Tomar and the FCs

Tomar Williams doesn’t sing the rafter-rattling shack shakers and heart-searing serenades that fill his catalog: He inhabits them.
On funky numbers like “Heart Attack” and “Do You Feel It,” he moves across the stage fluidly, coaxing the crowd into motion with a toe-tapping, shoe-shimmying shuffle and a wide open smile. On the gut-twisting slow burners, he reaches inside and goes deep. This is no flash-in-the-pan romance. Williams belts out melodies with a time-weathered heart so open and raw, so earnest and real, it ignites a beacon of hope for the broken. In a summer marked by disaster and devastation, songs like “Day-By-Day” and “No One Is Alone” are a healing salve for aching souls.

Williams, the 49-year-old frontman of Tomar and the FCs, is Austin’s new king of rock ’n’ soul. - Austin American Statesman

Tomar and the FC’s are a new band on the Austin scene, but vocalist and frontman Tomar Williams is no stranger to the stage. He was lead singer in his family’s band in the 80’s, and has continued to back up many Austin musicians over the years, including, most recently, Latasha Lee. He’s also co-produced some Texas hip hop classics from Paul Wall and Mike Jones. But the FC’s marks Williams’ return to the vocal spotlight, and backed by a powerful soul four-piece, he’s taking full advantage of the situation. Just a few months into their existence, they’ve already turned heads at SXSW, gathered a ‘best of the year’ from the American Statesman for their early 2015 EP, appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, and headlined New Year’s Eve at the Continental Club. Their debut album, Heart Attack, packed with great performances, will only accelerate the frenzy.

– Jeff McCord, KUTX Music Director - KUTX

This neo-soul outfit makes hearts flutter with retro aesthetics, achieved via excellent production. Thriving on brass and frontman Tomar Williams’ stunning vocals, these songs invoke the work of heavyweights like Otis Redding and Sam Cooke. Equally deft with up-tempo dance numbers and mellow ballads, Williams proves legit in a sea of great pretenders.

-Bryan C Parker Austin Monthly - Austin Monthly

Tomar & the FCs, “Heart Attack.” Yet another local album that was helmed by red-hot producer Adrian Quesada — whose presence was heavy in last week’s “On The Record” with Brownout and Croy & the Boys — this one’s a deep dive into burning soul and funk. Bandleader Tomar Williams is a ferocious, energetic vocalist, a quality that comes through loud and clear on these 10 songs. He gets plenty of support from the FCs, an eight-piece collective that supplements a solid guitar-bass-drums core with keyboards, horns and backing vocals.

Release shows Nov. 4-5 at C-Boy’s.

The title track and the leadoff cut “Do You Feel It” are the two tracks that have been pushed as singles so far on Bandcamp, but we’re especially fond of “Homeless,” which plays up an old-school Motown vibe: - Austin American Statesman

“Tomar & The FCs is a Soul band from Austin, TX” is all that’s written in the about section of the band’s official Facebook page. That right to the point description is what their style is all about. Pure soul, pure energy. You make up your own mind- Tomar & The FCs has made up theirs.

“Heart Attack“, the single from the band’s latest album of the same name, is an electric three minute ride of some of the purest blues/soul we’ve heard lately. Tomar Williams, a seasoned frontman, got his start playing in a family band in the 80’s, led backing groups for artists in the 90’s, produced hip hop tracks for Big Mo, Mike Jones, Paul Wall, and helped lead the backing band for LaTasha Lee and the Black Ties. Now he’s shifting things back to what he does best, writing and fronting real deal soul music. We caught up with the group in Studio 1A, check it out below!

– Sam Harrell - KUTX.org

3. Tomar and the FCs

The thing about real, good soul is that it says it right there in the name: it's gotta hit you in the soul. That shit can't be faked; though many try to achieve it, soul isn't something that can be tried at or denied when it's heard in its real form. It hits you, in your own soul like a burning weight, and you know you're hearing it done right. And, when you hear it done right, you know just why it is so good, and why that's important. Tomar and the FCs, our third place band this year, are soul. They're soul, and they're good, and it's cool as fuck. They put out songs that sound like new classics, like the guys writing and performing them know their musical history and just went and inserted themselves into the soul canon through the sheer quality and dedication and, to bring it back to the point, the pure fucking soul of their music. Hell, Tomar and the FCs, aren't trying to bring soul back, they've done it. They are soul, and it's just plain feel good badass sing-it-out music. To do what they do with an old sound in a day that's so aware of what's come before, and to make it feel fresh and damn fine to boogie down to, is tremendous, and Tomar and the FCs well deserve the showing they've made in our poll. - The Deli Magazine.com

Years after getting his start in a family band and transitioning to hip hop production, Austin’s Tomar Williams realized his soul-singer-frontman potential with The FCs’ 2015 EP Day By Day. Williams’ robust voice channels R&B legends like Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, while The FCs (guitar, organ, bass, tenor sax & drums) recreate the vintage sounds of that era.

Last month saw the release of Tomar & The FCs first full-length album Heart Attack. The title track kicks off the album with a frenetic soul triple bypass that’ll make your heart skip a beat. You can catch Tomar & The FCs on Friday, December 16th for the Sharon Jones Tribute, Saturday December 31st at Continental Club and in-store at Waterloo Records on Friday, January 6th.

–Jack Anderson - KUTX

Tomar and the FCs, “Day by Day” EP. (Distrokid.com) In the late ’90s, Tomar Williams and his brother, Salih formed the ace production team Carnival Beats and dominated Southern hip-hop for the better part of a decade. More recently, the Williams brothers led the backup band for local soul maven Lastasha Lee. In his new solo project, Williams shows his own soul chops with searing vocals that drip with blood, sweat and tears. - myStatesman.com

The homegrown Austin group Tomar and the FCs boast a powerful combination of soul and gospel.

The brainchild of main singer Tomar Williams, Tomar and the FCs provide captivating soul sessions delivered with beautiful lyrics and vocals by Williams. - KUTX