TOM GILLAM: Press

"Outside The Lines" (95 North)

Tom Gillam has spent a decade developing his craft, while flirting with the Country world and enjoying success in the Americana realm. On his new release, Shake My Hand, Gillam bursts into the mainstream, applying his impressive songwriting and performing skills to tunes with a wider appeal. Nowhere is that more evident on this rocking first single, "Outside The Lines," the autobiography of someone who proudly does things his own way. If you need comparisons, think So-Cal Country Rock of the early-’70s, a la The Eagles, but that doesn’t mean it sounds dated. It’s quite the opposite, as this is one of the freshest sounding releases to hit this year. That’s why KPIG, KZRC, Morehead State Public Radio, KFAN, KAXE and KRCL were the first in.

Jack Barton 
Sr. Director/Triple A
FMQB

Friday Morning Quarterback 2/17/05

Often it seems the best practitioners of roots-rock are those who tread a line between solid songcraft and punkish abandon. By that measure, Tom Gillam ranks high indeed. Falling somewhere along a continuum that includes vintage country-rockers such as Poco and nashville rebels such as Steve Earle, the New Jersey-based Gillam has a knack for injecting combustible energy into hooks and melodies evocative of classic country-pop.
Of the three full-length albums Gillam has released thus far, Shake My Hand is by far his most assured. Right from the start, on the crashinig chords that introduce the blustery "Outside The Lines", Gillam sounds like a man reveling in the knowledge that he's hitting his stride as an artist. The main ingredients in his arsenal, walls of rhythm guitar,radio-friendly vocal harmonies,stinging slide work, and a rebellios spirit-are there in that opening salvo.
Other high points include the swamp-boogie-meets-pop "Take It Easy On Me" (think solo Joe Walsh, had walsh been born on a bayou), the kiss-off swing tune "Your Parting Gift", and a hard-as-nails rocker titled "One Step At A Time" that brings to mind John Hiatt at his most scruffy.
Shake My Hand owes much of its power to Gillam's longtime backing band, the aptly-named Tractor Pull. In fact, Gillam's weak spots are generally the ballads, where, without the bands feisty interplay to propel him, he sometimes come off as clich'ed (both musically and lyrically). But such moments are few. For the most part, Shake My Hand finds Gillam assimilating his various influences into a rough-hewn, original fabric.

-RUSSELL HALL

AMERICANA SPOTLIGHT
 
Artist:  Tom Gillam
Label:  95 North
 
Hailing from the Philadelphia/South Jersey area of the country, Tom Gillam is a perfect example that the roots of Americana music can be found in any part of these here United States.  But if you don't know where he was from, it'd be pretty hard to guess, as his influences lean more toward country flavors and the smooth harmonic styles of the California country rock sound of the '70s.  Shake My Hand is Gillam's third album, and it displays great singing and songwriting, as well as his signature slide-guitar sound.  Either as a solo artists or with his band, Tractor Pull, Gillam tours regularly throughout the East and Midwest, and he's beginning to generate interest in other parts of the country.  He has shared the stage with such acts as The Derailers, Wilco, Tift Merritt, Tom Petty, Garth Brooks and Dave Matthews Band.  Standout tracks on thisnew album include "Outside The Lines," "Take It Easy on Me" and "Stand by You"

Tom Gillam

CD:  Shake My Hand
Label: 95 North
Rating:  5 Stars
Genre:  Roots Country
Tom Gilliam loads his creative cannon and fires a shot across the bow of roots country music, with the release of his new CD (Shake My Hand).  This album is roots country like Roots/Americana  country should be recorded.  Direct and to the point. Tom performs with convection and definitely knows how to create great music.  The cuts are fabulous.  Great studio work buy the band and songs that are intended to tell a story that more than fulfill their purpose.  Tom Gilliam has talent and a voice that surely causes envy from some of his peers in the music business.  
   The title cut Shake My Hand is blues/country right down the middle. This release is just awesome and should be listened to by any country, blues or roots rock music person that enjoys great music.

