An incredible couple of months that started with getting married, ended with an amazing honeymoon in Australia. What a place.

I fully expected to be on the end of some serious heckling what with England winning the Ashes but I found everybody over there to be incredibly welcoming and warm, not as warm as the weather – a cool 30 degrees C…in their Winter – but pretty good nonetheless!

We started in Sydney, making our way up the coast towards Brisbane. Sydney is a brilliant city and we took in all the sights; the harbour bridge, opera house, National Australia Museum, The Rocks and the Royal Botanical Gardens. Sometimes when you build things up in your mind you’re fearful of being disappointed but everything was bigger and better than I had hoped for. I’m also happy to report that, after some painstaking research of the local eateries and drinking establishments, Stone & Wood Pale Ale is pretty damn good.

If I told you that the whole trip went off without a hitch I’d be lying. In the beautiful setting of Glenworth Valley, in between seeing a couple of kangaroos and some ancient aboriginal art I had an encounter with a horse called Barry. Needless to say Baz got the better of me but I got back on the horse and I’m no worse for wear. (I definitely didn’t get back on the horse. Barry is a git.) 

We wound our way up the coast via Byron Bay where we watched the sunrise and went whale watching. You know. As you do. It was a Wednesday to be fair. Did I mention we saw a couple of sea turtles and some dolphins as well as humpback whales? Just casually. We were seeing creatures that were genuinely travelling along the EAC DUDE! (Finding Nemo reference.)

We took a short flight from Brisbane to Cairns for the last week of the trip. The first part involved white water rafting down the rapids to Lake Placid, upon reaching the lake our guide commented “Yeah maybe don’t fall out here guys ‘cause the crocs won’t hold back.” In the same manner that a Yorkshireman might remark about a particular brand of teabags. We even managed to fit in some parasailing around Cairns bay and snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef.

It was rubbish really. Probably never ever go back. Ever. Australia is boring.

I guess the final word must go to the new Mrs. Gee. Niamh is our number 1 fan, number 1 critic and my number 1 wife. We’ve had an amazing start to married life with our family and friends and we’re looking forward to spending the rest of our lives together.

And never going back to Australia. Ever.

Tom.

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I auditioned down in London on 21st February 2014 (I’ve kept the train ticket in my wallet as some form of good luck charm) and was told to expect a response on 1st March. I awoke at 5am on the 1st to an email from Berklee telling me that I’d been accepted and I was beyond elated: the thing I’d been thirsting for for close to 7 years had crossed over from the realm of fantasy into actuality. It felt as though my excitement and happiness helped to propel the following few months along because before I knew what was happening I was in Boston turning up to my first class.

I couldn’t possibly comment on every aspect of my time in Boston for fear that my descriptions wouldn’t do justice to the incredible experiences I had. In spite of this, one of the most phenomenal aspects of my time at Berklee, and one thing I specifically want to talk about, were the warm, beautiful, and talented people I met over there. It’s been my experience that the most incredible musicians, the ones who are the most gifted, the ones who work hardest and get the best gigs, are often also the most humble, a description that certainly rings true with the friends I made in Boston. I met people from literally all over the world, almost all of whom were younger than me and with seemingly infinite stores of creativity and ability. I felt constantly inspired to go away and practice and to be the best I possibly could be in the vain hope that I could enthuse people in the same way that I had been inspired. No part of my time there ever felt competitive, however- we all encouraged each other, watched each other develop, shared in the very few tedious experiences (hi there, Ear Training classes) and celebrated our various successes together- it was an unbelievably happy time.

Not to single anybody, or any people, out, but I have to mention Soleil Laurent, her loving family, and all the good people in the Quantum Split camp for giving me the opportunity to rehearse and play with them in New York. In all likelihood I will never get a chance to play in that city again but being able to do so over the course of a few months last year is something I will never forget. A truly once in a lifetime opportunity that I know many far more talented musicians than I would love to experience and yet very possibly never will.

And it was that exact sentiment that kept me working hard whilst I was in Boston, the feeling that I’d been presented with this incredible chance to study at this wonderful institution and that I knew there were hundreds, if not thousands, of other musicians that would love to be where I was. I didn’t want to waste any of my time there by doing anything half-heartedly or being satisfied with anything less than my absolute best.

