is a response to these incredibly fucked up times. The songs are a punkish absurdist history class from my childhood perspective growing up in the SF Bay Area in the 60s, 70s, and 80s (little-boysplaining). They are an expression of solidarity with all of us trying to navigate this vast sea of cruelty-full bullshit, and also very specifically designed to be a gooooooood time! (It was also my Mammaw’s nickname for me)
I’ll be playing some Godammit Tommy! shows starting in Europe this spring,
the U.S. in the summer and onwards from there, sometimes joined by friends!
“Thollem’s music, a seamless mix of the blues, jazz, protest music, punk rock, and pop,
knot together philosophical koans about the nature of existence.”
– Iggy Pot, LiveEye TV
“With Thollem everything is always on the table. A singer/songwriter in the broadest sense of the term.”
– Brad Rose, Foxy Digitalis
“A forward vocal delivery that comes a-swingin’ right out of the gate.” – Tiny Mix Tapes
Though Thollem is primarily known in the experimental music world as a pianist and electronic musician, he’s also been a singer-songwriter since he was a kid and has released a bunch of albums both solo and with various bands, most notably with his Italian punk band Tsigoti and The Hand To Man Band (Mike Watt, John Dieterich and Tim Barnes). In 2016, his post-mortem collaborations with Andy Kaufman Always Put On Your Sincere Face and his first solo songs album Machine in the Ghost were published by Personal Archives. “These two totally disparate entries into Thollem’s catalog are great reminders of his fluidity as an artist…” – Ryan Masteller, Critical Masses. In 2021 Personal Archives released Hot Pursuit Of Happiness, a solo pandemic project which eventually evolved into Godammit Tommy!
Upcoming Dates:
March 21st (Lisbon, PT) @ Prisma Estúdio
April 30th (Rome, IT) @ Fanfulla
June 1st (New Jersey City, NJ) @ Live on WFMU Blurred and Obscured
And onwards from there
In the rockin’ world Thollem has performed and recorded with members of Unwound, The Minutemen, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Half Japanese, Wilco, Old Time Relijun, Cibo Matto, Deerhoof, The Stooges, Squarcicatrici, Jealousy Party, Stars Like Fleas, Tenderizor, A Love Electric, Akklamation, Can and more.
Vocal Releases
• Tsigoti: No Vacation From Poverty with Andrea Caprara, Piero Spitilli, Jacopo Andreini (Offset Records, 2023)
• Hot Pursuit Of Happiness (Personal Archives, 2021)
• Thollem/Kaufman: Always Put On Your Sincere Face Post-mortem collaboration with Andy Kaufman (Personal Archives, 2016)
• Solo: Machine in The Ghost (Personal Archives, 2016)
• Tsigoti: Read Between The Lines…Think Outside Them with Andrea Caprara, Piero Spitilli, Jacopo Andreini (Post-Consumer Records, 2013)
• Whistling Joy Jumpers: Surprising Wooden Clocks with Jad Fair & Brian Chase (Thick Syrup Records, 2013)
• Tsigoti: Imagination Liberation Front Thinks Again with Andrea Caprara, Matteo Bennici, Jacopo Andreini (Post-Consumer Records, 2012)
• Hand To Man Band: You’re Always On Our Minds with Mike Watt, Tim Barnes and John Dieterich (Post-Consumer Records, 2012)
• Tsigoti: Private Poverty Speaks To The People Of The Party with Andrea Caprara, Matteo Bennici, Jacopo Andreini (ESP-Disk, 2010)
• Tsigoti: The Brutal Reality Of Modern Brutality with Andrea Caprara, Matteo Bennici, Jacopo Andreini (Edgetone Records, 2008)
• Thollem/Rivera: I’ll Meet You Halfway Out In The Middle Of It All with Rick Rivera (Edgetone Records, 2005)