tom freund
venice, California, United States | Established. Jan 01, 1992 | AFTRA
Bio
“If you want to hear what California feels like, Tom Freund’s new album is a good place to start...” –
Acoustic Guitar
It’s the ease with which he delivers conversational lyrics and
honeyed melodies, a natural magic that is the soul of Tom Freund’s
music. Though he’s widely-traveled in a variety of genres-- from
hearftelt folk to buoyant pop to boho jazz to straightforward rock
’n’ roll, and beyond --Freund is, simply put, a singer-songwriter
with a defined and captivating presence.
Freund's latest disc "Two Moons" on Surf Road Records draws
roots sources for an urbane Americana sound, melding nostalgia
with a raw and sharp-eyed views of life today. “If Two Moons, with
its underlying message of hope in this messy world of ours, serves
as an inspiring, encouraging soundtrack for listeners, then I can say
to myself, ‘ok, you’re doing something right for the people out
there”, Freund says. He delivers this CD’s main message in the
standout track “Lemme Be Who I Wanna Be,” in which he
declares: “I’m basically hooked on this life/it’s got a lot of
problems/but it treats me real right/and you don’t have to agree
with me/but let me fly my freak flag.” This oddly upbeat anthem of
personal empowerment so impressed Canadian rock star Serena
Ryder that she asked to sing on it. The opening track “Angel Eyes,”
featuring vocals by Ben Harper, serves as Freund’s take on Randy
Newman’s “I Love L.A.” motif, expresses his appreciation to his
Southern California friends for always having his back. Notes of
nostalgia play into Tom’s self-declared favorite track “Mind of Your
Own” which delves into a deeply personal memory of the New
York native’s childhood home.
Freund spent the mid-’90s touring with the indie rock cult faves
THE SILOS and has been releasing solo albums since 1998. Tom has
alternated between recording and touring behind his own discs,
playing upright bass, electric bass guitar, and mandolin with the
likes of British pub-rock great Graham Parker (who hailed Freund
as one of the best singer-songwriters operating today), pop star
Mandy Moore, groove-soul sensation Brett Dennen, Rock ‘n Roll
Hall of Famer Jackson Browne, and three-time Grammy winner Ben
Harper. “What really brought me to wanting to work with Tom in
the studio is his songs,” Harper concludes. “It doesn’t have to even
go any further than that. As far as I’m concerned, who wouldn’t
wanna work with him in the studio? Because the songs are there.”
More recently, you can spot Freund playing with Parker in the Judd
Apatow film, "This Is 40" and featured on the hit TV show
“Parenthood” and the upcoming Pamela Adlon show “Better
Things”. He continues to tour North America, Europe and Japan
playing with his band or doing solo shows.
"Every year the mounting landfill of new
releases that threatens to bury the working
music journalists yields a few unexpected gems,
and Tom Freund is one of them.”
–New York Times
"Tom Freund is indeed one of the great singer-
songwriters. He constructs a unique world,
defines it, and then burns it to the ground. Truly
unique and absolutely brilliant." –All Music
Guide
"Freund clearly delights in enigma. His vocals
could go from laconic to impassioned without
such obvious trickery as cranking up the
volume. His lyrics are full of curveballs."
–Washington Post
"California-based troubadour Tom Freund sings
of skate-boarding kids, impending doom and
Happy Days lunch boxes on his new album, Two
Moons.” —NPR WEEKEND EDITION
http://bit.ly/1N1vuBI
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