An update for Calculated Discomfort in its 5th year of existance
New year, new ideas
Hello friends,
I had been planning to send an email like this a week or two ago with a slightly different tone, but of course as we're learning things are rarely what they seem. Nevertheless, we persist through uncertain times.
I'm writing with an update on my hopes and dreams for this year.
The rush of performance opportunities in the second half of 2021 has gotten me very happy about the people I'm currently working with. The Calculated Discomfort extended family is truly full of bold and empathetic artists who make adventurous music. With that feeling in my heart, I'm beginning the process of transitioning Calculated Discomfort from a loosely assembled band to a more formal record label / collective. I have some of the specifics and projects in mind and I'm still figuring many others out, but essentially I'm commited to finding the best way possible to help my friends and myself present creative music in formats and spaces that feel meaningful and memorable on a consistent basis.
One aspect of this new approach is that I will be putting a lot less time and effort into social media, and instead communicating through email and the BandCamp platform. If you're not familiar with BandCamp, it's basically the new school version of a record store where you can browse music by genre and style (and the people who run it are intimately familiar with all types of music ). You can stream, buy digital copies, share your music recommendations, order merchandize and even watch live shows. It's also the only truly artist-friendly major music platform in terms of the way funds are distributed. If there's any artist you enjoy that isn't in the top 10 played on FM radio, BandCamp is by far the most meaningful way to show your support (at least in the digital realm). As a listener personally I find it much easier to spend more time with new music from others because BandCamp doesn't encourage you to jump randomly from artist to artist in the way Spotify does. Okay, I know sometimes a self-curated playlist is what you need, but since you're on this list of people who have showed me major support in the past, I'm guessing you want to experience random artists' wild visions in their totality at least sometimes.
Rants aside, I will be presenting virtual shows and sharing exclusive music on BandCamp in 2022. The first virtual event will be a Valentines Day show by me and Stephanie Alma (details below).
That's all for now. I hope this message finds you safe and relatively well. Please do reach out with any comments or feedback. I really do want to know what you think, or at least how you're doing. Scroll below for Valentines Day concert info, a list of in-person dates, and a quick musical recap of 2021.
Have a great day,
Tommy
Valentines Day with Steph and Tommy
Monday Feb. 14th, grab your favorite person or food and virtually sip some champaign with us. This concert will be streamed exclusively on BandCamp. The show starts at 8pm and costs $10. You will need to make a BandCamp account,, which only requires your email and helps you stay in tune with indipendent artists of your choosing. A replay will be available for 48 hours after the show. Get your ticket here.
In-person performances
If you're feeling up to it, here are some upcoming performances with a couple small band configurations. All in Chicago.
- Wednesday 1/26 at the Whistler (trio with Maxx McGathey and Aidan Epstein, 9pm, 2 sets)
- Wednesday 2/2 at AliveOne on Halsted (trio with Will Barnard and Aidan Epstein, 9pm, 1 set, Rios Trio performs after)
- Wednesday 2/16 at Cafe Mustache (quartet with Lyn Rye + TBD, 9pm, 1 set, Life and Style plays after)
A musical recap of 2021
- Original Medicine, Jan. 12, a drums-only album of the ideas I developed live streaming during quarantine and beyond
- Dances for Different Bodies, Vol. I, Jun. 25, the long-delayed release of my sonic tribute to disability culture
- The Invisible Trio, Sept. 10, new band with Stephanie Alma and Greg Kelchner had its debut performance
- The Time to Shop is Now!, Dec. 17, the Winter Clearance Event's first holiday mixtape