News from older days...

AUGUST '03

Lots of very exciting things happening recently: The summer UK tour went great! Thanks to everyone who came out for the shows, those that helped set them up, and to everyone that wrote things up in the press and featured me on their radio shows. The antifolk fest opening night show in New York was also quite a kick.

Big news: I'm very happy to announce that I've inked a deal with a London based company called Real Time who will finally give the "Full Moon Over Wowtown" CD a proper official release in Europe and the UK via their Breakin' Beats label, probably in January(?) Meanwhile, another very cool label, Homesleep (based in Italy) has invited me to be a featured part of their twelve-release CD singles club. I am now busy in the studio working on tracks for that, and on some tracks that will eventually be part of the next full length album.

The pilot episode of the new Wowtown News radio show DID have it's premiere on Resonance FM in London during Richard Sanderson's great Baggage Reclaim show at however it ran on July 20th rather than the 13th. I apologize to those who would have tuned in for that but didn't know. We were preparing to send out an announcement just before the tour, but had a massive computer crash (I heard that a lightning bolt struck the power generator at Wowtown Lake Dam and caused a surge that wreaked havok in half the country!) and were not able to do the mailing. I also had quite an ordeal re assembling the entire tour agenda and a lot of important contact info which also went down in the crash. The episode was repeated on the Glassshrimp show the following Wednesday, and the second episode ran on Bag Reclaim on the 10th of August. Each episode runs about three to six minutes and so far they have been based on past written episodes. More are in the works and they will start running again, hopefully somewhat regularly, in October. Meanwhile, I really will send out a new WT News email soon, really!..., I promise!....

Here's a link to a recent interview in Manchester Online

I do plan to expand the press section of this site since so many people are writing up such wonderful things about the poor Hornicator, who suffered such a trial when an officer stuck a rubber gloved hand up his hole in customs on our way back to NY recently. The case in which he and Sister Spinster stow away on these trips also evidently set off a metal detector alarm at the airport on our outbound trip. There was a nice note from the Office of Homeland Security stuck in there.

 

JULY '03

Okay, the Truckfest stage time has been changed from 3 to 5pm (more or less they say). For safety's sake, try: www.truckrecords.com/truck2003/pages/index.php

Meanwhile: An exciting announcement from the Wowtown Newsroom: Did you ever wonder what that meteor sounded like when it crashed into Al the groundhog's hole on Groundhog day way back when? Or what Dr. Macabre sounds like? Well, even if you didn't, now you can actually hear all that and more when the very first AUDIO episode of "THE WOWTOWN NEWS" premieres on Resonance FM, 104.4 FM (London's premiere free form music and arts station) this Sunday, the 13th, as part of Richard Sanderson's show "Baggage Reclaim", which airs at 4pm.

Don't live in London? or out of Resonance's broadcast range? You're not out of luck! You can still listen to the show live on the web by going to http://www.resonancefm.com Of course, don't forget to account for time zone differences. In the US on the east coast that means 11a.m., so you might have to skip church!

On Wednesday(15th), yours truly will also be playing live in the resonance studio on the Glassshrimp show, which is at 5p.m. (London time)

NEW YORK'S THOMAS TRUAX RETURNS TO THE UK (solo electroacoustic)

Tues, 15: Brighton, The Sanctuary Cafe, 51 Brunswick St. East (Hove) 01273770002 Support: Remote Control

Wed, 16: London, Catch 22, 22 Kingsland Rd E2 (£5/£4 w/flyer)8pm Support: ian de silva and bear stutz club

Fri, 18: Manchester , Britons Protection, 50 Great Bridgewater, M2 5LL, 01612365895 Support from Loose Canon and DJ Soft Priest 8pm

Sat, 19: London, The Spitz, 109 Commercial St. E1 7392 9032 with ray, jamie reid, martha dumptruck massacre, and dean manning

Sun, 20: Truck Festival, Steventon (Oxford) Chill Out Tent, 5pm

Wed, 23: Sheffield, Grapes, Trippet Lane, £3, 8pm (www.realpromo.co.uk) Support: Slo-Mo, Supreme Vagabond Craftsman

Thur, 24: Hull, Adelphi Club, 89 De Grey Street 0148 234 8216 w/ The Carolgees

JUNE '03

Crazy busy, my head spinning like the proverbial hampster in Sister Spinster's wheels...Thanks to all who made the Sin-e show!!

MAY '03

Some reviews of the "Full Moon Over Wowtown" CD have finally started surfacing and they've been extremely good. We're starting a new quotes page to display some of this and to provide some links to online write ups, etc. Find it HERE. Big show on the 8th of June coming with Skeleton Key and World/Inferno Friendship society at Luxx in Brooklyn.

