Dorset Music Review

"I had a funny feeling this question might come up and I have a perfectly flippant answer for you. No. well obviously guys like Tom Waits, Nick Cave and you can't be a song writer and say anything other than Dylan,  it's like if you're a song writer and you're not into Dylan, that's like being a carpenter and not being into wood! His voice is an acquired taste, but if you can get past that it's like watching Shakespeare, if you can get past the initial hurdle of the language then you are exposed to this world of beauty and tragedy, and Dylan's much the same, if you can get past the initial hurdle of his voice you're in with a chance. In saying that in his defence, and I don't though believe Dylan needs defending, but I'm going to do it, I think the mark of a good songwriter is not being able to hit certain notes or hold them for any length of time, the mark of a great singer is to make you want to lean in and listen to what that person is saying and Dylan has got that in spades, way more than Whitney Houston has!"

 

"To get back to the question outside the obvious musical influences like Springsteen and stuff like that, there's' lot's of literature, I read allot, that's not something to bang on about, lot's of people read allot, but I like Jack Kerouac, Kowalski, and Woody Guthrie; I have just read his biography which is wonderful and anyone who interested in playing music at all should read it, Oscar Wilde..... There's allot you can learn from literature and poetry, Edgar Allan Poe, I'm actually reading Edgar Allan Poe as research at the moment, as I have been asked to compose some music for a Burlesque performer, my piano is getting a serious workout, I'm trying to do it as a concept album, Edgar Allan Poe Gothic without being Goth kind of imagery. Generally living and over hearing stuff, or watching a film and you hear someone using a phrase. allot of great works have come about because of over hearing something and then someone saying 'I'm having that' you just have to try not to be too obvious about it as that can get you into trouble in court."

"Rakishly handsome and limitlessly talented.....and not just a little bit modest either!"

I don't think Tom was expecting this question,

"That's a tough one, I guess I'm already doing it in just being a person, in wearing the clothes you have chosen to wear today you have made a statement about your personality"

I did find myself looking a little disappointed that I hadn't dressed more smartly for the occasion!

I then decide to move on to Tom's EP Bare Bones, on the download site it says "Recorded the Pure Acoustica way, just a pair of nice microphones, all one take no overdubs or drop-ins. No fancy effects, not even reverb. Just as if Tom was playing in your front room" I wanted to know if Tom wasn't a fan of mordern technology in music?

"Yes I do, in the right concept, live I use loop pedals to add a bit of texture and stuff, I guess it's kind of by design, because this is my first release, I wanted it to sound like me. Most of my time is spent with an acoustic guitar and a microphone and that's pretty much what you hear when you see me, sometimes a percussionist, sometimes I might rope in a drummer and a bass player but for the most part that is what you get, it needed to be representative of that. The next one is going to be a big snarling beast of a rock album, allot more electric guitars and stuff".

Tom Playing at the Dorchester Music Club, held at the Borough Arms Dorchester.

"It was a concious decision to strip the album down, if I was left to my own devices I would put allsorts on everything I love messing around with other instruments, if it was left to me I would just put a harmonica solo on everything, let's get in a string section, where can we find a gospel choir? But then I would be faced with recording something and then going out to play it live and finding I couldn't, so it was very concious that I have to go out and play these songs for people."

Tia Roos Featuring Tom Caulfield at the Dorchester Music Club held at The Borough arms Dorchester 
http://www.myspace.com/tiaroos1 


http://tomcaulfield.bandcamp.com/album/bare-bones 


Check out the Final part of Tom's Interview soon.