Sure we’ve heard about you before, but we think it’s time for Tone Deaf to get to know you a little better. Slip in to something comfortable while we put on some music, pour us a couple of drinks and turn the lights down low.
Who are you and what do you do in your act?
I’m Tom, I play some guitar and do some singing, but the girls are better than me: they play cooler stuff like huge basses and piano and ukes and stuff.
‘Fess up. What records have you stolen from your parent’s record collection and why?
Midnight Oil – Diesel and Dust: Because it was dang awesome and I heard it so much when I was a kid, and they’re still great songs now. …hear the Bullroarer nah nah nah nah nah nah awesome! Some Fleetwood Mac stuff, can’t remember why now, maybe I thought Rhiannon sounded hot. I might still have a crush on Stevie Nicks though. Oh oh oh, and Neil Young, shitloads of Neil Young, that doesn’t need explaining though, does it?
What’s on heavy rotation on your iPod right now?
A Danish band called Mew: they are profoundly awesome and you should all buy their stuff NOW so they come and tour Australia and I can see every gig. Also, Fionn Regan, because I want to be him. Plus, Ryan Adams ‘cos he’s so peeved about everything that it feels cathartic when you listen.
‘Home taping is killing the music business was the catch-cry of the record industry in the 1970s, but it managed to survive until now. What do you think is the difference between mates taping copies of friend’s records back in the 80s and 90s and file sharing now?
Nothing really, isn’t it pretty much the same thing? You getting something for free that someone else wants you to pay for. Yeah sure, you’re ripping off a handful of big companies but I don’t think the industry itself is in danger, most good music is made in bedrooms and on laptops now anyway. It’s like a de-centralization of the industry. Doesn’t bother me if people want to copy my music, go for it. If you like it, flick me a coin one day or come to a gig.
You must answer this question honestly or we steal your rider. What was the first gig you went to? Where was it and what was the venue?
John Fogerty at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, I must have been about 10, was real good (I think, we left before the encore because it was past bedtime). They don’t make it like that anymore, now its all about bitches and hos…
What’s your favourite site to download music from and do you ever pay for it? Can we find any of your releases there?
Because I’m in a technological black hole I don’t download much music, if I knew how I’d do heaps of it. I just go to my mate’s computer and get him to give me stuff. Our music is however downloadable from www.travellerandfortune.bandcamp.com
What artist made you want to pick up an instrument and/or sing?
I can’t truly remember. It was probably someone predicable like Ben Harper, listened to a bucketload of that when I was young and emo.
Have you ever been arrested?
I haven’t been, but I think Al was once. She refused to pay the library late fee.
Do you have any particular ritual before you go on stage, or even a lucky charm you take with you?
I couldn’t perform without my shaman’s talisman. Basically, it’s a twine necklace strung with human teeth and bird of paradise feathers. Give that a quick rattle and we’re good to go.
What’s been your most outrageous rider request?
A rocking horse; rookie mistake.
Because it’s more fun to do things together, which living Australian artist would you most like to collaborate with? Tell us why?
Well, I’ve already mentioned Midnight Oil, so I’m gonna say Peter Garrett. I like that guy. It’s easy to bag him for being a sell out and that, and fair enough he kinda is, but hey I cant think of many other people (other than Arnold Schwarzenegger) who’ve done what he has AND he can dance like a badass to boot.
Right, let’s get really intimate. Tell us what releases you have that we can listen to with the lights down low, or even better, where we can see you play in person next.
If you’re in Adelaide, come to the Jade Monkey on Sunday August 7, and if you do we’ll give you a copy of our new record. It’ll be real intimate, lights so low they’re pretty much off. You’ll love it.
