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tom bliss
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FESTIVAL CONCERTS Tom's festival concerts are designed for quiet, attentive audiences who have come purely to listen. His act is not suitable for free-entry venues, such as restaurants or noisy bars where there may be people who are not really interested in the music. (Tom will host singarounds in such places, but will not usually perform much himself). Festival sets typically consist of perhaps 90% original songs (trad-style narrative, strong on melody and emotion) 10% trad songs, with an occasional tune for contrast. Tom has a large enough repertoire to play 4-5 spots without repeating any material, and aims to do so - while also making sure there are a few 'greatest hits' in each concert (so that does usually mean a certain amount of repetition). FESTIVAL PAs Click HERE for PA spec. Tom usually only needs one vocal mic (SM58 supplied if necessary) and EITHER one XLR lead, ideally with phantom power (he brings his own DI box and mixer) OR one intrument mic. All instruments are delivered through these two channels. PLEASE NOTE: Although Tom does use a lot of instruments, this does not mean he needs a long sound-check or inordinate time to get on and off stage. All his intruments can be carried on and off stage pre-assembled onto his famous stand, in two quick journeys! PAs of various sizes, with or without sound engineers, are available upon request. SOUND CHECKS Tom could potentially use up to 8 instruments in a concert*, so prefers not to risk playing without a sound-check, which should ideally be before the start of the concert, not between acts - but he'd rather work without a sound check than not have the booking! *Unless you specifically request otherwise. And of course sets are designed to use an appropriate number of instruments for the length of the spot. SCHEDULING Please allocate a 10 minute slot in your schedule for all sound checks. (Tom sometimes finds he's been asked to perform elsewhere at sound check time, or has been given insufficient time to move venues between spots/soundchecks). Please do not schedule Tom into a another different venue between the sound check and the performance, though, unless it really IS necessary. The process of packing, moving, un-packing, playing, re-packing, coming back, un-packing again, and setting up, may defeat the whole point of the check. Also, Tom does prefer to hear all of the concert before his slot, so he's tuned in to the mood of the show and won't duplicate material played by other acts. Packing may take a while, but getting on and off stage has been honed for speed and minimum disruption. TRAVEL TIME After the concert please ensure that he has sufficient time to pack his instruments, get to the next event, unpack and sound check if required. If the journey's on foot he may need to make three trips. PARKING Tom prefers to park close to venues due the the number of instruments he uses. Please reserve spaces if possible - or let us know if there may be an issue with parking, so we can make other plans. WORKSHOPS SONGWRITING Tom is an experienced workshop leader who uses his experience as a scriptwriting lecturer in his narrative songrwiting workshops. Sample song workshop copy: "Tom Bliss has been called a 'master-craftsman' songwriter, who he brings his substantial expertise in story-telling and scriptwriting to his song workshops. He covers story, structure, tunes, lyrics, accompaniment and presentation, and offers a 50 page booklet for further development at home." (See below for concert copy) GUITAR Tom can provide workshops on guitar at beginner and intermediate level, covering various styles including classical, folk rock and fingerstyle techniques. ACCOMPANIMENTS + ARRANGEMENTS This workshop looks at finding chords to accompany both trad and original songs and tunes, plus techniques for helping to enhance the story or mood of the piece. COLLABORATION At Sidmouth this year Tom ran a hugely successful and fun workshop/meet on the Art of Collaboration, exploring starting points and musical cohesion with artists who'd never worked together before (in this case Chris Parkinson & Maggie Boyle met Jonny Dyer & Vicki Swan). It's an idea he'd like to take to other festivals as he knows it will prove very popular. Just throw him in the deep end with the most unlikely of collaborators, and see what happens!! STAGE CRAFT/PA and MARKETING FOR MUSICIANS. Tom also runs workshops with Tom Napper inclduing the popular Rearranging The Tradition. SINGAROUNDS/COMPERING Tom Bliss is happy to manage singarounds, or carry out MCing duties if required. SAMPLE COPY FOR PROGRAMMES "Haunting, heartstopping songs" "an undeniably high standard throughout" "a songwriter of real stature" “we thought you were wonderful” "pure theatrical viagra!" "Tom gave us a highly entertaining evening. He is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist (including mandocello, guitar, concertina, fiddle and whistle), a fine singer and storyteller. He provided a varied programme of traditional, contemporary and self-composed songs and tunes, presented in an energetic and engaging manner." “Tom conjured up little-known but thoroughly riveting songs, writing down tradition for today, the thoroughly modern troubadour. He took the audience on a genial magical mystery tour, popping in songs where history interest or stories fascinated him, his beloved Channel Islands or his vanished family inheritance, which disappeared when his ancestors sold the mill in Chipping Norton - a good finisher, that! "Tom is a master craftsman, a songwriter of repute who has a love and an understanding of folk. He is equally at home on the guitar, the concertina and the whistle.” "What a personable and entertaining performer Tom Bliss is! We were treated to an evening of chat, humour and fine, fine music, that made us all feel as though we were guests in Tom's front room. He is one of the best singer/songwriters we've had the pleasure of booking. Steve Tilston and Jez Lowe will have to watch their backs!" "Tom's voice simply soars, and it's absolutely delicious. Indeed his voice is a delight all the way through." Click here for some reviews to quote Click here for some other promoter endorsements PROMO PHOTOS
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ACCOMMODATION Tom will usually need accommodation if he's on tour, is booked for more than one night, or if your festival is more than an hour and a half from Leeds (please check). He does sometimes sleep in his camper van in warmer seasons. If he is working before mid-afternoon or has a particularly long journey he may need accom on the night prior to a day's booking. He is also allergic to cats. He does LIKE cats, dogs, gerbils - all pets in fact - but he's allergic to cat hair, so merely keeping the cat away does not solve the problem. However, medication does, provided he's been warned in advance, so he can take a pill before he arrives. (Otherwise his throat swells and he can't sing!). CONTRACTS Please send your contract in plenty of time, or we can send our contract to you if you prefer. We are happy to proceed on an informal exchange of emails, but please take note of the following: Please make sure your venue is licenced for performance, otherwise Tom may be liable under current legislaton. Please provide a POST CODE for the venue (and accom if relevant) - this is to help with navigation and the return of PRS forms. An EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBER in case of breakdown is useful too. PAYMENT Payment will usually be by cash or cheque (made out to TOM BLISS) on the day. If you require an invoice please let us know in advance. If so, payment to be within 30 days of the booking. | |||||||
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