An Exclusive Interview with Tommy Z!!

January 4, 2016

https://www.tommyzband.com/home

https://www.facebook.com/Tommy-Z-17899185310/?fref=ts

An Exclusive interview with Tommy Z by Richard Lhommedieu on Mixcloud

Tommy Z is a contemporary blues guitarist/singer/songwriter/producer who has been described as a “blues treasure” by legendary 97 Rock/WBFO DJ Jim Santella (WBFO), and “one of WNY’s best kept secrets” by Sarah French, Blues Matters Magazine. Though he is a guitar-driven electric blues-based stylist onstage, in the studio Tommy composes a variety of music. So while well experienced and studied in traditional blues, jazz and rock styles, Tommy is an artist who puts that soulful blues feeling into all the different styles he plays. As a result he’s been been recognized with numerous awards over the years, including being voted Top Blues Vocalist in Western New York 2003/2004/2006, Top Blues Guitarist 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2006 and his groups have won the Top Blues/Crossover Blues Band categories 1994, 2005, 2006, and was honored with the Muddy Waters Award for “Artist of the Year” by the Blues Society of WNY in 2004. This list does not include what individual band members have won individual awards for bass, drums and keyboardist/sax as well. In 2007 Tommy was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame, recognizing him alongside some of the best talent to ever come out of WNY (and also making him ineligible for any more music awards!). He has had the opportunity to perform with/or co-bill with some of the worlds’ top artists in the blues/rock genre including: B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Jeff Healey, Colin James, Roomful of Blues, Blues Traveler, Derek Trucks, Joe Bonamassa, Robert Randolph, Peter Frampton, Carey Bell and many more including a tour backing up Grammy-winning blues legend Pinetop Perkins (Muddy Waters Band).

The son of a Vietnam-era veteran, he has been bringing a taste of home to US troops overseas since 2003 with blues-based concert tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Japan, South Korea, Djibouti, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, Turkey, Guam, Alaska and other distant locales on behalf of USO/AFE. Rolling Stone Magazine called some of these locations, “The most dangerous gigs on Earth.” Tommy contributed guitar tracks to Deep Purple vocalist and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Ian Gillan’s CD on Immergent called Gillan’s Inn, on the track “When A Blind Man Cries,” which also featured blues-rock legend Jeff Healey and Jon Lord. In 2006 a critically acclaimed CD entitled Universal Love was produced with Nick Blagona (BeeGees, Chicago, Police), and it was described as “soul-rockin’ blues” by Bob Putignano, NYC Blues Society President and Sounds of Blue DJ (WFDU), “awesome” by Bob Silvestri, Best of WNY, and “should feature high on your list of ‘new’ acts to investigate” Mick Rainsford, Blues in Britain Magazine. He’s been featured/mentioned in industry magazines such as Fender’s Frontline, Mix Magazine, and Guitar Edge.

The release of “Sometimes” in 2013 garnered more national and international attention than in the past. It made both the Roots Report Top Blues FM and Internet Airplay charts for US blues/roots stations, overseas blues charts in France, etc. and made the first round of voting for Best Blues Album at the Grammy’s. It continues to receive glowing reviews in such publications as American Blues Scene, Blues Rock Review,About.com/blues and many more. Tommy and his band tour around the United States at top venues and blues festivals and are constantly asked back for return dates. In 2015 Tommy and band were invited to be the international headliners for the Cali Blues and Folk Festival in Colombia, South America for nearly two weeks of concerts and master classes.

In addition to his performance schedule, Tommy is a Canisius College graduate, guitar teacher, and composer/producer for Film, TV, Sports, etc. His most recent credits include writing the victory song for the St. Louis Blues (NHL), Red Hot Chili Peppers Biography, Ryan and Sean’s Not So Excellent Adventure, Last Comic Standing (NBC), TLC’s Stager Invasion, Animal Planet’s Swamp Wars (main title), Bravo’s Chef Roble and Co., Discovery Channel’s Biker Live, America’s Top Model and others.

In 2015 Tommy was hired as a new blues radio host/DJ by the NPR/WNED affilated station WBFO 88.7 FM where he programs classic and modern blues music for listeners in the WNY/Southern Ontario area and online at www.wbfo.org.