Tom Fuller - CHICAGO TROUBADOUR TOM FULLER TO UNVEIL UNIQUE TRIPTYCH AT LONDON ALBUM LAUNCH

TOM FULLER BAND

‘FREEDOM’

RELEASE DATE: 17th November 2014

Cat: RCR420201010 – Label: Red Cap Records USA

• MUSIC: Album - Download / Vinyl / CD

• ART: Special Numbered Limited Edition Graphic Novel

• FILM: A Suite of 11 Videos Available For Download

CHICAGO TROUBADOUR TOM FULLER TO UNVEIL UNIQUE TRIPTYCH AT LONDON ALBUM LAUNCH

“Religion is for people who are scared of going to hell. Spirituality is for those who have already been there…and I’ve been there a few times.” – Tom Fuller.

Freedom is the new album from the Tom Fuller Band, featuring eleven songs about a life lived, built on a foundation of hard-earned wisdom, heartbreak, addiction, love, loss and hope.

To accompany the album’s release, Tom worked with the acclaimed Chicago independent film-makers Matt Silver and Andy Shore to produce eleven music videos – one for each song – that when put together create a new narrative based on a clown subculture called The Sideshow, led by an enigmatic character called The Ringmaster, played by Fuller. This in turn became the inspiration for a fully illustrated companion graphic novel by famed artist Kate Glasheen, creating a unique and dramatic story-telling package.

“An album that inspired a suite of films that inspired a graphic novel – that’s a world first. It’s a totally unique project,” says Fuller. “The idea was to just make a video for the song ‘1+1’ but, like the music, it turned out so well the team went on to produce ten further videos. We had nearly finished filming when Kate suggested she create the graphic novel to complete a creative triptych.

The whole package will be released simultaneously across Europe on November 17th, and to mark the occasion Fuller will break-off from opening for fellow U.S. rockers Trampled by Turtles across mainland Europe to perform a stand-alone launch event for the Freedom project at London’s The Arts Theatre (6-7 Great Newport Street, WC2H 7JB).

As he did when the Tom Fuller Band supported Little Feat on their North American and European tour in 2013, Fuller will be bringing with him his studio and touring band, featuring Ryan Veitch (keys/guitar), John Lewis (lead guitar), Jordan Kozer (drums) and Joel Masters (bass). Fuller says, “We can’t wait to rock Europe again. Regardless of language, they get it.”

Born and bred in Chicago, Fuller’s new album embodies the soul and creative energy of his hometown’s rich musical heritage. Combining the melodic pop-rock sensibilities of Cheap Trick and a will to evolve worthy of Wilco, Freedom also doffs its cap to Fuller’s love of classic English bands such as The Hollies and the Rubber Soul and Revolver-era Beatles.

Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, and Chicago, Illinois, before being mixed at the historic FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and mastered at London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios, the freedom Fuller refers to is from emotional pain: “I’ve had my fair share of encounters with alcohol and the ‘ism’ that follows that. It was my escape, but I went downhill and it soon became a choice between living or dying – and I didn’t have a chance until I heard the songs.”

When Tom was a boy he wanted to be two things: a businessman and a rocker. He grew up to be both. However, life’s obstacles would get in the way of a career in music until fifteen years ago, when Fuller discovered he could write songs that people wanted to hear. Fuller says, “That’s when I was able to take my music seriously.”

Ever since then Fuller has worked with hit producer Rick Chudacoff, who over the years has helped create the Tom Fuller Band’s unique sound. Fuller released his debut album Chasing An Illusion in 2005, and followed-up with 2008’s Abstract Man and 2011’s Ask, of which the latter Tom recorded with two of Paul McCartney’s bandmates, Abe Laboriel, Jr. and Brian Ray. However, Fuller freely admits that, lyrically, it’s taken until now to put his cards on the table. “I’d been hiding behind metaphors, but with Freedom…now I’m taking you into my real life. I needed to wear my heart on my sleeve, but it isn’t always an easy thing to do.”

The album’s title track, however, was the most difficult for the Windy City troubadour to write. Fuller reveals, “The real scary part was writing about my only child. There’s nothing worse than having a child you don’t have a relationship with. No matter what people tell you, you feel all alone, like you’re the only one dealing with this. The song is one heart crying out, saying ‘Hey, I need help. I don’t have all the answers.”

A track-by-track guide to ‘Freedom’ by Tom Fuller

1. Roller Coaster Free Fall: “This is an uplifting, confident endorsement of the magic that can happen when we are open to it.”
2. Lonely Man – “This is about realizing that missing someone is worse than the tough times you endured with them.”
3. Freedom: “One of the hardest songs to write, it's about freedom from emotional pain, and asking for help to get through it.”
4. 1+1: “The innocence of basic human needs and wants felt by the hearts of anyone.”
5. Bring Me Down: “This is about forgiving oneself from a failed marriage - and forgiving the other person, too.”
6. Fat Boy: “After the dust settles from a failed relationship, moving on by reinventing one's self by taking action in another direction.”
7. Sweet Dreams: “Stopping for a moment to feel real reflections of past love.”
8. Jurisdiction: “The intensity and excitement from when you meet someone new, and the buildup leading towards that magic moment.”
9. Sidewinder: “Self-preservation from walking the jungle of life and putting it into perspective.”
10. Highest Mountain: “Highest Mountain is about meeting someone and feeling good from it, and that the world looks completely brand new from the highest mountain.”
11. I Will Always Think About You: “Just an honest statement about how much that person has touched you in a deep way.”

Tom Fuller Band Online:

tomfullerband.com / facebook.com/tomfullerband / @tomfullerband

For further information please contact Dave Clarke at:

Tel:+44 (0) 7966 557774 or E-Mail: dave@planetearthpublicity.com
www.planetearthpublicity.com