Tommy Byrnes is a multi-instrumentalist and composer whose muse has led him down some remarkable and varied musical paths. And he has his mother to thank for it. When he was asked what he wanted for his tenth birthday, he said he wanted a guitar. After some strong lobbying by the persistent youngster she capitulated.
Tommy worked hard to master his new hobby. But he soon realized that music was more than a pastime; it was a passion. He constantly practiced to learn the fundamentals, taking instruction from a 6 record home guitar course put out by Kenny Rogers, of all people!. The family would groan every time he played those lessons on the stereo. It usually went like this:
“Now quickly strum the G chord;” the record would say,
“Slow down you stupid record, I dropped my pick,” Tommy would say
“Ugggh’” his family would say.
One of his classmates turned him on to the blues and he voraciously ate it up, listening to the likes of Big Bill Broonzy, Lightning Hopkins, Blind Lemon Jefferson, B.B. King and other players. It was a short jump to the greats of the scene in the 70s. Jimmy Page, Robin Trower, Steve Howe of Yes, Martin Barre of Jethro Tull and Peter Frampton (he was a really good guitar player!) were constantly showing off their 6-string prowess from the bedroom stereo.
By the time high school rolled around chops were evolving and so were ambitions. Finding other musicians in those days was easy. It seemed that nearly everyone played. Bands were formed, unending jams were the norm and soon playing was the only thing that really mattered. But the sensibilities of rock and roll were about to be knocked for a loop.
One summer Saturday night some friends called and asked if Tommy wanted to go to an outdoor concert by a band with the rather odd name, How To Change A Flat Tire. They played Celtic music. “The basketball team has their own music style?,” he asked. He was soundly ignored for the rest of the car ride. That show was to be a turning point. He felt this was the music that he was meant to play all along.
Shortly after this Hibernian epiphany Tommy began exploring the techniques of open tunings for guitar under the tutelage of the legendary acoustic guitarist Bill Shute. Different tunings allowed him to play diverse styles; from the blues he cut his teeth on to Baroque instrumentals using complex finger styles.
The next day he gave his best friend his Stratocaster and amp. He also gave his best friend's girlfriend his entire record collection, feeling he would never listen to those disks again. (That one still smarts). It also brought a trip to the local music store to buy a Chieftains record and a tin whistle.
In the early eighties Tommy was off to live in Ireland, choosing not to go to music school. He felt that playing in sessions at pubs in Dublin was the only way to really learn the complexities and nuances of traditional music. The Guinness didn’t hurt either. He made his living as a busker (street musician), playing on the street every day and in sessions every night. It was a fairy tale existence that honed chops and put him in contact with some of the finest musicians in all of Ireland.
When he returned to the States Tommy formed the critically acclaimed band Ockham's Razor in 1989, with his buddies Sean Cowhig on bass, Brad Hurley on flute and tin whistle and Fraser Stowe on drums.The Razors incorporated Celtic, rock and folk musical influences into original compositions and highly original arrangements to traditional tunes. The Razors played everywhere for the next decade and released three recordings.
After twelve years of being with the group he felt it was time to pursue a different dream. In 2001 he left the band to build a recording studio and release his own albums. After a long and circuitous route, he realized that goal, releasing his first solo album, Alehouse Insurrections in 2004. His music by now had become an amalgam of all the styles he has played over the years. The prog rock movement of the 70s sits side by side with pure Celtic music and Piedmont Blues. Loud, distorted guitars have conversations with bagpipes and tin whistles. Makes sense somehow.
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