I had two phenomenal private instructors whilst at Berklee, namely Victor Bailey and Lincoln Goines, two bass players whose reputations precede them and two people from whom I learnt a great deal. If you don’t know these guys then just type their names into Google and have a read. A brief amusing story about getting Victor as my teacher: I was asked what kind(s) of music I was interested in studying as a means of pinpointing a suitable private teacher. After mentioning jazz and funk music specifically this chap scrolled through the database on his computer and, without shifting his eyes from the screen, he said, “Tell me, have you ever heard of Victor Bailey?” I cleared my throat. He turned to look at me, a wry smile smeared across his face, just as my jaw dropped to the floor. In my mind I imagined myself donned in tweed, articulate and witty, responding in some humorous way, but in reality I was all pale and sweaty, blinking uncontrollably, yelling out random syllables in a way that I hoped would convey that I had indeed heard of Victor Bailey and that I would very much like for him to be my teacher. Victor is the absolute man: a ridiculous, RIDICULOUS player and an absolutely lovely guy to boot.

Whilst studying at Berklee, I also spent a lot of time in a town about an hour away called Plymouth. I was so lovingly welcomed into a community there, a community I still think about every day and one which I would love to become a permanent member of- being able to move over there permanently (and legally) is my next big project.

Whilst I try to steer clear of needless self-praise, being accepted to Berklee and being part of that community of musicians, even for just a couple of semesters, is one of the proudest achievements of my life. The worry, of course, is that after wanting something for so long and getting it, the actual experience inevitably doesn’t live up to expectations, something demonstrably untrue with my experiences in Boston. The years of frustration, worry and self-doubt have been… perhaps not fully laid to rest, but certainly temporarily satisfied by finally attending the school I wanted to go to. The positivity and enthusiasm that were key features of my time there continue to inspire me to keep striving to be the best I can be in my endeavours back here in the UK.

Find out more about Jamie here.

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Tom Gee at New Crawdaddy Blues Club, Essex. February 2015.

So, 2014 disappeared fairly quietly for Tom Gee Band.
After a whirlwind year that included our debut album coming in at No. 4 in the iTunes Blues Chart, a British Blues Awards nomination and touring all over the UK & Ireland, we all had a well-earned rest before getting started on 2015.

2015.
I can remember being 11 years old in 2000 and hearing people talk about football World Cups being held in 2010, people preparing bids for the 2012 Olympics and thinking how far away that sounded. A lot has happened since then so I decided to take a little bit of time to think about what we are going to do next.
It’s not easy – sometimes finding the motivation to keep going is hard as the industry changes, as people buck against the revolution of roots music and as “new music” sounds less new and less like music with each passing day.
2015 will mark my 26th birthday. In all the daydreams and fantasies of roaring success in the music business I had as a teenager, I had “made it” by now.

As that sentence finds its way to the page from my fingers via my keyboard I allow myself a wry smile; what constitutes having made it?
Having a debut album in the Top 5 on an iTunes chart?
Coming up to 10 years of gigging from pubs to clubs to theatres and arenas with some of the most talented musicians I’ve come across?
Some might say that I’d have to be very greedy to want more than that. There’s an interesting sense of melancholy that seeps in when I look back. I’m satisfied with what we’ve achieved so far.

We had a rehearsal in January.  Locked in a small soundproofed room with Tolu, Jim, Dave, Matt and Joe for 4 hours might sound to some like a chore. For me it was therapy. Getting back into the swing of things. We walked out of that rehearsal with 2 new songs and 2 old songs totally reworked.
So, when it’s hard to find my get up and go, where do I find the motivation to keep going?
This band.

2015 is a big year from a personal point of view. I’m getting married and delighted to say that our long time drummer and friend David is also tying the knot.
You would be forgiven for thinking we might be distracted from our music but that certainly isn’t the case.
We plan to gig, write and towards the end of the year start recording our difficult 2nd album.
Excited? Yes.
Motivated? Totally.
Having been lucky enough to play a few gigs already this year with Jo Harman I’m hopeful of securing a few more support dates later this year. We’ve had lots of great feedback from our gigs so far and we’re looking forward to continuing to play throughout the country.

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It occurs to me that several rather significant things have occurred since July.  Whether it’s an independence referendum in Scotland, the startling rise to prominence of IS or the passing of Ian Paisley, it seems to me that the world is ever changing and constantly moving on to something new.

It’s strange to think that when such huge and significant changes are happening on a global and personal scale – I’m so totally and utterly captivated by music. You can discuss the ins and outs of politics and I’ll more than likely offer you an opinion but nothing came as natural to me as the vilification I had reserved for my friends and family that asked me what I thought of U2 and, more specifically, U2’s ‘free’ album.

First of all, it’s not free.  Apple paid them each a huge lump sum for the rights to distribute that album for diddly.  Do I blame U2 for releasing an album for free?  Of course I do.  I’m not U2 so naturally I’m incredibly jealous of the (rumoured) $25m that they received.  Each.  If Apple offered me that amount of money to distribute an album for free would I say yes?

