MySpace a place for friends

“Freight Train”
This band was my first foray into the studio to record an album. I was 17 years old and was blown away by the process. We were a blues band consisting of a bunch of suburban white kids trying to emulate fifty-year old black blues players. It was rough, but pretty good (all things considered). The best thing about this band was that it was the beginning of my relationship with Rick Shaffer (guitar) and Jimmy Peters (bass) who would later, along with Bruce Cohen, become “The Reds”.

“The Reds”
What can I say about this band? What a unit…..all sound and fury with an unbelievable energy level for live shows. Featuring Rick Shaffer’s dark, thought-provoking songwriting and the creative playing of Jimmy Peters and Bruce Cohen, it was a terrific unit that somehow managed to find its way onto the roster of A&M records in 1979. While it was a short ride with A&M, we got to tour with the premier bands of that time (The Police, Joe Jackson, Blondie, and The Ramones) and visited many cool, and obscure, places. Rick and Bruce are still together and their latest project, "Early Nothing", was recently released. It continues in the dark, edgy tradition of the Reds and is a fine piece of music. If you want to learn more about the band, both past and present, please go to their website, www.theredsmusic.com

“Hoi Polloi”
Hoi was a great band built around the combined writing talents of Jimmy McFadden and Fred DiTomasso. Our music was a powerful blend of Jimmy’s “Beatle-esque” sensibilities and Fred’s “Americana” influences. Other members included Tony Winkler on fine lead guitar and Ray “Mundo” Card. Sadly, Ray is no longer with us and I, along with all his friends and family, miss his gentle spirit and cosmic outlook.

“Robert Hazard”
Yes…..I was a “Hero” for a short time in a later configuration of the band, but I’m really most proud to say that I was an “Hombre” when Robert started exploring his “roots” side. Robert is a good friend and a superb writing talent and I always can't wait to hear his latest efforts.
8/8/08:
Still shocked and saddened by the news........gone too soon.....a memory of a great night of music in late June at Puck in Doylestown. Craig, Robert, Terri Hendrix, and Lloyd Maines.....four great writers/musicians and me. Robert lookin' back at me with a big s**t-eatin' grin while we all played together. His response to a message I sent thanking him for letting me sit-in on his songs, telling me that it was "the most fun I've had in a long time". That's how I'm remembering him.
My thoughts and love go out to Susan and the kids.......this is a tough one to take.

“Craig Bickhardt”
After living in Chicago for ten years, I moved back to the Philadelphia area in 2005 and not too long after I was back, Craig returned to the area after living in Nashville for 24 years. We’ve known each other for twenty-five years or so and when he needed a little percussion work for some dates, I was happy to join him and he hasn’t been able to shake me since! When I mentioned earlier about being in awe of song writers, Craig would personify that feeling for me and I’m honored to take the stage with him at every opportunity. If you know me and are reading this, you probably already know about Craig’s talents, but if by chance you don’t, PLEASE do yourself a favor and check him out wherever and whenever you can………...whether I’m on stage with him or not. You won’t be sorry!

Anyway……..there's been a lot more fantastic people and players along the way whom I didn't mention, but those are the highlights for me. If you’ve managed to make it this far down, I'd like to thank you again for stopping by my page. You might see some of the names I’ve mentioned listed as my friends. They're all great people, places, and/or players so please check out their pages as well. There's a lot of great music out there just waiting to be heard!

Hope to see you at a show somewhere soon..........

Tommy