Tom Ciurczak Breaks Out Second Volume of All-American Rock ‘n’ Roll

Tom Ciurczak: I Ain’t Ever Growing Up Volume II

The spirit of the outlaw rocker continues from Volume I, which was packed with songs about the fiery passion and wild adventures of youth. This new album is also all about telling those stories with a rock ‘n’ roll bite, with all the bonk and buzz of the roadhouse; in fact, The Tom Ciurczak Band would have made perfect casting for the bar band in the recent Roadhouse movie remake featuring Jake Gyllenhaal!

I Ain’t Ever Growing Up Volume II is another fine original American badass boot-scooter, all about the legendary life of the hard bitten, and all for those that just love to dance the night away to decadent and original rock n roll songs. Strong players on both recordings include lead vocals and acoustic guitar: Tom Ciurczak; Electric Guitar: Matt Hornbeck; Bass: Travis Carlton; Keyboards: Aaron Durr; Drums: Steven Haaker; Harmonica: Matt Lomeo; backing vocals Harrison Crenshaw and Jayme Palmer. Studio: Perfect Sound Studio, Frogtown CA; Mastering: Brett Grossman, Producer and Engineering: Stephen Haaker and Brett Grossman.

On Volume II we have the harmonica featured on the first track, then we all go to jail, later Tom sings us a real pretty love song. He then brings on some hard rockin’ fast feet numbers, then fits in a trip to heaven and the stark message about never growing old and after that, a spectacular finish, the Martians have taken LA. Stay tuned, Earthquake at 11. 

But first, the music. Livin’ the dream, Tom is always in the center, singin’ and strummin’, and you better get ready to kick it! Remember being in high school when it was all so urgent? Now maybe there is no other place that I would rather be, and “Small Town Girls” (5:39) takes you there, featuring some gently moaning harmonica and maybe a tambourine; the story is a good one to set the pace for the rest of the album. Everything is alright! 

Just one bad idea leads to so many more things happening, “Mexican Jail” (3:16) where we wake up without bail, in some deep trouble. Our dude goes back and asks questions, this song is about what happened. Romance is always a goldmine for predicaments to sing about, “Lie To Me” (3:33) is for sure real pretty and talks about the fantasy of romance with a snappy pace, an easy tune to hum to, too. Catchy.

The pace picks up, and it is time to get hot, “Day Drinker (clean)” (3:59) brings the burning guitar ripping it up vibe, inspiring and hard rockin’ so get out of the way and get into the beat, just tellin’ it like it is, burning the candle at both ends.

All of these songs are all powerful stories about the human experience, foregoing judgements about how anyone should live. Draw your own conclusions. 

The Tom Ciurczak Band is growing a rock-loving following, playing live weekly throughout Southern California. The next L.A. gig is at “The Whisky” on Thursday, Aug 15 at 8:00 pm; more info at The Whisky A Go Go, 8901 W. Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069.

Rock on, Tom! 

1. LINKS
2. I Ain’t Ever Growing Up: Volume II is available on all streaming platforms, including Spotify, Youtube, Amazon, Apple Music. Physical CDs are available on the artist’s official website, on Bandcamp, and at his live shows. A full schedule of Ciurczak’s live shows can be found here. Social media: Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram. BONUS Interview: Tom Ciurczak (Southern California singer/songwriter).