2004, Tom recorded Monster with Flower, a moody examination of the brokenness of human relationship, with glimpses of a transcendent, perhaps greater romance. Featuring many fan favorites from his live show, this album was recorded in some of the finest studios in Nashville.

After continuing to tour for almost 3 years without releasing any new music, Tom returned to the studio during the winter of early 2007. Recorded in Boston and featuring a full band on most tracks, Gravity Shoes is the spiritual reaction to Monster with Flower’s relationship issues. The album features mostly electric guitar and poetic lyrics that explore the place between the material and spiritual realms.

Tom’s latest project, 8 Roads Home, was released in the Spring of 2008, This album features solo acoustic guitar and voice in the vein of Country Dog - City Boy, except this time the fare are covers of traditional Hymns.

Tom continues to tour, connecting in venues often as intimate as someone’s home.

“House concerts are not a new thing, but they’ve regained their dignity, it seems. As a listener, I always want to get as close to the music as possible…it’s just natural with the power of downloading and challenging conventional systems, that we’d want to interact with art on a more personal level, on our own terms…it follows that we’d push live performance more and more into our personal spaces, less production, more connection…the home is sacred, what more fitting place for timeless, eternal transactions?”

Tom also continues to do his own booking. If you are interested in having him play your living room, local coffee shop, bar, church, etc, the best way to contact him is through his MySpace page:

www.myspace.com/tomconlonmusic

Taken from http://tcfans.com/story/ Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.