This review appears in This Fridays 11/26 Times Record News (Wichita Falls, TX).
**
Don Chance
Country Music Writer
 
I don’t listen to the radio much.  That might seem odd, but I keep up with what’s happening in mainstream country music mostly through regular online industry news outlets and daily email updates direct from radio and label sources. And besides, all the newest CDs arrive in the mail almost every day.  And I don’t have to sit through a lot of obnoxious radio commercials.  I try to maintain an overall view of country music in all its modern varieties, and pick out the new music discussed in this space fromthat enlarged pool. I mean, there’s just so much that can be said about the latest Kenny Chesney or Tim McGraw single before it no longer matters.  So I occasionally like feature deserving country music that is not likely to be heard in any pre-programmed 40-song radio rotations.  Music like these two CDs.
 
“Shake My Hand” by Tom Gillam
Next rating – B+
With his second album, “Shake My Hand,” Tom Gillam clearly demonstrates that the best country music is not on Top 40 country radio.  A talented singer and hot slide guitar player, Gillam also comes up with song aspects few writers seem capable of matchinganymore; namely heart and melody. Especially melody.  And every song here is a sing-along winner.
“Disappearing,” “Take It Easy On Me,” “One Park Lane,” the title track, “Over And Over,” “Your Parting Gift,” in a climate where genuine artistry matters, Tom Gillam would be a conventional chart topper.  If an album by someone I’ve never heard of catches my complete attention on the first listen, and doesn’t let go, to me that album is a fine piece of work.
“Shake My Hand” is definitely in that category.

Featured Year-End Country-influenced Rock List Title

I left the home improvement warehouse store wishing I had a pickup truck. One, I needed a truck to carry all of the stuff I had gotten for all of the home repairs I at least thought I could do. Two, I was rocking out to Tom Gillam’s Shake My Hand, the kind of a Country-influenced Rock that just needs to be blaring from a rusty old pickup truck. As Gillam bluesed up his slide guitar on “Outside the Lines,” I drove to the auto parts store. Again, I was outside of my element; I hardly know anything about cars or car repair. It seemed a match to what was going on musically—I felt a little outside my element listening to the Country rock of Gillam. That’s not my usual bag. However, the CD moved onto track 2, “Disappearing Act,” a heart-baring song recalling John Hiatt. I started to feel a little more comfortable. I kept dreaming about the pickup truck, but here’s a Country-influenced Rock artist that might just also be a sensitive singer-songwriter type, the kind of music that also works in a city intellectual’s sedan. “Take It Easy on Me” works that blues/country connection, with “Shake My Hand” even getting a little of that swamp blues feel. Jump on the highway with Gillam for “Your Parting Gift,” which is all slide guitar and piano boogie surely inspired by the Southern rock of Lynyrd Skynyrd. So I took my auto parts home (windshield wipers), drove my sedan (Pontiac Grand Am), but kept the music rocking.
Shake My Hand is released by 95 North/Hayden’s Ferry Records.
http://musicspectrum.blogspot.com/

Tom Gillam's "Shake My Hand" Celebrates it's 11th straight week in the top 10 of The Americana Music Radio Airplay Charts. After 2 weeks at #9, 1 week at #6, and 6 weeks at #5....This week "Shake My Hand"rides it's 2nd straight week at #4 .  
-Tom Gillam Moves up to  #1 yes NUMBER 1 on the Roots Music Report Roots Country Airplay Chart #1
 -Tom Gillam Moves up to #2 on The Overall Top 100 Roots Airplay Chart

-Tom Gillam Moves Up to #4 Overall on The XM Radio Cross Country Radio Playlist!!!!