Don’t. Be. Ridiculous.

Of course I’d say yes.

But have Apple offered me such a deal?  No.  So therefore I’m pretty annoyed.

Next time I’m at a gig I can guarantee when I try to sell our album (11 tracks of blood, sweat, tears and pure unadulterated promiscuity) somebody is going to point out that he can get U2’s for free, and I will have to contend with that.  Now granted, nobody is shelling my home or invading my homeland or asking me whether or not I want to live in a completely independent nation, but still, it’s pretty annoying.  I’m not in a position where I can afford/negotiate a deal to release an album for free so why would you compare me and my band to U2?

I mean for starters I don’t wear sunglasses when I’m inside.  I don’t want to look like a gigantic fly.  But following on from this point I fully understand why U2 have done what they’ve done.  It doesn’t mean that it’s right or that I like it.  I happen to think that it’s wrong and I definitely don’t like it.  But as I wind myself up into a frenzy of anti-Bono rhetoric I think that it’s worth remembering that I actually quite like U2’s music.  I’d also very much like to see them live one day, but moves like this by big guns in the music business do not help people at the bottom of the ladder, like us.

Speaking of the bottom of the ladder that’s where I felt like I was looking up from, at the magnificent Nimmo Brothers after my solo support set for them last month. What a show and a thoroughly nice bunch of blokes as well. If you haven’t already then I recommend that you check them out.

Our Can’t Get Enough video came out as well which has been well received and we’re already working on a video for Dead In the Morning!

Keep a look out for more gig announcements over the next while!  We’re doing another bit of travelling this week with Northampton and Cheltenham as our next stops – hope to see you there!

Also. Red Wine.  I’m a big fan.

TG

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We were stood waiting to head on to the stage at the A C Painswick Festival surrounded by the many people who had been enjoying the amazing variety of things to see – from fashion exhibits to local culinary stands and craft stores.  Now it was nearly time for the music, the main stage was bang in the middle of the village, a quiet little village that had been transformed into a vibrant hub of colour and creativity.

The main stage was also in the middle of a graveyard.

I can’t honestly say that I was expecting Alec to say those words in that order last Sunday, but say them he did and it got me thinking; have we ever done a gig in a more surreal setting than this?  I had flashbacks to a gig in a barn with birds flying around our heads and one gig we did outside in the snow.  It’s pretty hard to top a graveyard though.

“I’ve done a few gigs that felt like they were in graveyards.”  Those are the words of Mr Tolu Ajayi, apparently a veteran of numerous gigs in the company of those less than alive.  I cast my mind back and it’s unnervingly easier to recall those gigs that felt like they were in graveyards than those in surreal surroundings.

I guess this is just part and parcel of life as a musician; new venues, traditional venues, big crowds, smaller crowds, lively crowds and those not so lively.  Nothing wrong with a bit of variation and with what we do you have to be prepared for almost every eventuality.

I’m glad to report that the crowd were excellent and funnily enough it didn’t feel like we were playing in a graveyard.  We’re off to Essex next to play at the New Crawdaddy Blues Club.  Should be a cracker, we’ll see you there.

Tom

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3 months sounds like a long time to be working on a 5 minute video, but that’s nothing compared to the amount of time and effort Tom Gee Band have put into their debut album, ‘Swapping Stories’. I’d first heard of blues artists Tom Gee Band a while before their EP ‘Better Things To Do’ was released last year and I was excited to be asked to come along to film some behind the scenes of the new recording.  I caught up with them in the studio at the start of February when they already had a large portion of the hard work done, and even without vocals, brass or a finished guitar track it already sounded like the best work they’d written yet.  I really enjoyed the couple of days I spent there, trying to stay out of the way and be as invisible as possible with my camera so I’d catch the real atmosphere and creativity of the process.  David Sudall the drummer, who was first to lay down his parts for the album, didn’t let that stop him from coming back into the studio regularly to help make decisions and did a great job at capturing even more footage of those memorable moments. After the long days in the studio came the organisation of the album launch party.  The HiFi Club in Leeds is a great venue and suited the occasion perfectly.  Tom Gee Band’s set that night was probably one of the best I’ve ever had the chance to record.  The crowd was loving it, the band were clearly enjoying themselves, and it was so great to hear the songs I’d heard be changed and played a million times over in the studio finally be revealed to the public.

