I love music. Especially when it’s live and the performances are really good. As
a recording artist myself, I always appreciate the amount of talent, work and
effort that go into putting together a great show. I recently had the good
fortune of being invited by my friend, CFR publisher Beth Ann Hilton, to see Tom Ciurczak and his band perform at The Coach House in San Clemente. It’s an
outstanding venue and the place was packed that night.
I was not familiar with Tom or his music, so I didn’t know what to expect. I was not at all disappointed. Watch them performing, and decide for yourself…
Tom’s set consisted of songs from his albums and EP. We were treated to “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Kilimanjaro Skies,” “The Vault” and other great tracks from his latest CD I Ain’t Ever Growing Up, Volume 1 and to “It’s Christmas Time In Hollywood” from the brand new California Christmas Tales holiday EP. Aside from his captivating voice and style, he is very reminiscent of some of the great musical storytellers that write and deliver songs that make you think, and evoke memories that personalize the experience. Such is the case with all of Tom’s songs.
We found ourselves sitting in the middle of an electric sea of human energy as
Tom took the stage and began to play. His style is not fancy, just a simple down
home straightforward mixture of good old rock ‘n’ roll and basic American
Roots, performed in an unassuming yet intense manner. He steps up to the
mic, the band is ready, and off they go.
But the magic is relentless and isn’t over until the last song is delivered. At a concert I always like to look around to measure audience reaction to a performance. To me it is the best barometer as to whether or not the artist is connecting with them. The night of this performance, the audience reaction was so loud and so vibrant that Beth and I had to communicate via text even though we were sitting right across from each other. It was quite impressive.
Need to give the bandmembers credit here as well: Tim Tate – bass and backing vocals; Sean Derksen – drums; Melissa Robin – backing vocals; Chris McKinney – keyboards and backing vocals; Ken Herrell – lead guitar; and Tom Ciurczak leading the way on songwriting, rhythm guitar and lead vocals.
Bottom line, The Tom Ciurczak Band is enthralling and, Tom will make your evening memorable whenever you venture out to see him. Make the effort to try to see him live in concert when he is in your area. I promise you won’t be
disappointed.
Upcoming shows include a gig at The Mint in LA on December 9th; find all the upcoming shows – both acoustic and with the full band – on Tom’s calendar.
His music is available in CD and digital formats on all major outlets, including Bandcamp, and on his website.
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Written by Jeff Hyman, Publisher of Somewhere In Time Music News, exclusively for Contemporary Fusion Reviews on November 24, 2023. Thanks Jeff!
