Welcome friends, curious visitors, old acquaintances, people looking for a Tennessee politician/insurance agent who shares my name, and Lost Boys fans! This place is brand new! Have a look around the site, see if you learn anything about me, and let me know what you think. In addition to what’s already here, more features will be added along the way, such as an FAQ section once people start to FA some Qs. To provide some level of interactivity (but without the headaches of a PHP forum) there is even a place to submit comments, so feel free to say hi. Several of you just got an email from me and clicked the link. I’m glad you did, and you’ll know me just a little bit better after a few minutes. A great many of you are probably visiting here in disbelief after reading my message in the mass email from String, and you may feel inclined to ask me why I am relinquishing my place with the Lost Boys after the first of the year. Given that there are well over a thousand people on the Lost Boys’ mailing list, I decided to head that one off at the pass, avoid typing the same thing a bunch of times to a bunch of people, and blog here for the Teal Nation. My apologies to those not among that crowd, to whom the next paragraph will make little to no sense (and who won’t miss much by skipping to the last one), and I assure you that future news updates and blogs will be much more inclusive.
The simple answer is that it is time. I haven’t joined another band as of this posting; it was just time. The full answer, however, is not very simple. The gut-wrenching decision I have made is the result of a long-developing, emotionally draining process and cannot be narrowed down to one motive or even a few motives as several factors were involved, so please don’t assume that it’s all because of unfortunate decisions that have been made at venues familiar to us or because of my projected role at venues where we are quite welcome, and please don’t think it was due to petty interpersonal issues within the band as I have quite enjoyed the company of my fellow musicians (four years of puns and I never did get camel-dragged or stabbed in the ear; I’m feeling the love). Nor should one conclude that it can all be filed under the vague and oft-invoked category of “artistic differences,” for to pin my departure solely upon what differences do exist would be a big no-no. It is utter folly to say that I think I’m “too good” for this band as I have worked under the direction of a musical genius for whom it has been a high honor to play and shared the stage with some talented and skilled performers. It is certainly not to escape from the fans (notice how I invited you all here), because someone who has played in a Nashville-based prog-rock band learns to appreciate enthusiastic and devoted fans like you. Many of my reasons are my own and will remain so. I intend not to burn any bridges, I assure you that there is no Dave Mustaine/Metallica sort of grudge, and I will not say that you have all seen the last of Tom. My hope is that he really does find his way back from whatever danger he gets into and drops in for a visit now and then. I’m not selling my kilt on eBay and have no immediate plans to spray paint my djembe a color other than Teal, and though I will not frequent the Gathering Place as I have, I will not delete my account there. I will still respond to whichever name you call me. This has been a very important part of my life and my development as a total performer, and being Tom has been a very enjoyable fantasy adventure. I made a lot of fond memories, some of which will return with every other step I take when I am old. I have had a lot of fun, have not sealed the door, and would even like to make future appearances in places like Carver or Huntersville or (in the unlikely but welcome event) Apache Junction, but at this time I need for someone else to do it. Don’t worry; the Maestro will still give you a good show. He did before me and he will in the future.
I would love to stay in touch and let you know when and where I’m doing what and with whom… musically, that is… so please do sign my mailing list. At least check out the cool graphics on that page. There is not another gig currently in place, but there’s a lot that I want to do and a lot of possible directions I might go from here. One of my musical aspirations for the coming year is to do some solo acoustic singer/songwriter coffeehouse-style shows, where I’ll debut some songs that I’ve been sitting on for years (some since the mid 90s) along with some that I’ve written more recently. I’ll tell you when those are as well as any gigging I do with bands. I hope to see you all soon!