AREA MUSIC VET TOM GILLAM HAS DABBLED WITH A VARIETY OF STYLES EN ROUTE TO HIS CURRENT DESTINATION --A DISTINCTLY MELLENCAMP/HEARTLAND VIBE MESHED WITH STONES INFLECTED BLOOZE AND A TINGE OF THE EVER POPULAR ALT-COUNTRY.
JUDGING FROM THE SOUND OF HIS SOLO DEBUT, FIRST OF ALL....... HE HAS FOUND AN ENGAGING COMBINATION. THROUGHOUT THE ALBUMS 12 SONGS, GILLAM SERVES UP TUNES THAT SEEM MORE CONCERNED WITH STRIKING AN EMOTIONAL CHORD THAN GETTING PLAYED ON MTV. GILLAMS JUST RUGGED ENOUGH VOICE- A HYBRID OF CHRIS WHITLEY AND PAUL RODGERS- FITS THE VIBE OF HIS MUSE LIKE A WELL OILED BASEBALL MITT, MOST NOTEABLY ON THE WILCO-CUM-AEROSMITH BOOGIE OF "CERTAIN KIND" AND THE NASHVILLIAN STRUMS OF
"CANDLE MUSINGS"...............
 
-patrick berkery phila city paper  4/8/98

Tom Gillam
Shake My Hand, 2004
95 North
The third release from Philadelphia-based singer/songwriter Tom Gillam exposes roots firmly planted in '70s country-rock. "Outside The Lines," "Abby And Andy" and "Please Come Home" recall Don Henley's Eagles work, while "Disappearing Act." "Take It Easy On Me" and the title track display an Allman Brothers influence.
Elsewhere "Your Parting Gift" has a bluesy Lynyrd Skynyrd feel, and "Stand By You" features Byrds-like harmonies.
Gillam wrote or co-wrote all 13 tracks, and he is particularly effective on ballads such as "I Could Be The One," which deals with the angst of unexpressed emotion, and "Ali Says She's Leaving," a tale of a disintegrating relationship. With "One Park Lane" Gillam reflects on lost love from the past, while "One Step At A Time" gazes hopefully into the future.
The music throughout is driven by Gillam's excellent slide guitar work, and he is well accompanied by Craig Simon (guitar), Dan Showell (drums), Tim McMaster (bass) and producer Joe Carroll (mandolin).
With pleasant vocals, thoughtful lyrics and stellar musicianship Tom Gillam delivers an impressive country-rock collection. (Box 10070, Swanzey, N.H. 03446, 95 North Records)
- Robert Wooldridge Country Standard Time

http://www.countrystandardtime.com/cdreviewofweek.html

From the Lone Star Music Site
Tom Gillam
Artist Review
Tom Gillam
by Evan Gavalas  3/10/2005

This is one of the best records i have ever heard. He perfectly mixes catchy tunes with meaningful songwriting. His previous albums were also brilliant but this one is a standout. True musicianship is becoming a rarity and he is able to make you love music again. I Love Tom Gillam!!!

Why, why, why is this not the #1 album in sales?, February 21, 2005
Reviewer:
 
R. Corkran "rcorkran" (Denver, CO, USA) - See all my reviews

Because the radio-record world is so screwed up, I worry about awesome, awesome artists like Tom Gillam. Now to explain my enthusiasm, I must admit I am a forty something boomer, and I have been an rock and progressive country fan for a long time.

So if you are still reading this, then believe me, this is one of the best cds in 2004 or any year. It is not a great comparison but what I tell my friends is that I consider Tom and his band equals the early Eagles in the mid-1970's. If you liked the Southern California sound of the mid to late 1970's, listening to this album is like a trip backwards thirty years.

Okay, since I don't see the albums tracks listed or with sample files (a tragedy), let me mention some of the albums best tracks.
Fast paced screaming guitars and Tom's great voice dominate "Outside the Lines". On "Take it Easy on Me" more screaming guitars, the great harmonies of his mates, and oh yeah, Tom's awesome voice.

"Your Parting Gift" may be the funnest track of the album, with great harmonies, and oh yeah, Tom's awesome voice. The album's title track, "Shake My Hand", is a funky mid speed rock gem. "One Park Lane" is a breezy rocker and the harmony chorus is one of my favorites on the cd. "Over and Over Again" is an ethereal bluesy track that will hypnotize you from the first time you hear it.

On "Stand by You" you will discover the acoustic alt country side of Tom and of course great harmonies joining Tom's awesome voice.
"Disappering Act" is another ethereal track which really showcases Tom's awesome voice. "Please Come Home features an awesome pedal steel which so complements the great harmonies and, well you know.

