The Tom Fun Orchestra in Sudbury on Saturday
Arts/Life
Posted By News Release
Updated 1 month ago
The Tom Fun Orchestra.
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(Sydney, NS) – The renowned Tom Fun Orchestra return to the stage for a National tour this July and August. The band has also made "Miles Davis," their first offering since 2008's You Will Land With a Thud, available for free download HERE. Dates are as follows:
July 31 - Sudbury, ON Townhouse Tavern
"Their phenomenal debut, You Will Land With a Thud and their stuffy sweaty live performances have got critics talking country-wide." - Sari Delmar, Clash Magazine
"As the band got tighter, it began to generate some serious buzz among music fans and rock scribes in other parts of the country, all of whom were echoing the same resounding sentiment: "You have to see these guys." - Jen Zoratti, Uptown Magazine
"They're less of an orchestra than a three-ring circus, with banjo, accordion, trumpet and a Cape Breton fiddler all sharing space with a fiery rock trio, successfully steering away from tired Celtic rock clichés and instead inserting last-call intensity to songs that aim for Springsteen-ian heights with dashes of New Orleans jazz for good measure." – Michael Barclay, Kitchener-Waterloo Record
"...like a Maritimes version of the Hidden Cameras fronted by the lead singer of the Misfits. By the time they closed their set with a rousing cover of Greg Macpherson's blue collar anthem 'Company Store', they had me fully converted." - Grant Lawrence, CBC Radio 3
The Tom Fun Orchestra is an eight-piece cluster-rock ensemble from Cape Breton Island that has been impressing music fans and critics alike with their raucous stage presence and high-energy show. Their unconventional lineup of violin, banjo, accordion, and trumpet married to a driving rock trio is redefining what people think of Canada's East Coast music.
With a live presence that borders on overwhelming, The Tom Fun Orchestra is indeed an impressive sight to see – eight members stretched across the stage like a gang of musical hooligans or huddled together with barely enough room to tip a glass. Their variety of instruments compete for attention in the din, fueling the dynamic of gruff lead vocals and backup harmonies joined by full-on gang vocals for the shout-along choruses that stick in your head.
Their debut album, You Will Land With a Thud, was recorded with Violent Femmes' singer-guitarist Gordon Gano and platinum-selling producer Warren Bruleigh (the Violent Femmes, The Pixies, Louise Attaque), mixed by Phil Palazzola (The New Pornographers), and mastered by Howie Weinberg (Nirvana).
On the strength of the album, and their outstanding live show, the Tom Fun Orchestra was named Entertainer of the Year at the 2008 Nova Scotia Music Awards, where they also picked up the Galaxie Rising Star Award for Best New Artist. This was followed by winning the 2009 East Coast Music Award for CBC Galaxie Rising Star Recording of the Year. The album also inspired three wildly successful music videos garnering a 2010 ECMA win for Best Music Video and a nomination at the 2009 UK Music Video Awards for Best Animated Video. The videos have been screened in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Portugal, China and Greece.
While the band's lineup will undoubtedly draw comparisons to indie-rock contemporaries like The Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene, their sound is more reminiscent of The Pogues, Tom Waits and the Clash. The Tom Fun Orchestra comes from a hotbed of traditional music on the East Coast, but they embody the tradition of playing music rather than the custom of playing traditional music. In the process, they are creating a timeless, unique sound that bridges generational gaps and defies musical cliches.
For more information on The Tom Fun Orchestra, visit: http://tomfun.ca/
MP3 "Miles Davies": http://pigeonrow.com/TheTomFunOrchestraMilesDavis.mp3
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