It’s in the seemingly effortless ease with which he delivers his conversational lyrics and mellifluous melodies, this natural magic that is at the heart of Tom Freund’s music. Though he’s well-schooled and widely-traveled in a variety of genres — from hearftelt folk to buoyant pop to boho jazz to straightforward rock ’n’ roll, and beyond — Freund ultimately comes across simply as a singer-songwriter with his own singularly distinctive and engaging voice.
Tom Freund is pleased to announce the release of his newest album, The Edge of Venice, on August 16 via Surf Road Records. The album is produced by John Alagia (John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Dave Matthews) and features of some of LA’s finest musicians joining Tom in these 9 new songs. “The Edge Of Venice” comes in the wake of his latest EP “Fit To Screen” whose songs have been featured in this seasons “Parenthood” on NBC; and his latest full length “Collapsible Plans” which was produced by his musical cohort Ben Harper and features piano and vocal contributions from Jackson Browne on two tracks. The song “Collaspible Plans (Sugar) was seen performed live on “Last Call With Carson Daly” in January of 09.
Freund will also be touring in the coming months in support of The Edge of Venice. He will be playing in the US September through October, with tours of Europe and Japan in November. Details on tour dates are to be determined. Freund will also be playing European dates with Ben Harper including the Blue Balls Festival in Switzerland on July 28 and Monte Carlo on August 1st.
“I feel that (The Edge) is my most direct album to date,” says Freund. “Direct to the listeners in a sonic sense and transparent to what is going on in my life right now.” The songs cover such topics as endless touring (Lakeshore Drive) and cell phones, or lack thereof (Show Me The Love), relationships (Everything, Lonesome) and even his recent step into parenthood (Daddy’s Song). The nod to Venice comes mostly in the breezy “Wounded Surfer Boy” – about whom Freund shares, “I have seen more than a few in the neighborhood – and the girls that trail after them.” The subtle beauty of “Sweetly Calling My Name” evokes an even further westerly feel with references to Hawaii and a slack key tuning on his guitar with hauntingly beautiful vocal help from LA singer-songwriter friend Meiko. “Firetrucks” is what Freund called the “centerpiece of the record” – written on a moody rainy night in San Francisco when his buddy Brett Dennen gently advised him to “stay in and write!” Freund admits he hasn’t a clue where the album opener “Cruel Cruel World” came from.
Freund spent the mid-’90s touring with the indie rock cult faves The Silos and has been releasing solo albums since 1998. Since then, Freund has alternated between recording and touring behind his own discs (2001’s Sympatico and 2005’ s Copper Moon, plus a couple of EPs) and playing upright bass, electric bass guitar, and mandolin with the likes of British pub-rock great Graham Parker and rising groove-soul sensationBrett Dennen. (You’ll even find him on a couple of tracks from pop star Mandy Moore’s 2007 disc Wild Hope.)
The New York Times once noted on Tom, ”Every year the mounting landfill of new releases that threatens to bury the working music journalists yields a few unexpected gems, and Tom Freund is one of them.”
QUOTES on Tom Freund
“Every year the mounting landfill of new releases that threatens to bury the working music journalists yields a few unexpected gems, and Tom Freund is one of them.” – THE NEW YORK TIMES
“A fitting soundtrack to ‘On the Road’: Gorgeous wide-open spacious scenes, explorations of the young heartand quests from personal truth unfold in its literate, rootsy songs.” -NEW YORK POST
“Freund clearly delights in enigma. His vocals could go from laconic to impassioned without such obvious trickery as cranking up the volume. His lyrics are full of curveballs.” – WASHINGTON POST
“Journeyman Freund is soundtrack ready. He made an album that is all at once addictive, stylistically diverse and honest to the core.” -MSNBC
“An organic collection of songs and stories, breathing with an acoustic richness and lyrics that capture slices of Americana in a way that many attempt, yet very few actually master.” – NO DEPRESSION
“If Tom Petty and Nick Drake had a love child.” – BLOGCRITICS.COM
“Tom Freund is indeed one of the great singer-songwriters. He constructs a unique world, defines it, and then burns it to the ground. Truly unique and absolutely brilliant.” – ALL MUSIC GUIDE
“I get shivers down my spine on almost every tune. Along with Lucinda Williams, Freund is the best singer/songwriter operating today.” – GRAHAM PARKER
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