Prosthetic is ready for the world
Good morning friends,
For almost as long as I've been playing drums, I've been interested in how music represents and improves how people act with one another. For me taking part in musical collaborations has been a way to cut across social barriers that I find harder to break down otherwise. Ever since recording my Calculated Discomfort album in 2018, I've spent a lot of time pairing people from different musical backgrounds together to see what happens. In general, I've found that the more empathetic and open to new ideas people are, the better the music is.
With Prosthetic, my new album coming out Tuesday April 19th, I think me and the crew have managed to capture a level of empathy that can be hard to find on studio recordings. I always say the best music happens off the gig or after the session, and I think we managed to capture one of those moments last summer. I've played on-and-off with Julius Tucker (keys) since 2012 and Aidan Epstein (bass) has been one of my most frequent collaborators in recent years. The guys had never met before the session, but both of them are such great listeners and beautiful players I had a feeling it would work out. Often during the session it felt like I was floating above my drums, listening to their interaction all while my limbs responded to the music rather than trying to control it. It's easily my best recorded ddrumming to date and I can't wait for you all to hear the story we've woven from sound.
Pre-release party Apr. 14, digital release Apr. 19
The album will hit digital services Tuesday the 19th, but we'll be celebrating with a concert next Thursday at Fulton Street Collective.
You'll notice that I mentioned digital services, but in past emails have mentioned considering no longer putting my music on Spotify etc. After a lot of consideration, I have decided to make this project accessible everywhere. A lot of factors go into that, but at the end of the day I really just want to make sure it's easy for you to hear. Additionally, the day of the release, I will also be launching a campaign to press this record on vinyl. I will be asking your help to fund a batch of actual physical records being made. There are going to be some awesome rewards for support, including me recording personal drum pieces for you, unreleased music, and copies of future releases. So please stay tuned, this project is an important step for me personally, and also in the overall promotion of creative music.
Have a great day,
Tommy