If you like your rock and roll with a bit of a country stomp, then Tom Minor could be your new favourite artist! His track, Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?, absolutely oozes attitude, having a catchy stomp that will get stuck inside your head straight away. Find out more about Tom here!
By Jane Howkins
You recently released a new track called Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years? What can you tell us about the song?
The question in the title is, of course, often heard at job interviews. I wanted to put it into a more general or philosophical context here. The song began life as a reflection on the uncertainties we all face in our lives: Am I making the right decision here, should I have taken another route there, what’s in store for me round that corner, will I ever reach any degree of contentment and so forth.
Musically, the track leans strongly towards blues, perhaps in the same kind of sleazy and/or glammy way that T Rex or early Bowie sometimes did it. My producer Teaboy Palmer is a blues artist in his own right and is quite fluent with the harmonica, so it was a no-brainer to let him run wild with it.
The artwork for the track, by the way, is a detail of a mural in East London. The mural itself commemorates the battle of Cable Street, where a fascist rally was stopped by anti-fascists in 1936. I think the cover picture depicts quite fittingly the slightly chaotic vibe of the song. As potential political statements go in that context, make of it what you will!
How has the reception to Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years? been so far, and where can the track be purchased?
We’re overwhelmingly happy with the feedback so far: both the tune, lyrics, arrangement and the way it was boldly produced by Teaboy Palmer have gained lovely recognition. It’s available on just about all streaming platforms and digital online stores – except YouTube – a lyric video is being prepared for it, which will be out on there soon though.
Do you have any more singles planned for the near future?
We’re planning to release one or two more singles during the coming months. The next one is called Is Everything Okay? and it’s due out in February. (I seem to have a soft spot for longish song titles with verbs and question marks. Not sure where that comes from, but I guess I just want them to be as expressive as possible). I’m not quite sure of what that song is about actually, but it could be: “everything is definitely NOT ok, and what are you good people going to do about it?”.
Your debut album Eleven Easy Pieces on Anger & Disappointment is coming out soon. When is it due? What can you tell us about the record?
The stylistic range on the album is quite wide, I would say, although it all fits under the indie rock umbrella to me: lots of pop melodies, rocking guitars, ballads, roots influences, songs of love, heartbreak, partying, emotional abuse and then some. All of the singles – three released so far – show different sides of my writing, but in addition there will be other cool stuff that wouldn’t perhaps work that well independently as single track releases, but are essential as parts of the album entity.
I grew up listening to and fell in love with whole albums, and I firmly believe in the format’s ability to create a stronger impact than solely individual tracks, and that’s what we’ve been trying to do here as well.
We haven’t decided on the release date yet, but my prediction now is April, or May at the latest.
Did you enjoy the holiday season? What does a typical Christmas look like in your household?
Lovely question, thank you! I am a bit of a Christmas fan really. I could do without most of the commercial nonsense surrounding it, but I do enjoy many of the traditions. To sum it up: family, friends, food = fun!
Music-wise I must say Phil Spector’s Christmas album should be mandatory listening in every home at Christmas time, regardless of your age or generation. And I don’t even mind catching a bit of Last Christmas every now and then when down the pub or doing the groceries, safe in the knowledge that you probably won’t hear it again for the next ten months! Another thing I enjoy about Christmas, perhaps a bit weirdly, is wandering aimlessly through the quiet town at night when the decked out streets are empty and it seems as if there’s finally “peace on Earth”.
Your music has a unique rock and roll sound. What/who are you most influenced by? What have you been listening to recently?
Thank you Jane! I would say my tastes are quite eclectic and I tend to follow all things indie more or less, often the quirkier the better. I also have an affinity for more rootsy stuff, be it blues, country, folk, vintage soul, punk, new wave or even pure classic rock, as long as the song strikes a chord in me. The most recent album I was pleasantly surprised by was The Ballad of Darren by Blur. I also enjoyed Arctic Monkeys’ latest, and I’m looking forward to what The Libertines will come up with next.
Where are you based? What’s the local music scene like with you?
I currently live in Islington, London, where I was born but was away from for years. It’s great to be back in a place where there’s always a lot happening on the music scene. There’s loads of small and middle-sized venues in the vicinity that endorse new and in many cases inspiring new grassroots acts. Camden Town, Shoreditch and Hackney are all very vibrant areas in that sense.
Do you have anything else exciting coming up over the next few months?
At the moment we’re busy mixing the tracks for the album, and while it’s also a lot of fun, I’m really looking forward to it being finally finished in the next few weeks or so. That will actually allow me to concentrate more on writing new stuff, which I haven’t been able to do that much for a while now, and I really miss it. But of course the album release and how it’s going to be received is the most exciting thing for me in the near future, if also a tad intimidating, as it probably always is.
Do you have any tour dates lined up for the UK?
We’re definitely hoping to do live dates to support the album when the time comes, sadly there’s nothing confirmed yet though. We’re also still in the process of putting together the perfect line-up for the live band. Hasn’t happened yet, but I’m hopeful.
Any last words for the fans? Where do you guys see yourselves in five(ish) months?
Spinning some eleven easy pieces, I certainly hope. And don’t let the ‘anger & disappointment’ in the album title fool you: the emphasis will definitely be on the “easy” (as in catchy) when it comes to the music and how even many of the heavier themes in the lyrics are approached. And before that, one or two more singles coming your way.
Talk soon, folks.