Tom Cuneo… Sitting on the shoulders of giants
Remember the name… Tom Cuneo
Published on February 26th, 2012 | Jonny Abrams
Next up in Rocksucker’s series of hearty recommendations comes wistfully melodious Italian troubadour Tom Cuneo. Have a listen, right now…
“Interrail”
Who are you and where do you come from?
Hi everyone, I’m Tom Cuneo, I’m a guitar player and songwriter. I was born and grew up in Italy. I lived for some years in London, and some months ago I moved back to Italy because I’m working here, but I’d like to come again to London.
How would you describe your music, if pushed?
I write pop songs, but I use the pop form as a big melting pot where I blend all influences that I have: giants of jazz, giants of rock, classical music, pop music, unsigned artists, places that I visited, lot of things. Influences are not only about music but also about other things: contemporary artists like Ai Weiwei, for example, and others. Apart from that I also write instrumental music, mostly influenced by Latin and jazz music.
Who or what are your primary inspirations for music-making?
Unintentionally I’ve already replied in part to this question in the previous answer, but I want to add that I’m a kind of sponge; I like to store up things in my mind and then take them out through music. I’ve even been inspired by using different kind of musical instruments
Tom Cuneo… Guess that’s why they call it the blues
Where can we hear your music?
I have a couple of Myspaces where you can go and listen to me, one for my instrumental music and collaborations (www.myspace.com/azulesmusic) and another one where you can find my songs (www.myspace.com/tomcuneo).
Of course you can have a listen of my first single on YouTube, just look for ‘Tom Cuneo – Interrail’. I invite everyone to listen to my music and I’m always curious to have feedback from people. Join me on Facebook or at tomcuneo@hotmail.com and tell me what you think about it! Let’s keep in touch, even to know next gigs. My first EP will be available on digital download in the next few months.
Which have been your music exciting gigs so far?
It was a very nice experience when some months ago, in the summer, I played in the courtyard at The Vibe Bar in Brick lane, one of the most important clubs in London. It was very nice to play outdoors in front of a hundred of people; there was a really good vibe.
Got any more coming up? (Gigs, that is…)
Actually I’m working with a theatre company, showcasing in Rome the performance Io Volerò. And I have some gigs with my songs in the next weeks but al in Italy. I hope to play soon in England as well.
Recommend three albums that we might not have heard of…
Blue by Joni Mitchell, Guitars by McCoy Tyner, Side by Side by Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges.
Any other unsigned artists you’d like to recommend or give a shout-out to?
In London I’ve been listening to The Barefoot Smile, a very good band, and also the solo stuff of their vocalists Guy Bennett and Mark Alexander is good. Another amazing band is The Sweet Nothings from New Orleans, I met them in 2008 in Ireland, they were playing on the road; they are a busking band and they recorded even their CD in the street. The list would be long: Maurizio Minardi is very good, Ryan Carr, Kirstenana and Mood Filter. In Italy, Max Manfredi and Francesco Forni are great songwriters.
See you everyone, let’s keep in touch!
Tom Cuneo, thank you.
Tom Cuneo… Hum/strum existence
About the Author
Jonny Abrams Editor of Rocksucker and the website's founder, Jonny is passionate about the music he listens to, both good and bad, as well as interviewing his favourite musicians.