APRIL '03

Back from a great series of shows and a wonderful time again in the UK. Met so many great people and drank too much but it kind of goes with the territory no? I saw a ghost on my first night in Wales, how cool is that? Really, upstairs at the Monkey Bar in Swansea. I was checking out the upstairs rooms which were closed for the night but it was kind of a cool space and David Sedleythe promoter had said I might as well take a look at the second floor and a third floor "chill out" room because they were cool and soundcheck wasn't happening for a while. It was dark up there but with the door propped open there was enough light to get an idea of the space. I was trying to figure out where the way up to the third floor was when I saw a shadowy figure slip into a closing door around a corner. I figured I must have startled someone up there who was freaked out to see me creeping around checking out the place in the dark, so I went back downstairs and jokingly asked the bartenders if they had a ghost upstairs but they didn't laugh. Apparently the place has a history. When I went up there with David to check it out indeed that was where the door to the 3rd floor was but it was locked and there was really no one up there and nowhere they could have gone. They even had surveillance cameras with monitors downstairs to keep an eye on the upstairs rooms, nobody up there! More of a chill room than a chill out room I'd have to say.

There's been some talk about the possibility of doing some audio versions of some Wowtown News episodes to air on Resonance FM, one of London's best and most adventurous stations and a strong supporter of mine. More on this as it develops.

FEBRUARY/MARCH '03

Very busy indeed these days. Preps for the next UK round are in full swing, spring is finally in the air, and it sickens me to think to see this strike on Iraq in the name of this ailing country in which I live looks like it's really going to happen. I played some toy piano on a few songs with Jeff Lewis at Sidewalk the other night, one of which we wrote together right before the show. It was a good experience and I'd like to think that we might be able to record it one of these days. Scott Hartley (who plays on the Full Moon cd and was Like Wow's drummer) did a couple of shows with Liquid Liquid recently, their first shows in 20 years! Cool to see the real stuff when so many young bands are imitating that sound these days. My show at the new Sin-e club downtown scheduled for the 21st of March has been postponed along with the opening of the club due to a building inspector that called in sick(!) Working on a few new songs that I'll preview in England. Recorded a version of 'John the Waiter' for a compilation that will be released by LuvALot records (NY). A new CD by Quark coming out on Naive records (France) has some backing singing by yours truly on it, but it sits way back in the mix and I almost feel I'm just hearing what I did only in my memory. Well enough, back to work on getting Sister Spinster ready as I can for all possible turbulence. Last time she was practically in pieces by the time she made it across the pond, poor girl.

JANUARY '03

We've certainly started up the year with an exciting month! I Hornicated Cobble Hill for the first time at the Boudoir Bar. The live set at WFMU went well and we all enjoyed it, Irene was great and can you believe she sets up all the mics and sound while DJing at the same time, then mixes and interviews, etc. herself, all live on the air? Wicked. It's posted now permanently as a downloadable real audio archive, there's 3 hours of show but my segment starts about an hour into it and lasts about an hour: http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/IT2003 I wish there were some reverb on the vocals but singers are like this. The subsequent CD release party at Sidewalk on the 25th was a blast. A real pleasure to be working live with seasoned professionals John Dylan Keith, Meredith Yayanos and Paul Wallfisch. Meredith's amazing theremin playing really brought the house down. Wish they were all available to be on board for every show. We were honored with the critic's pick for Saturday in TimeOut New York which was quite cool, and also helped to pack the place a bit beyond capacity. Thanks to everyone who came and shared the heat on that bitter cold night.

I'm in the midst of installing a second pickup on the Hornicator for it's strings, and will soon get on to souping up the Spinster for another UK whirl in early April with possibly some dates in Germany in late March. Speaking of which, New York will finally get a dose of Sister Spinster when I introduce her in a special set at the Winter Antifolk Fest on February 19th. It's quite a lineup: 8- Peter Dizozza, 8:30 -Jason Trachtenberg, 9- Thomas Truax, 9:30-John S Hall, 10:00-Nellie McKay, 10:30-Testosterone Kills, 11-Lach

DECEMBER '02

Advance copies of the new full-length CD are now available online, click the artwork to check it out:

After a brief stop in Wowtown to rest up I am back in New York after the UK tour, which I'm happy to report was a great success and loads of fun! They went absolutely nuts over the Hornicator and Sister Spinster (new smaller airplane-transportable Cadillac Beatspinner Wheel type contraption-I'm as surprised as anyone that we made it through customs!). A return is planned for late March/early April.

I posted a couple of photos from the adventure on the pictures page.