Since the album launch the band have been busy travelling the country, playing their new material for hundreds of people.  Having been to Cheltenham Jazz Festival before I knew I had to bring my camera along to capture the completing footage for my trailer.  The afternoon acoustic set they played in the Woods drew quite the crowd, but their set that evening was really what they had been looking forward to.  The audience loved the new material, even providing the band with a standing ovation at the end.  Seeing this really made me understand why they put so many months of long days and late nights into recording the album.  The hard work certainly paid off and I’m glad the album is getting the recognition it deserves. After all those weeks of getting in the way with my camera, sitting down to create the Swapping Stories video trailer proved tricky as I had so much to work with it was hard to know where to start. I wanted to showcase the talent and variation the album contains to make people want to hear more, but also show the personalities of the band and make it enjoyable to watch. Between trying to choose mere clips from 11 tracks of catchy riffs and runs (Matt’s saxophone solo was a tricky one to cut short but I just had to use as much of it as I could) and sifting through the hours of footage I’d managed to gather up over the months, keeping this video short was not easy! One thing I did notice in this edit (apart from the abundance of hidden dancing talent the band should really bring to the stage) was just how tight they are as a band, especially considering there are eight of them.  As I was syncing live footage to tracks from the album recordings I really wasn’t expecting it to fit as well as it did, but there were some clips that just landed perfectly in time – couldn’t have planned it if I’d tried! I’m really happy with how it turned out and I think it shows the relaxed nature of the band and their blues artists talent as well as giving you a taster of what the album has in store!

Now onto the next big project… which single needs a music video?

Buy ‘Swapping Stories’ from our online shop.

More Tom Gee Band videos can be found on our official YouTube channel here.

See more of Clarissa’s work on her YouTube channel here.

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We’ve been getting the first mixes of the album back over the last day or so and listening to them, I can barely contain my excitement. They’re sounding amazing. One of nicest things has been going into the studio every weekend and hearing each member of the band improve upon tracks that I’d already been ecstatically happy with. It’s great to be working with people who are so full of surprises.

I have to say I love the whole recording process. Starting with absolutely nothing, laying down the bass and drums and layering it up until you end up with a piece of music that didn’t exist before is a really satisfying thing.

One of the best things about being in this band is that we’re all perfectionists to a degree, and we’re always looking to improve on things. One example of this is the track ‘Piece of Paper’ (formerly called ‘Old Greg’). During rehearsals, we collectively decided that this particular track shouldn’t have a great deal of musical embellishments and that the lyrics and melody should cut across everything else.

To this end, Matt and I came up with some very simple, unobtrusive horn parts. When it came time to put those parts down, Matt wasn’t particularly happy and felt that the lines weren’t meshing properly with the other instruments. We finished recording our parts and moved onto another track, but listening to a rough mix later, we decided that we’d re-write the parts. I’m really glad that we decided to do that; the replacement parts we came up with blend much better and actually add something to the song, rather than just milling around aimlessly in the background!

That song is definitely one of my favourites from the album, and I can’t wait for people to hear it. I could say that about all of the tracks though.

Having finished recording, our focus has now shifted back to rehearsals for the launch party on the 25^th of April and for the number of gigs we have booked in after that. I think I speak for the rest of the band when I say we really can’t wait to share this album with you all.

As always, make sure you like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for behind the scenes videos, pictures and updates!

– Joe

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We’ve spent the last two weekends at Active Audio Studios now with two more to go and I think we’re all pleasantly surprised by the amount that we’ve managed to achieve so far. As we may or may not have mentioned, the new album is going to feature 11 tracks in total. Quite a ramp-up from ‘Better Things to Do’ which had 5.

Those eleven tracks have caused many aching limbs and fingers, sore throats and, for Joe and myself, close-to-disintegrating lips, but we’re quietly confident that it will be more than worth the time and effort when we have the finished album in our hands. Which, incidentally, isn’t so very far from being a reality; we are looking to bring the album out on the 25^th of April, with a launch party in Leeds (venue to be confirmed).

One thing I love about going into the studio with Dan Mizen is his ability to deliver our songs to their logical conclusion. In that respect, ‘Dead In The Morning’ has taken an interesting turn. For those who haven’t heard us play this one yet, it’s probably has the most attitude of any song we’ve written. It doesn’t waste any time either, clocking in at just two and a half minutes.

In case you didn’t know, I don’t generally get on well with studio recording and when it came to putting down the horn parts for that song, I was in a rather timid frame of mind. I explained this to Dan after a particularly lack-lustre take. He pressed the button to activate the in-built microphone on his desk and proceeded to say some things to me which I can’t repeat about what he wanted our sound to do to him. With these all-too-specific instructions in mind, we attacked the subsequent takes with a lot more energy and the song is sounding all the better for it.

This weekend, Tom will be recording his vocal and guitar parts, then Bridie and Cat will be putting down their backing vocals the following weekend. If you’re sitting next to a piece of wood, please touch it for us in the hope that Tom’s immune system doesn’t pull its usual trick and conveniently allow him to get a cold two days before recording.

