TOM FULLER BAND

CD: Abstract Man
Record Label: Shout! Factory
by John Noyd
July 2009

To see Tom Fuller today one would never guess that little over ten years ago he was a solid cog in corporate America and had never written a song all the way through. From the streaked mod haircut to the purple granny glasses and matching sneakers Tom Fuller emanates rock and roll. Tamed danger prowling, the glam-punk poise echoing the bigger than life sound of his band a tight group both young and experienced, sharp and dedicated.

Ironically, after talking with Tom for over a half an hour the conversation was less about music than destiny and life’s spiritual journey. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that while Tom is the leader and songwriter for the Tom Fuller Band he is entirely self-taught beyond a few guitar lessons when he was nine. In fact, Tom says he’s a “song-crafter more than a writer.” “I write what I feel; my lyrics are always emotion-based.” His gut instinct guides him and serendipity has brought him an entourage of good fortune. “I know in the first twenty seconds if I’m going to like a song.” Immediate, intuitive and insistent, Tom also knows personalities and opportunities and has learned how to play them both with rock and roll nonchalance.

When asked how it all turned around for him, Tom has a precise date and story. Memorial Day 1998 his ten year old son was sick and when he was at the pharmacy picking up medicine he also picked up a guitar magazine and opened to an ad for a John Lennon Song-Writing contest. In trying to figure out the logistics of completing a song he connected with someone on the internet who then hooked him up to someone else in the business. Tom didn’t win the contest but, as he himself says, “a million baby steps later,” he has a band that has two albums to their name and a third one almost finished, a strong fan base in England and Ireland and gigs opening up for King’s X, Robin Trower, Blue Oyster Cult and a host of rock royalty.

A reedy voice perfect for the scratchy morning after rock-blues song that comes to life in a field of harmonies, Tom’s sleepy enunciations hide its sneers inside its psychedelic gaze. Cranking out riffs amid a barrage of hooks, Tom’s tooled tempests are hefty anchors while the ballads are elaborate interwoven melodies. While Tom claims, “you can’t control music,” he also admits he constantly tweaks it. “Melody is the most important,” Tom says, “but starting with a feeling and tapping into life,” is his guiding force. “Walk away from the should and woulds,” Tom advises, “be open to letting things happen, focus on what’s happening at the moment without concentrating on any particular destination.”

There is no denying his passionate attitude has produced results. As far as Tom is concerned dreams do come true. For more information, check out his website. www.tomfullerband.com or better yet catch the Tom Fuller Band July 11th at Beloit’s Riverfest.
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TOM FULLER BAND Abstract Man Mesa/Bluemoon Records (2008) www.tomfullerband.com

This is the second album by Tom Fuller and his band whose new album gets released via a label more known for its jazz releases. But the music on this album has a more Beatles vibe with the odd psychedelic touch here and there.

'Sunglass Wardrobe', a lovely pop tune with a touch of the psychedelic, featuring some great harmony parts. 'Radio Man' with its instant chorus and cheery guitar lines is a song made for airplay as is the ultra catchy refrain of 'Lollipop Guild'. This could be the Beatles meets Cheap Trick!

Tom Fuller and co. also tackle and produce a wonderful version of the Hollies' classic 'Air That I Breathe'. 'Dragon Fight' sees Tom Fuller sound like the lead singer in the Stereophonics!

In fact the whole song sounds like a mid tempo Stereophonics number. The album does slightly lose its way midway through and could do with a bit of uptempo music to keep it going although the acoustic refrain of 'Franklin Street' is a great end to the album.

Well played and produced this album will appeal to lovers of pop/melodic rock with a Beatles hint in the sound. It is also a set of tunes I know will grow on me more with each play. ***½ - http://www.getreadytorock.com/reviews2009/quick_play0109.htm

Like many people I am always wary when someone trumpets an artist as the next big thing and so it was when the Tom Fuller Band album Abstract Man fell through my letterbox.
I have to say that from the first track Radio Man I was pleasantly surprised. The sound is definitely modern but also retro and has a very warm feel. The great thing about this album is that is real songs performed by real musicians. The songs also have a very familiar sound to them and that doesn’t mean that they are derivative merely that they grab you straight away which from a new artist is pretty impressive.

I have to say that I have been completely unfamiliar with the Tom Fuller Band previously despite the fact that the band have already performed a tour of the UK but I do fully intend to catch them the next time they pass through my hometown and I suggest that you do the same.

As for the other songs on the album, the single Lollipop Guild has a very Lennonesque feel to it and that is no bad thing in my book.
The songs throughout this album could all have been singles including a great cover of the Albert Hammond song The Air That I Breathe but really the hook is there on every one of the songs on this album and live these songs must just sound great.

Ultimately my favourites on this album are the opener Radio Man, Lollipop Guild and the title track Abstract Man but generally there isn’t one track on this album that I don’t like. It is just that those three tend to come up more frequently on my i-Pod

If there is any justice in the world then The Tom Fuller Band will certainly make a mark and this album will really be the one that kicks things off for them in a big way. The band has already toured the UK and in all probability gave Blue Oyster Cult and Blues Traveller a real run for their money towards the end of 2008. You will certainly see more of the Tom Fuller Band in 2009 and hopefully headlining their own gigs. - http://www.rockahead.net/reviewpage.php?rev=751

by Paul POP!, First Coast News

Chicago based rocker Tom Fuller may be an abstract man but that doesn't mean he's hard to understand. In fact, that precarious balance of the accessible and esoteric is the very fuel on which his artistic engine runs.

Fuller's second album, Abstract Man is anything but complicated; it's an album that melds classic rock and a lot of melodicism which results in something that sounds like Liam Gallagher fronting The Heartbreakers if they were from Liverpool. Abstract Man has huge choruses, rootsy rock riffs and a kaleidoscopic view of the world that's both uplifting and fun to listen to. This is an album that starts out big and just gets bigger and bigger; it's stadium rock for your living room that's as suitable for waving a lighter as it is playing air guitar to.

With his Liam Gallagher drawl, Tom Fuller hisses his way through every song as if he were playing in front of 50,000 people and the songs react with sounds coming out of every possible direction. From horns, guitars, pianos, and just about anything else he could squeeze into a song, Fuller makes each of the songs on Abstract Man sound as if they were scientifically tested in front of an enormodome audience for maximum impact. From the electronics of "Radio Man," to the absolutely brilliant cover of "Air That I Breathe," Abstract Man proves itself to be one gargantuan sounding ultra-mega cool rock and roll record.

Tom Fuller may paint himself as an Abstract Man but when you chip away at what makes the man work, it's a simple sense of what a great rock and roll song actually is and how best to go about writing them. He's done a good job of writing fourteen songs that stay true to that philosophy on this record. If your searching for just a good old fashioned rock and roll album or wonder what would happen if Oasis were American, than Tom Fuller's Abstract Man will fill the need and answer the question quite nicely.

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