"Ali Thinks She's Leaving" is a quiet accoustic track which proves at the root of this album, there is great song writing based on down to earth lyrics, and Tom who has one of the best voices I have ever heard. Maybe think of Bob Seger without the hoarseness.

In sum, if you are looking for a great new artist, here he is.
If you are an alt-country fan, you must buy this cd.
If you are a Tom Gillam fan, this his best cd yet.
If you are a boomer and like the Eagles, then buy this cd, because I bet it may be the best thing you have heard in a long time.


If you need independent confirmation of this cd's goodness please go the Americana Music Association website, click on the radio chart playlist. Tom's cd has been in the top ten for a bunch of weeks.

Finally, Tom, please get you and your band to the Rocky Mountains. An intimate affair at the Fox Theater in Boulder or the Gothic Theater in Denver would be great or a spot during the Telluride Bluegrass Festival would be cool also. Chop Chop.
And I am looking forward to every cd you will make in the future so keep writing.
------------------------------


Below is an independent review from someone who purchased the cd on Amazon.com 5STARS

Brilliant rootsy rock,

Brilliant rootsy rock, October 29, 2004 5STARS
Reviewer:   Howard Whitman (Trevose, PA) - See all my reviews
  The new CD by New Jersey-based Tom Gillam is a slice of roots-rock heaven that deserves major attention. Traces of Steve Earle, John Mellencamp and especially Michael Nesmith crop up here and there, but Tom's an original, natural songwriter who's come up with a sterling crop this time around. There isn't a clunker in the bunch, but standouts include the stirring, heartfelt"Disappearing Act" and the catchy title track.

Plenty of credit should be given to Tom's band, Tractor Pull, which is an essential element of this CD's power. Special attention is due to lead guitarist Craig Simon, who contributes lead lines and fills that any Nashvillian studio ace would give his left you-know-what to match.

Although this was released on indie label, Hayden's Ferry, it boats major-label sound quality and production values. While the main features here are Tom's compelling voice and the kicking band, touches like background harmonies, pedal steel and tastefully integrated piano are used to great effect.

If you're looking to sample a great new artist--or even if you aren't--buy this CD. You'll be glad you took Tom up on his offer to "shake his hand."

Hi Tom.  I just stumbled on your site through The Orchard website.  I just clicked on your name using the "e-ne-mi-ne-mo" selection process, and I've been pleastantly surprised listening to your song clips.  I just wentto buy your cd through The Orchard.

Anyway, I'm really digging your music and at first listen, I'm detecting a little Gregg Allman & the Allman Brothers influence both vocally and through your slide playing.  I also hear a bit of Joe Walsh in your voice, which is really cool. I'll get your cd one way or another, but I just wanted you to know I'm digging your music.

I'm also a musician / songwriter.

Please write back if you have the time... I'd like to hear from you. Take it easy and keep up the good work!

Tom Forsey
-
Dear Mr. Gillam and company --

I really enjoyed your performance at Rex's in West Chester on Saturday night.  Was out to see the K-Floor boys, but am so glad I showed up early enough to catch your set.   Sorry to say that this was this first I have heard of your band, but I will surely be on the lookout for you in the future.  I'll be picking up your CD as soon as I can and I'll look forward to the new one in January.  Your slide playing is truly amazing!  Keep up the great work!

Regards,
Steve DeAngelis

PS -- Hope you get to play with K-Floor again soon.  Seeing you up there jamming with Nick was a sight to behold.  Two of the areas finest guitarists to be sure.  Great stuff!!
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back to top
Tom-
Great CD!  I heard it on MP3 and bought it on amazon.com 5 minutes ago.My husband and I are huge Pete Droge and Wilco fans and your music reminds us of them. Keep up the great work and we look to forward to your next!

