Interview w/ Tom Eddy

Tom Eddy is certainly no stranger to upbeat pop music (see), but as it turns out, he's also rather adept as a creator of his own beautiful acoustic paeans. I talked to Tom about his work with Beat Connection, 'The Art Of Escaping' and his dream band.

Tom, how would describe your music to those uninformed readers of the site?

Its kind of rusty indie-folk from your back porch. I would say my music comes from two places: first, the blues, not that I play the blues straight up, but blues music is, in my opinion, the most concise and emotional portrayal of the human experience, and I try to remember that when I’m writing.  Second, from Seattle, growing up surrounded by such a rich indie music heritage has definitely colored (or coloured for my Lymie friends!) my tunes.

How long have you been playing music?

About Ten Years.

Tell us about 'The Art Of Escaping', your new EP. What are the songs about?

'The Art of Escaping' is about the push and pull of my life and life in general, the comings and goings, the way we move around in search of an independent identity, often times only to realize that nothing is independent. That’s what its about but that sounds complicated, and its not all that complicated, and I think that realization itself is maybe what the EP is really about.

How do you go about writing the music?

I don’t really have a method. Inspiration is a fickle mistress.

Who would be in your dream band?

My dream band would probably be a band with my good friends, there’s nothing like gettin’ funky with your homies. But if your talking about an all-star team, I’d have Levon Helm on drums (The Band), Chester Thompson on Keys (Tower of Power), Aretha Franklin singing, Bill Withers singing backup and playing Rhythm Guitar, and me on tambourine giggling in the back left corner of the stage.

Are those your key influences as well? Or are there other people who mean a lot to you, musically or otherwise?

These are definitely influences of mine, and all musicians with shelf-life, the one true goal of any self-respecting musician.  Paul Simon is a hero of mine as well.

You sang on some of the Beat Connection tracks. How do you guys know each other? And what was it like working with BC?

I live with my good friends Jordan and Reed in a big house with six other friends in Seattle.  It’s as fun as it sounds. Jordan asked me to sing on some tracks, so we busted out the mic and it turned out great. Those guys really have their ducks in a row; I’m really happy for them and grateful to have been a part of it.

What are your plans for the rest of year?

I want to play a lot, shows and such, and just get in front of as many people as I can. Also, I’m putting out an EP with the rock band I’m in called “The Doldrums”. I got to say, we’re almost done mixing and it sounds really good. We cook.

Finally, are there any records/labels/artists/etc that you're particularly enjoying at the moment?

I’m deep into Taj Mahal right now.  The man’s a stone cold boss. “Naches Blues” and “Giant Steps/ De Ole Folks at Home” are two records I think everyone needs to hear.  “I used to be down… Now I ain’t down no more!”. So good.

You can NAME YOUR PRICE for 'The Art Of Escaping' on bandcamp.