Tom Ciurczak’s music combines different styles, but the main ingredients are Heartland and Americana Rock. His music is nostalgic, fun, and romantic, reflecting the hardships of everyday life, with a hint of rebellion, of course.
The son of a professional musician at the Military Academy of West Point, Tom learned to appreciate diverse music styles that he ended up incorporating into his albums. Tom will be releasing his latest album titled I Ain’t Ever Growing Up: Volume II on June 14, 2024. This album is a follow-up to his previous collection titled I Ain’t Ever Growing Up: Volume I.
Tom Ciurczak and his band will be playing at The Mint on Saturday Jun 22, 2024 and at the Whiskey A GoGo on Aug 15, 2024.
Below is our interview with Tom Ciurczak:
Some of your songs have a nostalgic vibe. What is the decade that most influenced your musical style?
Definitely, the 1970s and early 80s! To me, that was the era of the Singer Songwriter (Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Eagles etc.), as well as Prog Rock (Genesis, Yes, Jethro Tull). I was a huge fan of both genres and you can find both incorporated in my songwriting from both a musical and lyrical perspective.
What experiences in life have inspired your lyrics?
I tell everyone that all my stories of robbing banks, getting thrown in jail, and gun play are all in my past. And while every song is rooted in a real life event or place, I do take on quite a bit of literary license when I write a song. I have a number of goals when I write a song. I’m looking both to incorporate lyrical and musical hooks to capture the listeners ear. But I also like to tell a story with my songs to engage the deeper listener. For me, writing good story often requires adding a bit of fiction to the “real life” component, to make it a good and interesting one. So, I want to make it clear, while some of the stuff in my songs are true, the parts about robbing liquor stores and banks was all made up.
Who are the members of your band?
I am so lucky to have so many super talented musicians in my band with me, they really have made all the songs on the album come to life, and we’ve been able to put together a very entertaining stage show with them:
I’m on lead vocals and rhythm guitar.
Mellisa Robin sings all harmonies and background vocals
Phil Stein plays bass and also sings harmony vocals
Chris McKinney is our keyboard player
Ken Harrill is our lead guitarist
Sean Derksen is our Drummer.
Tell us about I Ain’t Ever Growing Up: Volume II. How long did it take you to get this album done?
Actually, I recorded 16 songs in 2022 and it was originally intended to be all one album, but we thought it might be too much to absorb all at once, so we split it into Volume I and Volume II with 8 songs each. We released Volume I in July 2023 and Volume II this June 14th. The recording, mixing, and mastering typically is a 6 month process from start to finish. But that is just the beginning as there is a tremendous amount of planning afterward on how you plan to market the music. It definitely takes a team to put together all the aspects of making and distributing a new album, I really need to give special credit to my engineering and production team of Stephen Haaker and Brett Grossman. We have worked together on all my records and the final results are in big part to all their efforts as well. In the end, I’m really super proud of all of these recordings. They cover a lot of diverse styles, which I believe we executed beautifully.. I don’t think there is a filler cut on either album. Volume I got great reviews and I think Volume II is equally as good if not better.
Where did you record this album?
We recorded the Album at “Perfect Sound Studio’s” in Frogtown CA. It’s a great place to record. I also recorded my first Album “Call Me Ishmael” and my Christmas EP “California Christmas Tales” there. The studio is run by Sean Kellett and he does a phenomenal job. I can’t recommend this studio highly enough for anyone looking for a great place to record.
The music industry has changed considerably over the years. How do record labels help the artist nowadays?
That’s a good question. In the past, the record labels financed, developed, and marketed artists. For new artists just starting out, it was always the dream to be signed by a major label, as it was very difficult to make it in the music industry without having a label behind you. But, like so many other industries, the Music Industry has changed with regard to how music gets recorded and consumed. The ability to make a record and distribute it has become simpler and easier. And it has given rise to many independent artists and boutique labels. But this has created different types of challenges to overcome, as the market is now flooded with new music, making it more difficult to standout above the crowd and be heard. Artists still need to be funded, developed, guided, and promoted for stand out in today’s music world. That requires both money and expertise and that’s the value that I believe that labels can still offer. But it’s no longer the ultimate goal, as many artists are trying to do it on their own, because now they can, where in the past that path was blocked to them.
How do you promote your music?
I use a multi-prong approach. I promote to US and European Radio using “Powderfinger Promotions” in MA and “Music Promotions” in CO. I Promote via various streaming sites utilizing “Playlisters”. My PR company is “the B Company” and we work together on putting together magazine, blog, and performance reviews. And of course I have been performing with my 6pc band across Southern California to promote all of our new material.
Do you perform in festivals?
I’m waiting for an offer.
What do you think is the current state of Americana/Heartland Rock?
I think there are so many great artists that fall into this category from Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Steve Earle, Jason Isbell, John Hiatt etc. They are all still releasing new material and selling out shows where ever they play. So, I think it’s still very much alive and well. These artists are all such great storytellers with their lyrics, and it is an aspect of my music that I make a strong effort in. There are many elements in the Americana/Heartland Rock music genre that speaks to me and consequently a lot of my songs and music reflect it as well.
What’s your touring schedule for the next few months?
We are going to be local during the summer, as some of my band members have prior commitments that don’t allow us to stray to far from home base. We will be at “the Whiskey A GoGo” on August 15th and we’re really excited about playing there. I may have some announcements coming for July in Orange County soon as well.
I Ain’t Ever Growing Up: Volume II is available on all streaming platforms, including SoundCloud, Spotify, Youtube, Amazon, Apple Music. Physical CDs are available on the artist’s official website, Bandcamp.
Social media: Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), and Instagram.