We’ll get another blog up this time next month. In the meantime, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for gig updates, album news and all things TGB.

-Matthew

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Within days of the EP coming out, it had climbed to No.2 in the iTunes Blues Chart alongside the likes of Hugh Laurie and Joe Bonamassa. Six months down the line, we were named Jason Elliott’s ‘Young Act of the Year’ and the title track from the EP was named one of Dave Watkins’ Top Singles of 2013. I’m sure I speak for the rest of the band when I say that the support we have received has been fantastic and it’s all fed into the current crop of songs we’re working on, which are coming along very nicely.

In December we went into the studio with Dan Mizen to do some rough recordings of the songs we were thinking about putting on our first full-length album, which is set to be released this spring. I’m listening to those rough recordings as I write, and I’m even less sure than I was with the EP as to what type of music this is. We’re all bringing a wide range of influences to the table as we did with the writing of the EP, but it feels like we’re all more comfortable in doing so this time around and are taking a few more chances.

One track in particular, which has a working title of ‘Grim’, is decidedly funkier and – dare I say it – hip-hop…ier (?) than anything else we’ve written. It’s definitely our favourite to play at the moment and I think we’re all looking forward to seeing how it’s received. Another of the tracks, ‘Thinking About You’ is on the opposite end of the spectrum and has already suggested itself to us as a closing number for the album that should leave your head bobbing and a smile on your face.

As for the rest of the songs, I’ve been listening to them on repeat for a couple of days now, trying to define them for the purposes of this blog and giving you an idea of what to expect. I think all I can say is this: expect the unexpected. That’s generally been my guideline so far for working with this lovely bunch of people.

If you want to get an idea of what the album is going to sound like, we’ll be recording a live EP with Ont Sofa at the Corn Exchange in Leeds this Saturday at 7.45pm. Entrance is completely free thanks to the lovely people at the Corn Exchange, so there’s no excuse not to come!

Keep your eye on our Twitter and Facebook accounts for further updates, especially around mid-February when I expect one of us will give you an update from the studio!

N.B. When I say ‘expect the unexpected’, I don’t mean Death Metal. Or a goose for that matter.

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Before all that I’d like to share a little story with you. I mosied into my local hairdressing salon to get the usual (short back and sides) the other week and what did I hear on the sound system? Only our EP, Better Things to Do, being cranked out at full volume for the old ladies in the chair next to me to bop along to. As I sat and contemplated the fuzzy feeling I get when they wash my hair it suddenly dawned on me that something had changed inside of me. I knew, even then, that this event had changed my life and my view of the world forever.

We’ve made it. Our music is being played in a hairdressing salon. We’ve made it. The elation at this realisation was so intense it could not even be dampened when the next song selected on shuffle arrived (something by Tinie Tempah).

You might ask why I’m bothering to do a blog, why I still update facebook, surely I have minions to do this for me? But you see by the end of the hairdressing session it became clear to me that I had achieved all my life goals. Where do I go from here? What more can I do? After spending hours on twitter trying to find the meaning of life we have regrouped, set some new targets and we’re 110% committed to …. erm…. the…. errr…. yeah.

So after the success of the EP released earlier this year (rave reviews, reaching #2 on the iTunes Blues Chart and airplay across the globe …as well as salons across West Yorkshire) we’ve decided to go ahead and do it; our debut album. No finalised date yet but we’ll announce something in the next couple of months.

We’re going to redo a couple of songs from the EP and we’ve rejigged and reworked some older stuff as well as some brand new songs.

I’m excited. Very excited.

Working together on the new stuff is interesting. It’s challenging, hard work and it can be brutal sometimes. Quite often I arrive at rehearsal with an idea, something I’ve been working on at home and there are no two ways around it; I’m proud of them. They’re my lyrics, my chord sequences, my melodies, little bits of me I’m showing to the band. Thankfully the band are honest enough to tell me when it’s not good enough. That can hurt. They’re also talented enough to write their parts, make changes and bring the song to the next level. That can be the highlight of my week.

Talking to Dan at Active Audio Studios up in Harrogate about coming back to the studios has been fun, he’s got some ideas already and we’re putting On My Way on the album at his request as he wants to “Nile Rodgers the **** out of it.”

So here we are, thank you to everyone who bought an EP, it’s still available on iTunes and from the website, genuine thanks to Clare at Outlaw, Olly at Ophiuchus, all the DJ’s who plugged it and everyone who made the release such a success. I’m sure you’re looking forward to the album…we can’t wait.

TG

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