Tom Brislin – Musician | tombrislin.com

I got to talk with the Illustrious Imogen Heap about the making of her new album Ellipse in the October issue of Keyboard Magazine.  Check out the video clips here.

Tom with Imogen Heap, July 2009

In other news, I’m now in full swing on my first tour playing keyboards with Renaissance.  Nearly every show has been sold out, but there are still tickets available for the final show on this tour, Saturday October 17 at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, NJ.  Then I’m off to the UK with Francis Dunnery’s New Progressives tour.  The fun never ends!

Before I set out for the Renaissance tour next month, I’m going to play a solo show at Rockn’ Joe in Kendall Park, NJ on October 3.  The good folks at NJProghouse put together the night, which is for all ages, and there’s no cover charge….and I’m playing 2 sets!

So come on out and say hi before I hit the road…

See the shows page for details.

I thought I’d share a little video blog about an adventure I had exactly 10 years ago.  Back in the grand old year of 1999, my band (then known as You Were Spiraling) went on tour supporting They Might Be Giants, all across America.  This was a profound experience for us, and will certainly get its own post in the future.  One experience during the tour stands out, which culminated exactly 10 years ago.  I went to Bound Brook, New Jersey, and filmed a short trip down memory lane.  You can see it here:

Here’s a video I found on YouTube of the Meat Loaf appearance on Letterman, the night before Hurricane Floyd hit:

I’ve just been added to the lineup of the legendary rock group Renaissance for their 2009 tour, which kicks off this October.  I’ll be playing synthesizers and singing backing vocals with the amazing Annie Haslam, Michael Dunford, and company.  Visit the Renaissance Official Myspace page for tourdates and info.

I’ll still be teleporting over to CalProg 2009 on October 10 to play my solo set, after which I’ll come back to the East Coast for more Renaissance dates.  Then, it’s off to the UK with Francis Dunnery’s New Progressives.  Amidst all of this, I’m also writing a solo album and am hatching some ideas over in Spiraling land (more on this soon).

I’m at the point where I can now spell the word “Renaissance” correctly; now I’ve got some music to go learn!

with Annie Haslam at Rites of Spring Festival, May 2009

I’ve spent the last few days at Area 602 Studio, recording keyboard tracks for The New Progressives.  With Brett Kull engineering, Francis Dunnery has been producing the sessions.  Francis’ approach to production is a unique one.  For instance, a typical exchange would go something like this:

ME:  ”What would you like me to play on this song?”

FRANCIS: “What would you rather be?  The Pope’s cousin, or an incredibly famous fish?”

Remarkably, I knew just what to play.

Stay tuned for the New Progressives album and UK tour this October.

from the first New Progressives session, June 2009.

THE SATURDAY, AUGUST 22 CONCERT HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO IMPENDING WEATHER.  MORE DETAILS SOON…..

I’ve been cheering the virtues of playing house concerts lately, especially the part about the “intimate setting” that a living room full of people create. That all changes this Saturday, August 22, as I will be one of several artists performing at Fusion at Dave and Julie’s. Dave Edwards is a fantasic musician and great friend; he was the first drummer in Spiraling and was our one-man violin section on our latest CD, Time Travel Made Easy. Dave and Julie host an annual outdoor concert at their home in Warwick, New York, featuring bands, jam sessions, and, yes, solo acts. It’s a beautiful country setting, a family-friendly environment, and it’s open to nice people such as yourself. Just go to their Myspace page for details. While you’re there, please check out Dave’s violin work on “Enemy” at the Spiraling Myspace page.

I had a great time traveling down to Virginia to play a house concert this past weekend. Thanks to Linda and all who attended for make it a fantastic night! Interested in hosting a Tom Brislin house concert?  Send me a message on tombrislin.com/contact and we’ll talk. No place is too far away!

Set list highlights from August 8, 2009 show:

Washing of The Water (Peter Gabriel)

The Girl On Top (Of The Piano)

The Future

Catch A Star (Men At Work)

Lightning Twice

Time Machine

Handle With Care (Traveling Wilburys)

Count To Four

Shop Vac (Jonathan Coulton)

There She Goes Again (Marshall Crenshaw)

Are You Here

Video Killed The Radio Star (Buggles)

I just launched my new YouTube channel at youtube.com/TomBrislinMusic.  My first upload is my solo performance of Men At Work’s “Catch A Star”, live from Southpaw in Brooklyn earlier this year.

For the first time in 8 years, I’ll be touring the UK! This fall, I’ll be playing with Francis Dunnery’s New Progressives (a fine collective of musicians, I must say). For the full list of dates, check out tombrislin.com/shows.

This month in Keyboard Magazine, I review the music software Pianissimo by Acoustica.
While you’re there, here are some other pieces I’ve penned for recent issues:
Artist interviews:
Brandon Flowers of the Killers with producer Stuart Price
Thomas Dolby

How to play:
“Time To Pretend” by MGMT
“You Found Me” by The Fray
The “So What” chord
“Love Lockdown” by Kanye West
“Love Remains The Same” by Gavin Rossdale
“Mercy” by Duffy

with Brandon Flowers of The Killers, fall 2008