Tommy Guerrero's Lifeboats & Follies out now on Galaxia Records; San Francisco Release Party February 5 at Cafe du Nord
Raised on the colorful and gritty streets of San Francisco and steeped in the dark brew formed by the perfect cultural storm where skateboarding, music and art smashed right into each other, Tommy Guerrero was destined for greatness of the soulful sort. Adapting to his hilly local environs with speed and style, TG was a bonafied pioneer of modern street skateboarding, turning pro and traveling the world while still just a teenager.
His casual flow was material for the skateboarding pantheon, and is endlessly compared to what would come out when he focused his attention on stringed things. The early four-track tunes he offered were heavily groove-based, with obvious blues, Latin and soul overtones, but as time and albums went by the music became more layered and eclectic, incorporating jazz, hip-hop and funk elements, as well.
More than a decade of tirelessly working his craft has passed since, and has resulted in the album you now behold: Lifeboats and Follies is by far Guerrero's most fully realized sonic collage. The tide of groove remains, but is formed by the far denser and complex interplay of an expanded quiver of instruments and sounds. The simplicity of Tommy's early work was catchy, but the expansive compositional skill that has shown itself amongst the tracks here is cinematic in scope, offering a richer, more muscular tone and greater depth of emotion. The soup has been thickened, the fire is smoldering, and Tommy is sweating it out all night, every night.
Raised on the colorful and gritty streets of San Francisco and steeped in the dark brew formed by the perfect cultural storm where skateboarding, music and art smashed right into each other, Tommy Guerrero was destined for greatness of the soulful sort. Adapting to his hilly local environs with speed and style, TG was a bonafied pioneer of modern street skateboarding, turning pro and traveling the world while still just a teenager.
His casual flow was material for the skateboarding pantheon, and is endlessly compared to what would come out when he focused his attention on stringed things. The early four-track tunes he offered were heavily groove-based, with obvious blues, Latin and soul overtones, but as time and albums went by the music became more layered and eclectic, incorporating jazz, hip-hop and funk elements, as well.
More than a decade of tirelessly working his craft has passed since, and has resulted in the album you now behold: Lifeboats and Follies is by far Guerrero's most fully realized sonic collage. The tide of groove remains, but is formed by the far denser and complex interplay of an expanded quiver of instruments and sounds. The simplicity of Tommy's early work was catchy, but the expansive compositional skill that has shown itself amongst the tracks here is cinematic in scope, offering a richer, more muscular tone and greater depth of emotion. The soup has been thickened, the fire is smoldering, and Tommy is sweating it out all night, every night.
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