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When Tom Faulkner released his debut CD, Lost in the Land of Texico, an image was born that painted a musical and lyrical picture of a place where listeners longed to go to again and again. It is truly a soulful experience to Get Lost With Faulkners second CD, Raise The Roof, the journey evolves, moving the listener to an even deeper and richer place. Like Texico, Raise the Roof is explosive at times, yet gentle at others. The sounds and the stories are vintage Faulkner, taking the listener farther down a wonderfully familiar road, but with powerful new twists and turns that leave you, once again, longing for more. Faulkners musical acumen even caught the attention of New Orleans legendary Dr. John, who joined Tom to sing on Blues Across America, a rocking tribute to the heritage of American blues. Faulkner, a New Orleans-born singer/songwriter/producer knew by age 5 that music would be the fascination of his life when his mother took him to see Lawrence of Arabia and he begged her to buy him the music score. After earning a degree in philosophy from Washington & Lee University, he returned to Dallas and put together a band, The Coconuts, that achieved rapid and prolonged regional success. Signing with United Artists Publishing and a subsequent move to Los Angeles proved to everyone involved that record company promises can be as ethereal as vapor. After a multitude of unfulfilled promises, Faulkner came home, disillusioned, and the band broke up shortly thereafter. He immediately landed a job in a small recording studio with the intention of producing other bands and artists. While he gained production knowledge working in the studio, Faulkner's reputation as an accomplished composer caught the attention of advertising executives. Consequently, while en route to a singer/songwriter career, Tom created some of the most memorable commercial music onAmerican television and radio. Most notably, he composed I Want My Baby Back for Chilis, as well as the theme for Tom Bodett and Motel 6. Still, Faulkner never abandoned his dream of one day owning his own studio and producing his own music, so in 1990 he methodically assembled one of the finest state-of-the-art recording facilities in Texas. It should come as no surprise that in his endeavor to develop his own unique sound, Faulkner relied not on a record company to create his first CD, but on his own expertise and vision. Not that he doesn't credit many talented and supportive people who played essential roles, but Lost in the Land of Texico is truly an expression from the heart. Lost in the Land of Texico arose, in part, from the memories of his travels over the backroads of the Southwest. His unique blend of Texas rock, blues, Cajun and Tejano music is a heartfelt abandonment of musical trends and a passionate embrace of the rich ethnic heritage of "Texico." Over nine years have passed since the initial release of Texico yet the CD still has a life of its own, having spread by word of mouth to the edges of the world. * All ten songs on Lost in the Land of Texico have now received consistent airplay from all over the world, a real achievement for any CD, much less an independent one. *Over 250 stations in the US have now given songs from his CDs airplay, many unsolicited, from a multitude of formats including AAA, Americana, Adult Contemporary, Country, Pop and Rock. *"Texico" and now "RTR" have reached radio stations in over 20 countries. * The CD's first song, "When You Call Upon The Heart," was written for Sam Shepard as an anthem to his screenplay, now a Showtime cult classic, Curse Of The Starving Class, and the song Lost In The Land Of Texico was used in the movie as well. * Buscadero, Italy's leading American music magazine, gave the CD a tremendous review calling it "one of those strong albums that come once in a blue moon" * Delbert McClinton caught wind of Tom's talent and co-wrote New York City with him in the summer of 2001. Delbert since placed it on his CD, Room To Breathe, released September 2002. Faulkner has worked in the studio and/or written with such notable artists as Dr. John, EmmyLou Harris, Flaco Jimenez, Asleep At The Wheel, Delbert McClinton, The Texas Tornadoes, Eric Johnson, Wayne Toups, Paul Brandt, Jimmy Wayne, Tom Douglas, Steve Jordan, Brave Combo, Pat Coil and many others. He plays acoustic and electric guitars, bottleneck slide guitar, dobro, mandola, bajo sexto, Hammond organ, clavinet, and percussion instruments. Coupled with an explosive band, these songs come to life on stage as well as they did in the studio. Both Tom Faulkner CDs are available direct on-line at www.tomfaulkner.com as well as iTunes.
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