February 2012
1 post
oooh... looky... a review... →
Mainly Genius blog reviews Barricades
January 2012
4 posts
Free download of Barricades EP →
Its been out for one minute. What were you waiting for?
In just under 24 hours...
my 2nd EP Barricades will be available for free download from http://tomstephensmusic.co.uk
Recorded at the tail end of last year (there are lots of photos and recording blogs amongst the entries below), there are 5 songs on there that I wrote between Summer ‘10 and ‘11. For me, both musically and lyrically, it eerily captures my life in that time period.
One or two solo, a lot more...
5 tags
December 2011
3 posts
I rarely edit anything
thursdayschild88:
that I write.
I just write sometimes. Spontaneously (!) Whoa!
I hardly ever go back and change it.
It’s just a moment. It’s made that way… but if I tamper with it would I get something better? Is it even good in the first place?
This is me also… ‘Family Tree’ from my first EP ‘Division’ was a recorded improvisation that didn’t change at...
2011
In terms of my life generally, 2011 has been a frustrating year.
Having come out of uni with a first in music, I thought it would be the start of bigger things… However realising the lack of real salaries available for graduate musicians I was forced back home for money reasons.
Now, I love Somerset, but its not exactly full of pulsating music venues. This is why it is good news that in...
So tonight at JoBu’s we finished the mixing for the EP which is all mastered, bounced and ready to go.
Went for a celebratory pint of Otter and a few games of pool (3 out of 5 games saw Joseph unfortunately potting the black….. at the wrong time)! Jukebox choices included Pearl Jam, Incubus, Interpol, Muse and lots of things very ‘2003’ to us. Been a good evening though,...
November 2011
15 posts
5 tags
“Why bring meat in to a song? I mean, who wants to sing about a bit of meat?”
– Joseph Buckler on The Cave by Mumford & Sons
http://tomstephensmusic.co.uk/ →
With a new EP being released in the coming weeks / months, it seems a good time to remind you of my first EP Division from last year. You can listen to tracks, or even download the whole thing for absolutely nooothing. I’m generous like that. Please give it a look :) Thanks. Tom.
“Love has sold more songs than you’ve had hot dinners. That’s Tin Pan...”
– Keith Richards, from Life
“It’s like if an artist does one famous piece, he can do crap after that and...”
– My Mum. (via petitpetales)
October 2011
4 posts
#ArtForChristmas →
Take a look at Meagan Molloy’s latest photography campaign, #ArtForChristmas. It was Meagan’s photograph which featured on the cover of my first EP, Division.
Wheres that bastard chorus vocal
I hate having 95% of a song written, feeling complete, and then 5% just not feeling right.
On a better note, my second EP is to be recorded in November with Mr Joseph Alexander Rex Buckler with his mucky paws at the desk. So I am very excited about this. More details on that as and when. But its about time, and I’m looking forward to cracking on a bit more now in one way or another. I wish...
Berlin - a year on (although I never went)
Berlin / Morning Song / Start / Sea Panic / Alter Ego
It feels like I’ve been sat on an EP for about a year now (insert pun about standing up here)… admittedly the recording I should be doing very soon will feature songs written since that time, but this whole thing is ready to come out, and some of the songs never even heard by others feel almost ‘old’ in terms of their...
August 2011
7 posts
Watcho '11
So this evening I’m playing at the 2011 Watchet Music Festival!
I’m on today at 5pm… and thankfully, I’m on the Croissant Neuf stage. This means: a roof. Its tipping it down. Its grey. Its horrible. Its only a few hours away. But there is a roof! So if you’re there, come and see me :)
Off to find my wellies.
Tom
2 tags
Radar Detector
This is a cover of ‘Radar...
Square-Pegging Round-Holed Unfinished Symphonies
Just over 18 months ago I wrote this post.
That song I speak of, its still not finished… I don’t know what it is with this particular song.
Some songs I finish in minutes, and some take a bit longer, but generally don’t get finished if they take too long. This one seems to be worth keeping working on, but I do get the feeling it might be past a point of not being completely...
BellFest
A massive thank you to all those who performed at, and came to BellFest at The Bell on Saturday… Hundreds of pounds raised for Alzheimer’s Research UK, and more to be raised still.
I played a bunch of covers, including Coldplay’s ‘Shiver’ and Darwin Deez ‘Radar Detector’, and some Smiths and Aloe Blacc and blahblahblah. Good singalong of ‘Under The...
July 2011
3 posts
May 2011
2 posts
Evening all,
I’ve been asked to perform at this years Watchet Festival, most likely on the Friday night. There should be plenty of gigs coming up soon, so watch this space…
Got a few other projects on the go too, so details will come as and when. Busy busy busy. Proper update and some new music soon. x
http://tomstephensmusic.co.uk →
now links to my Bandcamp page, and not to my tumblr, which is back on http://tomstephens.tumblr.com :)
My first EP ‘Division’, which is coming up to being a year old (oh my), is still available to listen to, or download for absolutely nothing.
Songs are ready ready READY for a new recording; as soon as a time is sorted to record you can expect, at the best, greatness, and at the...
April 2011
1 post
Performed at an open mic the other night, debuted a song I wrote that day, think it’ll be called ‘Start’. Went down very well… Also did two covers I learnt that day - Please, Please, Please … by The Smiths, and My Girl. I’m like a wedding singer. Getting so bored of the same old songs. But I’m more bored of having no new recordings to promote. I just...
March 2011
1 post
i thought before that going solo would leave everything in my hands, unfortunately i can’t control geography nor time though. may have to reconsider some things to move forward, or even sideways. i’m ready to start, even if its just for me.
February 2011
1 post
January 2011
3 posts
meaganmolloy:
Tom and I are actually writing a cracking song together. Well, I chose the Pixies rip off bass line and instructed him as if we were on Brucie’s ‘Play Your Cards Right’ with a series of ‘higher’ or indeed ‘lower”s while he plays aaall of the instruments but err, that’s how we roll…and rock, man. Expect greatness.
Call it a side project…
Life, ohhh life, ohhh li-i-i-i-ife, oh life.
Thats the David Brent version by the way.
But yes, life. Sometimes things take over that are bigger than even the things you consider the biggest things usually. Things. Yes. So it may have been a quiet few months from Stephens HQ, but thats not the plan as of NOW.
Having lived in Cardiff for a few months, busking through freezing blue-fingered winter months, and running completely out of money...
November 2010
4 posts
...and is also on twitter! →
...is now on MySpace →
(although maybe not completely set up yet…)
October 2010
1 post
'Eaten By Monsters' review of Division →
You know I’m not completely sure on whether this is a good or a bad review… But when you’ve had two that you know of, you take what you can get. Still, its all fair, and its nice to see plays and downloads still ticking over through new exposure like that. (obligatory reminder: http://tomstephens.bandcamp.com)
I’ll update properly very soon..