Tom Faia

Tom Faia
Tom Faia
“Tom Faia is truly an
original. His lyrics and style
prove it with every song and
performance. Get ready to
smile and dance!”
Tom Faia
Tommy Faia is a singer/songwriter who has written
a lot of good songs, usually for someone else to
sing, now he’s finally singing them himself. When
he was a solo artist on A&M Records, he was told
what songs to sing, and the songs he wrote were
for publishing companies to pitch to other singers.
Barbara Mandrell and Dobie Gray are two of those
who sang his songs.
“For most people, writing
music from your soul is a
difficult endeavor. But not for
Tom Faia, a master
songsmith, whose trademark
guitar rhythms and inventive
lyrics hook the listener from
the first time you hear them.
His ability to create songs
that convey sincere feelings
is a gift every listener can
enjoy.”
- Clancy D'Angelo
Now it's Tommy's turn. He's just finished his first
CD of original material with the help of good
friends Tom Ayres and Yuji Togo on guitar, Dennis
Murphy on bass, and Jimmy Norris on Drums.
Tommy plays harmonica and his strong rhythm
acoustic guitar holds it all together.
He's lived in LA. He's lived in Nashville. Now he's
back home on the Monterey Peninsula living his
dream, playing solo acoustic shows and at other
times with his band, The Juice: Dave Evert (guitar)
Scott Rudoni (bass) Bill Kucher (drums).
www.tomfaia.com
Tom Faia
“Tommy's songs are so moving.
His ability to write and put it all to
music is tops. I sincerely hope he
gets the recognition he so
deserves.” - Scott Rudoni
Praise for Tom Faia and his
debut album…
"Tom Faia's
music is
timeless. It
captivates old
dogs and twenty
somethings
too...it's just plain
fun."
- Tony Wolff
“He certainly has a sense of humor in his lyrics, and
he cleverly handles songs about love's yearning with
a tongue-in-cheek irreverence that could make
anyone chill out when stricken with bouts of
loneliness. The opening song, "Get My Body On
Somebody," describes the time-honored practice of
filling the void with a casual encounter as a serious
method to recovery. Almost with a chuckle in his
voice he sings about the process, and the music has
a skewed sort of comedic feel to it that fits the lyrics
perfectly. “
– Beth Peerless, Monterey Herald
Tom Faia
“This guy is a treasure. Not only for
his hi-juice musicality, but for the
coolness of his utterly amazing
spirit. I got to see him do a set in a
club in Hollywood, and it was an
unforgettable experience. The
songs and the singing were
inspired, but the hilariously selfdeprecating stuff he shared with us
in between the tunes just crushed
the room. He could have gone
home with the majority of the
females in attendance, but I think
he might've gotten hijacked,
instead, by a bunch of his buddies
who insisted they had to buy him a
few rounds out of the sheer
magnitude of their respect. The
good news is -- he's still got his ax
in his hands, and he's writing
again.”
- A. Martinez
Praise for Tom Faia and his
debut album…
“His voice immediately reminded me of Randy
Newman. As his set went on, Bruce Springsteen's
'Nebraska' album came to mind. His lyrics evoke
attention in a powerfully irresistible way....”
- Matthew Hable / Alternative Cafe
Tom Faia
Tom’s Story…
Tom Faia picked up the guitar when he was just 10 years old,
inspired by the records his older brothers were bringing home.
It was that early rock n' roll, rhythm and blues, the stuff before
the Beatles, the early Elvis, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Little
Richard and the music of so many other rock pioneers. Faia
soon began writing his own songs and kept at it through high
school. In college he practiced in the basement of the
fraternity house during study hours and in the summer of 1966
Tom and a drummer friend headed down the coast to Los
Angeles in a pick up truck loaded with their gear.
They rented a little shack in Hollywood where they could
rehearse the songs Faia was writing. They had only been
there a month when the owner of a small recording studio
got word of Faia's writing and invited them to come in and record. They recorded just a couple
songs and the owner said he'd show it around. A few nights later they got a telephone call
from a guy who immediately said, “Do you want to be a star?” His name was Ed Forsyth and
he had a plush office on Sunset Strip right across from the Whiskey. They drove over there
that same night and played for him in his office. By the time they left, Forsyth was Tom's new
manager.
About a week later Faia walked into a huge recording studio. Jim Economides was the producer.
He produced Bobby Darin, Dick Dale, Johnny Burnette, Bobby Vee, and others.
Tom’s story cont’d…
In the studio was a full orchestra with guitarist James Burton, who played all of those great riffs
on Ricky Nelson's records and later for Elvis. The Blossoms who had many hits with Phil
Spector were there for back up vocals. Needless to say Tom was awestruck. They had spared
no expense. They recorded two of Faia's songs that session.
Just two weeks later Faia was signed with A&M Records. He was on his way to becoming the
star his manager had promised. His stage name was to be Tommy Faia and the True Blue
Facts. They played the L.A. clubs and continued to record but there were no hits. After a couple
of years Tom decided to go back to school and finished college. When he graduated a year later
he immediately returned to L.A. and worked as a writer believing if he could write a hit he could
become a recording artist again. For the next ten years he came close a number times.
Probably the best known artists to record his songs were Barbara Mandrell and Dobie Grey.
Thats when he ended up living in Nashville for three years. “Those were some of the best years
of my life” Faia says.
He finally moved back home on the Monterey Peninsula in 1983. It was hard giving up the
dream. Faia thought he could but in the end he couldn't. He got married, worked hard in
business but always felt a little empty inside. He'd pick up the guitar occasionally, even wrote a
song or two. By the mid 90's he had written a number of new songs. He recorded them using
other talented singers and musicians and went back to Nashville. He was praised for his efforts
but no deals were made.
A few years later Faia divorced from his wife. He was alone. “I started playing my guitar. I mean
really playing my guitar everyday. I was obsessed in a good way”. As he worked on new
arrangements to his songs he felt like after years of writing for other people, he was reclaiming
them for myself.
Tom’s story cont’d…
This gave Faia the push to start performing live. A little later he
began playing with the guys that now form his back up band the
Juice: Dave Evert, Scott Rudoni and Bill Kucher. They made it
clear they only wanted to play his songs, no covers. “I can't tell
you how much that means for a songwriter to hear that.” That
encouraged him to write new songs. He was encouraged more
when two of his songs were used in two award winning
independent films, “A Girl, Three Guys and a Gun” and “Eagles in
the Chicken Coop”.
That's when he decided to record his songs with himself singing
and playing them as he intended them to be. He sat down with
his good friend Vince Sanchez, who had produced other records
with Faia, and they decided to record them just as Faia plays
them, with a strong rhythm acoustic guitar as a foundation. Every
song has been built around Tom's guitar and his vocal. “Being a
songwriter, I have always said the song comes first, and we have
kept true to that on this CD.” The CD has been two years in the
making. It's been a labor of love. They recorded over forty songs.
The first CD, “Tom Faia” has fifteen of those songs. Two more
CDs with are in the works. The next is due out the beginning of
2012.
Tom says today, “It's good to be playing and writing music again. I
guess I never did let the dream go.”
For more information or to
schedule an interview contact:
Emily Florence
310.801.7778
[email protected]
Good Day Consulting
www.tomfaia.com