As a refugee from the 60's and the coffee house era, I have been playing as a solo artist as well as in various duets, trios and bands from Canada to England, India, Nepal, USA, and places in between... played in classic rock, country and folk bands. I try to keep my songs as light and personal as possible in the acoustic genre. A lot of my songs speak on social issues and I try to relate to the common man/woman (like myself) and the things that are important in our journey thru this time span called life. The recording/production is not professional by any means. I usually try to do one-off takes and work around the tracks to enhance the sound in the limited time and equipment I have available. I hope some of these songs will touch a place in your heart or evoke a feeling of shared consciousness. All comments and critiques are welcome. All the best.
Band???...Hey,where'd they go?! (looking rapidly to my left,right and behind). A big thanks to my good friend, Steve Sampson for much appreciated harmonica parts.
Play live?....Not as much as I would like. I play acoustic sets with friends at concerts and parties.
Where?....played clubs in England in the 70's, various classic rock and country bands in Canada. Bounced around major hotels in India for several years...lots of parties and acoustic music gatherings.
Like it?.... Love it!
Special moments?....Opened for English band,Wishbone Ash in Bangalore,India. A buddy and I opened with 'American Pie' to warm up the crowd as they were filing into the fenced-off grounds where the concert was being held. The crowd went wild (they loved 'American Pie' over there). Growing frustrated waiting in the slow-moving line, the fence started coming down as everyone poured in so they wldn't miss the show. We had to stop the song and yelled into the mic,"Everyone calm down, we're just Gordon and Tom..Wishbone Ash will be on in 20 minutes!" Loved the momentary rush it gave us,but felt guilty after seeing the disappointed faces..ha! Later we jammed all night with the band in the hotel room.
Was at a large bar in Kathmandu.Had my guitar with me. A fellow Canadian walked in with a saxophone. I said, 'Can you play that thing?' We started up a tune together(again, Amer.Pie). Suddenly we had the whole house singing with us,@ 50 in the upstairs bar where we were, and a couple of hundred on the lower floor. It was a cacophony of vocal chords.
CSNY, James Taylor, Joni Mithchell, Leonard Cohen,Ray Charles,Clapton, John Mayall, Gordon Lightfoot, John Prine, Simon and Garfunkel, The Doors, The Band, Dylan, Donovan, Beatles... and many wonderful people and great musicians along the way.
I currently use a Simon & Patrick acoustic/electric guitar. ...Fender base, cajone drum box, Shure SM56 mike, MXL condenser and MXL recording mikes. I record onto a Zoom 16-track (love it,btw), and edit /mix in CuBase SX3.
Political Views:
I'd have to say 'middle of the road' with one foot firmly planted on the left. Don't have a lot of faith in politics. I believe in true democracy, but the political system as I see it has gotten out of touch with it's purpose and no longer serves the interest of the people it is meant to serve. IMO, polarization in politics results in one side or the other getting what they want at the expense of the other side. I am a proud Canadian, but I deplore nationalistic pride that sets one nation against another. I have more of a world vision than a national vision...and I deplore the out-of-control corporate monster that has made it almost impossible for us to get back to a sustainable,healthy future for our children's children....And that, my friend, is how I see it!
Religious Views:
I am a Christian, but I am not "religious". I do not belong to any church or religious group. I do not wear my religion on my sleeve, but I am perfectly comfortable to say that I love the Lord and this beautiful world he/she created. I do not believe in "Churchianity"..IMO, it is a political system of belief, in which each denomination or sect has it's own particular "mandate from God", and rules that determine one's salvation. They can't all be right..and they can't all be wrong. It reminds me of the old Indian proverb of the 4 blind men and the elephant.... the 1st blindman grabbed the elephant's trunk and said 'an elephant is like a large hose'..2nd blindman grabbed a leg and said, 'an elephant is like a tree'..3rd blindman grabbed the tail and said, 'no, an elephant is like a rope'.. 4th blindman put his hands against the elephant's side and insisted, 'no. you are wrong, an elephant is like a great wall"...each had his own sense of what an elephant was like, but none saw the total picture. IMO, God is the spirit of love that gives life and breath to every living creature, and his/her intention is that we should live in love and harmony with one another...Man, have we screwed up!!.....And that,my friend is how I see it!