“Lifeboats and Follies” OUT FEBRUARY 1, 2011 ON GALAXIA RECORDS.
Raised on the colorful and gritty streets of San Francisco and steeped in the dark
brew formed by the perfect cultural storm where skateboarding, music and art
smashed right into each other, Tommy Guerrero was destined for greatness of
the soulful sort. Adapting to his hilly local environs with speed and style, TG was
a bonafied pioneer of modern street skateboarding, turning pro and traveling the world while still just a teenager.
His casual flow was material for the skateboarding pantheon, and is endlessly
compared to what would come out when he focused his attention on stringed
things. The early four-track tunes he offered were heavily groove-based, with
obvious blues, Latin and soul overtones, but as time and albums went by the
music became more layered and eclectic, incorporating jazz, hip-hop and funk
elements, as well.
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/18789815]
More than a decade of tirelessly working his craft has passed since, and has
resulted in the album you now behold- “Lifeboats and Follies” is by far Guerrero’s most fully realized sonic collage. The tide of groove remains, but is formed by the far denser and complex interplay of an expanded quiver of instruments and sounds. The simplicity of Tommy’s early work was catchy, but the expansive compositional skill that has shown itself amongst the tracks here is cinematic in scope, offering a richer, more muscular tone and greater depth of emotion. The soup has been thickened, the fire is smoldering, and Tommy is sweating it out all night, every night.
SF Record Release Party: Saturday, Feb. 5th @ Cafe du Nord
FREE DOWNLOAD:
“Que S’est-iI Passe”
