The Stompin' Tom shows we've done this year have gone swimmingly! I think it's safe to say all seven of us in the band feel caught up in a musical joy ride and we're having the time of our life. Every show on our recent tour of Georgian Bay and Northern Ontario ended with a standing ovation. It's not surprising that we float out of the theatre each night with these happy images in our heads.
We like to think the music and the stories that we share each night do justice to the memories we have of Tom and his music. But it's more than that. There's a nuance to each show that defies analysis.
Having said that, I'll defer to a couple of fans for their take on what's going on.
I discussed this with a couple of my scholarly friends who had just witnessed this phenomenon at one of our shows. Their thought was that we perform the songs, even the ones about vegetables, in a polished and highly professional way. Each song is treated with respect. Our interpretations are genuine. Also, our repertoire for each show includes other Canadian classic songs, songs that everyone knows intimately and have embraced in an emotional and personal way. I'm thinking of Someday Soon, Snowbird and the like. When presented together as one package, the Tom songs that were once dismissed by the radio intelligentsia are, as far as our audience is concerned, now elevated to the status that they richly deserve.
Sudbury Saturday Night for example has all of the correct ingredients for a hit song. Yet, radio programmers took a pass. The same can be said for other Tom non-hits like Bud the Spud, Margo's Cargo, Moon Man Newfie and so on.
I recently received an unsolicited email from some fans who attended our show in Meaford. Their comments reinforce this idea that our show is more than just stories & songs.
Writes Mike from Meaford: "We all really enjoyed the show last night. The stories, combined with the great arrangements and the top notch musicianship of you and your band, made for a warm and memorable evening."
We like to think the music and the stories that we share each night do justice to the memories we have of Tom and his music. But it's more than that. There's a nuance to each show that defies analysis.
Having said that, I'll defer to a couple of fans for their take on what's going on.
I discussed this with a couple of my scholarly friends who had just witnessed this phenomenon at one of our shows. Their thought was that we perform the songs, even the ones about vegetables, in a polished and highly professional way. Each song is treated with respect. Our interpretations are genuine. Also, our repertoire for each show includes other Canadian classic songs, songs that everyone knows intimately and have embraced in an emotional and personal way. I'm thinking of Someday Soon, Snowbird and the like. When presented together as one package, the Tom songs that were once dismissed by the radio intelligentsia are, as far as our audience is concerned, now elevated to the status that they richly deserve.
Sudbury Saturday Night for example has all of the correct ingredients for a hit song. Yet, radio programmers took a pass. The same can be said for other Tom non-hits like Bud the Spud, Margo's Cargo, Moon Man Newfie and so on.
I recently received an unsolicited email from some fans who attended our show in Meaford. Their comments reinforce this idea that our show is more than just stories & songs.
Writes Mike from Meaford: "We all really enjoyed the show last night. The stories, combined with the great arrangements and the top notch musicianship of you and your band, made for a warm and memorable evening."
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