Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, Hank Williams, Paul Westerberg, Bruce Springsteen, The Faces, The Band, Joni Mitchell, Ryan Adams, Neil Young, Elvis Costello, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings (and the whole Daptone Records family, really), The Beatles, The Hold Steady, Townes Van Zandt, Pete Townshend, Tom Waits, Neal Casal, Kris Kristofferson, Marah, Ollabelle, Dan Bern, The New York Dolls, Beachwood Sparks, Gram Parsons, Randy Newman, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, David Bowie, Conor Oberst, The Clash, Leonard Cohen, Chuck Berry, Charlie Parker, Karen Dalton, Johnny Cash, Martha Wainwright, Rickie Lee Jones, The Rolling Stones, Syd Barrett, Professor Longhair, Paul Simon, Jackson C. Frank, Mother 13, Otis Redding, Brian Wilson, Charles Mingus, Counting Crows, Judee Sill, Big Star, U2, Dock Boggs, Van Morrison, Doug Sahm, Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, Jim O'Rourke, Nikki Sudden, M Ward, Jesse Malin, John Prine, Jay-Z, The Stooges, Damon Albarn, Old Crow Medicine Show, Chris Whitley, Lou Reed, Robert Johnson, Beth Orton, Rufus Wainwright, Steinski, Harry Nilsson, Uncle Dave Macon, Allen Toussaint, Merle Haggard, Morrissey, John Coltrane, Dennis Wilson, Wilco, Jerry Garcia, The Ramones, Josh Homme, Jim James, Waylon Jennings, Skip Spence, Yo La Tengo, CSN(Y), Ralph Stanley, Bill Fay, Joan Wasser, Ghostface Killah, Miles Davis, Judas Priest...I could go on forever - and I could even go outside of the realm of music - but I'll spare you. And I don't know that this list really says much about my exact sound, but whatever - just know you need to own records by all of these artists.
Sounds Like
Hmm...well, people have told me it has reminded them of Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Springsteen's "Nebraska", Elvis Costello (mainly lyrically, I'd think), Van Morrison, and Joe Cocker. Also, one night awhile back one of my best friends described my stuff as sounding like "a raw heart on a platter", but maybe that's just because she knows me.
To Whom It May Concern: I’ve got a story for you, and it’s a pretty good one - particularly if you’re a believer in the redemptive power of music. I was unemployed for over a year after September 11, living in downtown Manhattan, spending most of my time in my dark apartment with the lights off. Tthere were periods where I didn't speak to anyone for days. As any music obsessive does, I took refuge in records. In addition to the classics (Joni Mitchell’s "Blue", Neil Young’s "Tonight’s The Night", Van Morrison’s "Astral Weeks", Springsteen’s "Nebraska", and Townes Van Zandt’s "Live at the Old Quarter", to name some elite titles) that I’d always returned to, a few more recent albums had me firmly under their spell: Ryan Adams’ "Heartbreaker" and "Gold"; Gillian Welch’s "Time (The Revelator)"; Jesse Malin’s "The Fine Art of Self-Destruction". In a very real way, these timeless, personal records saved my life. They were perfectly sad and beautiful and great to drink to, of course - but even more importantly, they stirred something in me that had been dormant for far too long: the calling to write songs and sing them. I’d written countless tunes during my New Jersey youth, played them live at every opportunity, attended songwriters’ workshops...but after high school, I got lost in the shuffle of NYU film school and the world of television, and found less and less time to seriously focus on music. With nothing but time - and the rejeuvenating power of those records that stirred me - on my hands during my long stint without work, I started picking up my guitar again on a regular basis and resumed my life as a dedicated songwriter. Once I had a batch of songs I was happy with, I took them out and started playing them. My momentum grew from there. Both onstage and in the tiny bedroom where I wrote, I began inching further and further out on the proverbial tightrope, laying it all out on the line in the spirit of the singer-songwriters I felt akin to. One night in March 2004, a couple of those songwriters - Ryan Adams and Jesse Malin, no less - found themselves at one of my shows, enjoyed what they heard, and recognized my influences; Ryan’s first comment to me was that he heard Gillian Welch and "Nebraska" in my music. It had all come full circle; the voices on the very records that had revived me as a songwriter were giving me their stamp of approval and offering their encouragement. It kept me writing and playing, revived my faith in myself, and got me through a roller coaster of a decade. While I'm not actively playing at the moment, the songs remain, and more are bound to be written. Perhaps one day I'll get myself out there again, but for now, check out some recorded tunes, OK? Tom Ceraulo
hey tom! a) i lost my phone so i don't have your number anymore. text me so i have it? 2) monday is my birthday and i hope you can make the party! 9pm or so at niagara. have a great weekend!
Thanks for the friendship. This is just me trying to do it all. If you have chance to listen to some of my songs and comment, that would be cool. If you're too busy, that's ok, no worries. I wish you peace love and happiness. Allan
hey man i thinkm your songs are awesome especially come by it honestly there's something a bit marianne faithfull about it! but that's maybe just my untrained opinion. either way thanks for the add - very impressed by the ryan adams story by the way! gonna see him in a few weeks in nottingham, altho i doubt i'll get close enough for a hello
