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Hatched on a whim from a log of collected live tracks, ‘Recent Isolation’ came to life in May of 2009 under the steady and esteemed watch of engineer Caleb Willitz (Rattlesnake Studios - Chicago, IL). The record, essentially a smattering of live recordings made during 2008 and 2009 for/at a handful of outlets, including WMSE (91.7FM - Milwaukee, WI), WLUW (88.7FM - Chicago, IL), The George Eliot Sessions (Podcast - London, England, UK), and Americana (Podcast - Serbia), features 12 tracks composed solely of live vocals and acoustic guitar.

Set for official release on June 30th, 2009, ‘Recent Isolation’ is a tour of idle occupation - a stark and vivid document of a songwriter in his most essential and spartan element; alone with only his voice and his guitar.

Tom Vollman - The Betty Violet is available!!! Officially released on August 12, 2008. Click the photo below to purchase a CD copy or click the iTunes link to purchase an electronic version.

The foray seemed tempting, and at times, even inviting, ultimately ending in The Betty Violet. Clustered between the brick walls of a Chicago south loop loft, the record’s 11 tracks were culled and combed into focus revealing splices and glimpses into the oft-broken, collective consciousness of rock-n-roll. The intention was one of pure revelation—a communion with a bleak obsession of the inescapable, laced with the hopefulness of salvation. The attempt was a stab at capturing the colors of the twilight. The result was pure delight.

In the late summer of 2007, Tom Vollman began recording his debut solo record, The Betty Violet, at the aforementioned Chicago loft seeking to make nothing more than a sparse and hopefully telling folk rock record mimicking the punk ethos of his teenage, Southern California charges. The evolution to the present tense, it seemed, was unavoidable with aimless ideas and notions emerging from the very onset, nursed by the steady, yet influencing hands of excitement and experimentation.

As the fall gave way to winter and early January crept its frozen head around the hedge of late December, The Betty Violet fell into shape. Mixed in the same space where it was recorded (Rattlesnake Studios), the tracks were pushed onward to The Echo Lab, where they careened to their current state.

Set for release August 12, 2008, The Betty Violet, casts a sharp nod to the strains and hails of gritty Americana, while paying mind to the shifting boughs of the high lonesome. The Betty Violet flows from front to back with a shining albeit patient swagger—the convincing and overtly believable stride of characters categorizing their experiences (lived, imagined and misremembered) through the words, images and rhythms of a gifted songwriter.

For further information, please visit www.thomasjamesvollman.com. For booking or press inquiries, please contact Marcus Roberts via e-mail at marcusroberts@elyseesentertainment.com.

Tom Vollman - Live In Chicago - 2006 is also available!!! Click the photo below to purchase a CD copy or click the iTunes link to purchase an electronic version.

To view Tom Vollman's EPK, click on the SonicBids logo below.