I first “met” Thom Lyons via Myspace…2 years ago, I think. I don’t recall how we ended up being friends there, but I think he friended me (before I banned band requests.) Anyway, I fell head over heels in love, love, love with his song Talking About the Weather. At the time he allowed downloads from his Myspace page, as I recall, and I listened to it over and over. And then, BONUS! He re-recorded it and added CELLOS! WHEEEEE!
I still love that song. ;)
I bought his CD when it came out, had him sign it and send it from England and he did, the sweetheart. So I kept up with him via the ’space and when I was writing what was originally called Catch and Release but now is called Stranger, I asked Thom some questions about being a musician, and he totally came through for me.
Then I got sucked into Facebook and he was there, too, and when I decided to do this Music Monday thing, of course I thought of Thom Lyons and the Thom Lyons Band. I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing him perform live but if he ever comes here or I go over there, I would love to!
While my favorite song is still Talking About the Weather, all the songs on his album Make It Up As We Go are good. I haven’t had the new EP This Is How It Goes as long, so I haven’t picked a favorite song yet, but I think it might be Something I Can Do.
So. Yeah. I dig Thom Lyons AND his band. :)
You can find him on Facebook and Myspace and his website. You can also find his music on iTunes and a bunch of other places I can’t figure out how to link to, but if you hit his website you can find out how.
However — ONE lucky winner will receive a copy of the Thom Lyons/Thom Lyons Band CD Make it Up As We Go…AND a copy of the EP This Is How It Goes. I’m not cross-posting this stuff any more because let’s face it, I’m too lazy. So one commenter to THIS entry will get both CDs for your very own.
And while I’m on it, Amy from the Chris Winters blog entry…I have a copy of Dirty for you per your request, but I can’t get in touch with you. Email me!
And without further adooooooooo…..
Here’s Thom Lyons.
1. Could you please tell us a bit about yourself? How you got started, how long you’ve been playing, anything you’d like the world to know about Thom Lyons (and the band)…here’s your chance. :)
Singer/songwriter Thom Lyons hails from London, England, and first picked up the guitar in 1995. Cue years of playing along to every record he owned, teaching himself to sing and play one CD at a time.
While Thom had been playing and writing songs for years, it wasn’t until 2003 that he started playing in public, venturing out to open mike nights and acoustic showcases.
It was at such a show in 2006 that Thom met Thomas Quillfeldt (bass, cello, vocals) and forged an instant connection. After playing together for a couple of months, and countless requests from audiences desperate for a record they could take home, the time came to expand the line-up and create the filled-out sound that Thom was looking for with his music. So in came Oli Felton (guitar, vocals) and Andrew Shannon (drums), old school friends of Thomas and remarkably talented musicians, to help record their debut CD, “Make It Up As We Go”. It was a diverse and assured debut, with songs ranging from the epic to the fragile, upbeat grooves to string-laden anthems.
The first half of 2007 saw Thom Lyons Band playing all over London employing a combination of amazingly crafted songs, a beautiful voice, and great band dynamics, winning over both audiences and promoters alike. In May, Thom headed to the US to play his first shows on foreign soil with dates in New York City and Chicago. On his return, the line up expanded again with the addition of Emily Rice on Cello, and the end of the year saw the band back in the studio to record the next EP, “This Is How It Goes”.
2. Do you write your all your own songs? Music and lyrics?
Everything we have released is written by us. At the live shows we very occasionally break into a random cover during a song (“I Will Survive” seemed to surprise a few people!) but at the moment the showcase type shows we’ve been playing mean the time we get on stage can be a little constricted, so we tend to concentrate on our own material.
When I play solo shows covers come up a little more often. I tend not to write a set list if I’m playing a show by myself so I might throw something in if I feel like it. When I first started playing I didn’t have that many songs of my own I felt comfortable playing so the sets would be much more cover-heavy while I taught myself how to play in front of people and find my own voice.
3. Do you have a process you follow for each song, or is each a different journey?
Most of the time it is a solitary process to begin with, in that I don’t usually present any material to the band until it’s at least partially written, so they all start with me and a guitar, and then once I have the majority of my part written I’ll play it to them and we’ll throw ideas around. Sometimes I’ll have a very clear idea of what I want them to play, other times I won’t have a clue so I’ll bring it in and we’ll experiment until something sticks.
One thing I’ve learned is that songs are never really finished. A song like “Time To Make A Change” sounds so different live compared to the recorded version, because we constantly look for ways to improve them. Each show you ask yourself what worked and what didn’t.
4. Do you often take your inspiration from outside sources, or are most of your songs based on what’s happened in your life?
The vast majority of the earlier songs are very much based in situations or emotions I was going through. But what I’ve come to realise is that can be quite limiting. Right now my life (luckily I suppose in some ways) is not that dramatic, in that I’m not having to deal with any great tragedies or massive life changing situations, and I loathe returning to subjects I’ve already covered too much because I figure I’ve already written that song. In that respect, I’ve tried to write more about outside situations. I find one way that seems to work is using the song as a conversation, whether with one person in particular or with a group. In a way they still remain personal and about things that have happened in my life because they are about my reaction to something in my world, to a situation or a person’s behaviour.
5. Do you set aside specific writing time, or do you scribble on the backs of napkins when the mood hits?
The initial germ of a song quite often comes from a line or an concept, so quite often I’ll jot that down (normally by writing myself a text message on my phone since I never seem to have a notebook handy!) but I tend to let those sit for a little while until I have a clearer idea of what it is I want to write lyrically. At the same time I’ll constantly be trying to come up with new melodies or chords and save all those up until I find a lyrical idea and a musical one that will mesh and then I put the two together. I don’t like to labour over songs too long, I won’t really draft much. The problem with lyrics is that they are supposed to be heard rather than read, and sometimes you’ll look at a line on the page which works fine but it doesn’t read all that well. So I find that if I try as much as possible to write the whole thing in one go because it stops me editing myself too much. Then once it’s pretty much done I’ll take it to the band and we’ll all arrange all our parts and finish off anything that needed tinkering.
6. Is there anything else you’d like my readers to know about any specific songs, your music, or you?
It’s difficult to talk about the meaning of songs because unless it’s obvious what the song is about, people can bring their own ideas to them and I love that. I’m a strong believer in this idea of authorship where meaning is made by the consumer rather than the creator. You can’t really dictate what a song means to somebody so you just have to put it out there and see what happens.
Thanks so much to Thom for the answers AND the generous donation of the CDs…seriously people. Go buy his music. Buy it, I command thee!
And when I go over to London to promote Taking Care of Business
I will totally have to meet you, Thom!
M
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