Leonard Cohen, Yo La Tengo, Televison, Cat Power, Johnny Cash, Charles Mingus, Violent Femmes, Nina Nastasia, The Velvet Underground, Daniel Johnston, Van Morrison, Beat Happening, Belle and Sebastian, Pixies, Smog, Sparklehorse, Stars, the short stories of Guy De Maupassant and the cinema of Orson Welles.
Sounds Like
"Tom is in the company of those meta-sad acts that have graced the Domino label, like Bill Callahan, Elliot Smith and Will Oldham… a steady voice in a landscape of shrill amateurs." Stuart Bailie - Oh Yeah
Watch Tom live at the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival with And So I Watch Yo From Afar and The Benjamins
About Tom McShane
Tom McShane is a musician/songwriter from Northern Ireland. He has released several EPs since his 2003 debut, Songs Are Sad.
Tom and his band have played a string of profile raising gigs with Arab Strap, Holly Golightly, Malcolm Middleton, Hal, Fionn Regan, Iain Archer, Nad Navillus (Songs: Ohia) and Duke Special including performances at the “Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival”, and the prestigious “Belfast Festival at Queens”, where he supported Damian Dempsey. Tom has received airplay on national and regional radio stations alike, including live sessions on Tom Robinson’s BBC 6 Music Evening Sequence show and Radio Ulster’s Across the Line.
Fellow Northern Irish act, Oppenheimer featured a synth-pop cover of Tom's lo-fi anthem, "Don't Call Me" on their eponymous debut album. The album was released on Bar/None Records in 2006.
In 2007 Tom signed to San Francisco based indie label, Penny Distribution and released Departures, a six track mini album. During November & December 2007 he toured the US Pacific Coast in support of the released.
Tom further built on the success of Departures with the single, Fighter which was released in June 2008 June. It was released on split 7 inch vinyl with "God Says" by Escape Act on the flip side. The single is available from indie record stores throught the UK and Ireland. A digital version can be purchased from all the usual download sites.
In 2009 Tom embarked on his second US tour to road test new material for his next project. More news on that to follow...
"McShane is a class act. There is fragility to his performance which underscores the deep-felt authenticity of this music."
Francis Jones - AU Magazine
"Tom is a steady voice in a landscape of shrill amateurs."
Stuart Bailie - Oh Yeah
"An artist with a pure soul."
Jeremy Chick, Subba Culture
"Tom has made his under confidence and fragility the stuff of high art. Essential stuff."
Marty Neill - NI Music Magazine (A & R Section)
"One of Belfast’s most promising talents."
Colin Carberry - Hotpress
“The music of Tom McShane is at once captivating and heartbreaking... performed with rare poise and passion. ”
Dave Roy - The Irish News
Gifted. Thursday 29th October... Seven Summits, John Shelly, Patio Sounds & Blackeye Friday. 9pm. Hope you can make it! We're doing mostly new stompy, swampy, dixielandy, bluegrassy stuff! Should be fun! G
Dearest Tom, we are really excited about playing with ASIWYFA in the Mandela Hall April 4th. It's going to be a night to remember and it would be lovely to see you there!