LIVE SHOWS: MONDAY, DECEMBER 16th at 9pm at PETE'S CANDY STORE 709 Lorimer street - Williamsburg, Brooklyn - (718) 302 - 3770 featuring the fine poundings of John Dylan Keith and Dan Coates on Palm Pilot. This'll be the last NY show this year, however... I'll also be doing a bill with the immensely talented Andy Monley in Denver, Colorado on Friday, December 27 at 10pm at the historic LION'S LAIR 2022 E. Colfax Ave

Coming in January: "Full Moon Over Wowtown" CD release party.

NOVEMBER '02

THOMAS TRUAX PLAYS LIVE IN LONDON & AREA NOVEMBER 2002

"The Sister Spinster Tour"

monday 11 BLANG! at 12 bar club 22-3 Denmark Place (off Denmark St) St. Giles WC2

tues 12 'Harvest Time' at Portland Arms, 129 Chesterton Road Cambridge, CB4 3BA01223 357268

sunday 17 The Golden Lion 88 Royal College St. N1

tuesday 19 'Klinker' at The Sussex 107A Culford Rd, N1

wednesday 20 Buffalo Bar 259 Upper Street Islington London N1 1RU

sat 23 (note new date!) Spice Of Life 8:30pm Romilly Street Cambridge Circus W1D 5NA +44 (0) 20 7437 7013

sat 23 ROTA (Rough Trade Records Afternoon) Notting Hill Arts Club, 21 Notting Hill Gate W11

sunday 24 'Baggage Reclaim' at 12 bar club

OCTOBER '02

After about two years in and out of the studio I'm happy to say 'Full Moon Over Wowtown' is finally finished. Look for a NY release party in January. A couple of really rewarding live shows this month at Sidewalk and the Dabora Gallery in Brooklyn on Halloween. New drummer John Dylan Keith is a real find, you'd think he played with a Beatspinner all his life, and for the Halloween show he broke in a new kit he made mostly of various sized cowbells. So much good fortune with drummers lately, in some ways the world seems to be taking a turn for the better. Meanwhile in the robot drummer department, working like a madman to get the new 'Sister Spinster' ready for the England tour.

SEPTEMBER '02

Sept 15: (this reprinted from Brad Willis's Antifolk Online site): Thomas is planning a small UK tour for November and just in case you were wondering how he was going to take his soon to be world famous beatspinner with him, he is hoping to build a smaller more portable beatspinner to lug around with him. I just want to know what those guys that frisk me every week will think of it! Thomas is also hoping to finish up a new CD before that. Everyone can look forward to that!!!

Sept 30 (from Thomas): It's now been a year since I first started performing and developing my "solo electro-acoustic" act regularly here in NYC and it's been an eventful, fun and inspiring year. (I wish I felt the same about the world at large, I guess we all hope for the best).

Thankyou again to everyone who came out for the shows, many of you repeatedly, and encouraged me to keep moving on in this direction.

Sadly my good friend Erin Gillgannon who joined me onstage with his stripped down drum kit for most of these shows played his last (atleast for the time being) at Sidewalk on Friday the 13th, as he has relocated to his native Canada. Fortunately some of his intuitively great playing is preserved in some recordings we did at Good and Evil that will appear on the new record which is almost finished.

 

AUGUST '02

The Wowtown News is now getting published in print form in AU BASE fanzine and also on the Antifolk Online site.

Radio Mike included these kind words in his August 20 newsletter:"THOMAS TRUAX (http://www.thomastruax.com) just may be the Antifolk Reincarnation of Raymond Scott, and he's only just begun. With his Hornicator (tm) and his Cadillac Beatspinner Wheel (tm) I would hope to be producing some Antifolk Cartoons. His music will just evoke pictures for everyone."

Listen to The Fevered Brain Of RadioMike Right Now and click through: http://www.TheFeveredBrainOfRadioMike.com.

The Escape from the Orphanage/Ocean Orphan CD single is getting some play on WFMU, the best freeform station in the world!

Speaking of "Antifolk" (the label that means little more than that you don't play traditional "Folk" music) big thanks to everyone who braved a wild thunderstorm, made it out to the festival show at Sidewalk on the 2nd, packed the room and made it such a memorable night. If you weren't there you missed legendary Gil Goldstein who stepped up for the first Accordion/Hornicator duet in history. Check out the recordings page for a live version of the old standard "Moonglow" from the show. There were also brief sets at Tompkin's Square and Central Park.

On the 19th I played my first show at Pete's Candy Store in Brooklyn. There will definitely be a return engagement.

JULY '02

Late this month I finally got into the studio with the awesome Paul Wallfisch of Firewater and Botanica fame who is the latest to add his talents to 'Full Moon Over Wowtown' (upcoming full-length CD)

Some disappointing news is it looks like the record deal with OBK/Naive records in Europe is not going forward after all. Next?

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