Tomislav Goluban with Crooked Eye Tommy

Nashville Road

Overton Music

It’s not very often that an old-school Croatian harmonica player hooks up with a West Coast guitarist. In fact this collaboration is partially supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia. Tomislav Goluban, whose surname translates to Pigeon in English has been inspired by harmonica masters, Sonny Boy Williamson, Paul Butterfield, Kim Wilson, Gary Primich, Sonny Terry and Joe Filisko. His twenty year music career includes eleven studio albums. Tomislav began playing harp in 1997 and released his debut recording “Pigeon’s Flight” in 2005. He followed up with “Mr. B.” and traveled to Memphis to compete in the International Blues Challenge in 2009. His well received sixth studio album, 2014’s “Blow Junkie” cracked the Roots Music Report in May of 2015. Tomislav has played in more than twenty European Countries and even at Norway’s prestigious Notodden Blues Festival. On his 2016 album “Kaj Blues Etno” Tomislav mixed Croatian songs and themes with his blues. Tomislav returned to Memphis to again compete in the IBC this time representing the Croatian Blues Forces.

In 2018 Tomislav collaborated on the eclectic album “Velvet Space Love”. Tomislav has founded a blues festival in his hometown, educates students with a “Blues in The Schools” program, and hosts his own radio show. In 2019 Tomislav won a Keeping the Blues Alive award from The Blues Foundation. More recent albums include 2019’s “Chicago Rambler”, 2020’s two albums “Express Connection” and “Memphis Light”, and 2022’s “20 Years on the Road”.

Tommy Marsh a.k.a. Crooked Eye Tommy, began playing with his brother Paddy, a blues guitarist and vocal powerhouse, Tommy is from Ventura County California. He didn’t become a lead singer until his mid-forties, and was a finalist at the 2020 International Blues Challenge in Memphis representing the Santa Clara Blues Society. Tommy was awarded a Hollywood Music Media Award in 2021, a 2022 Josie Award, and is a Hall of Fame Inductee in the Ventura County Music Awards. Previous albums include 2015’s “Butterflies & Snakes” and 2020’s “Hot Coffee and Pain”. CET performs over 100 shows a year both in the states and Europe.

All of the songs on “Nashville Road” were written by Tomislav except for the closer written by Crooked Eye Tommy. The album opens with an instrumental recorded at Jasco’s Music Lab in Nashville, featured is Jasco Duende on second guitar. On the next tune “Rock Dog” we get to hear Tommy who sings like his life depends on it, “I might not be a rock star but I will be your rock dog”, while featured musicians include Eric Robert, keyboards; Doug Seibert, bass; and Alphonso Wesby, drums.

“Up Is Down” includes the fabulous harmonica and lead vocal of Tomislav while Robert hammers away on piano “if you knock me down, I will get back up”. “Bad Choices Make Good Stories” again features a vocal by Crooked Eye Tommy with the lyric “sometimes when I’m down, I think about the road I’ve run, I’ve been bad, I’ve been good, but bad choices make good stories, when things get bad somebody got to fall”.

“Hip Hop Shake” is another great instrumental, this time a boogie showcasing Tomislav’s sweet harmonica with more piano from Robert. Crooked Eye Tommy once again takes the lead vocal on “Hard Candy”, “hard candy, from the candy store, hard candy I gotta have some more”. “Keep On Moving On”, is sung by Tomislav who is also blowin’ hard while Robert plays the Hammond B-3.

Guitarist Crooked Eye Tommy sings again on “Life is Good” with lyrics from Anamarija Nekic “there’s music in my ear, life is wonderful, life is good, times seem to move so fast, live in the present, forget about the past. On the closer “There Is A Train” the words and music are from Tommy, with Billy Gilliam on upright bass, and Grady Clark, slide guitar; “can’t buy no ticket, can’t make a reservation…can you hear the train…if you were a rich man you got more than your share…you know the conductor don’t care, can you hear the train call your name”.

“Nashville Road” is a collaboration. Although it’s musical heaven, the thirty-five minute album will leave you begging for more, as this hard-rocking duo will take you on a joyous journey. Luckily you will be able to hit repeat several times before your journey ends. You can really savor this fine album.

Richard Ludmerer
Contributing Editor/Making A Scene

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