- Stephanie Trenter
-
My brother Karl took a ride to the Mercury show in NY and he was blown away with the performance. I wish I was able to take the ride with him and his co-workers to the show.  Next time for sure! I checked out the audio on Tom's site and this is a great CD! Off the top I would say that Certain Kind.....Killing Time and Lost would be my favorite radio friendly tunes. Of course...I've only heard bytes so...... until I have played the CD 10 or 20 times...don't hold me to it.  :o)
I'll be glad to have a new CD to pass around to anyone who will listen.
I imagine I'll have to buy it at Amazon.  I wish Tom and the band all the luck in the world!                  Thanks for your time.

Sincerely       Steve Scottsdale, AZ
-
Unbelieveable lyrics and killer guitar!, February 20, 2000
Reviewer: A music fan from New Jersey
I browse through new artists often, usually remaining unimpressed by much of what I hear. "First of All" has that winning combination: great music, lyrics that make you think and sing along, and an overall PERSONALITY that most of today's music lacks. Tom Gillam's words evoke memories of wild drinking nights, painful relationships, and both great times and hardships. His music is simply astounding. I think we will be seeing a lot more of Tom Gillam!

an anonymous review found on the world wide web
http://www.qreativ.com/10scalereviews/review_cdgillamshake.html
Produced by Joe Carroll
This is a very impressive country rock cd. This New Jersey native knows how to show some country acts from down south a thing or two. Tom Gillam knows his chops and how to use them for catchy hooks. Tracks like 'One Park Lane' would satisfy any Eagles fan. Standout tracks like ''Shake My hand', 'TakeIt Easy On Me' and 'Outside The Lines' are certain to grab your attention. I feel the Gillam benefits from his more upbeat songs rather than the ballads. Tom, it's a pleasure to shake your hand

CD:  Shake My Hand
Label: Haydens Ferry
Rating: 5 Stars
 Tom Gillams CD is the toe tappin', booty shaken', mix that country music fans have grown to know and love. His backyard BBQ sound will have you tappin' your feet no matter where you are. This is some down home country fun!
Heather Bourne - Roots Music Report

***Reprinted from  Backwoods Music Review 
TOM GILLAM...DALLAS****
GOTHAM RECORDS
Philadelphia based Tom Gillam's new country-rock album just goes to demonstrate that an album called "Dallas" can come from up yonder and hold it's own with the more southern-based twang scene.  The album, produced by the band's guitar and mandolin player, Joe Carroll at his home studio in Philly, really caught my attention. Tom Gillam And The Tractor Pulls are Gotham Records first foray into the Americana scene, and evidently  it was a good move, because Tom Gillam's version of country rock is being talked about in a lot of places where he was never recognized before.

Gillam possesses an obvious gift for songwriting and it shows in his catchy, memorable lyrical structures and tone. His songs capture your ear and there's not a vapid chorus to be heard, his music is capable of straddling the "radio friendly" fault-line without selling out. Tom Gillam And The Tractor Pulls are no strangers to the road, having shared the bill with such acts as: The Dave Matthews Band, Tom Petty, Son Volt and the anti-hank himself, Garth Brooks.   The Tractor Pulls are right and tight, and I'd imagine that these guys can put on one hell of a live show. Gillam's music brings to mind such artists as The Allman Brothers,  Johnny Cash, early John Hiatt and Steve Earle. "Dallas" starts off with the one-two punch of Diamonds In The Rough and Dallas.  Both of these tunes are impressive and contain great rockin' rhythms appointed by Texas honky-tonk styling and searing blues slide-work. The next two songs, Got To Make It Work and Just Like Rain, have a  Lowell George ALA' Little Feat  feel to them. Other stand-out tunes include the blues-groovy funk-kicker Get My Groove On and A Little Too Strange; each which exemplify what rock and roll is all about.

Several  ballad type songs on the album including Just Like Rain and Got To Make It Work, hold their own and  never resort to being sickly-sweet or boring. The final cut, Bottom Of The Bottle is a great honky-tonk drinking song in the spirit of Lefty, Hank and George. This is a song for those folks who are out looking for a bar that's still open after 3 A.M. on a Saturday night. This is one album that keeps finding it's way back into my stereo, check it out.  Also, check out Tom's site at www.tomgillam.com, and his label's site www.gothamrecords.com for more info.

By CHERYL SQUADRITO
Courier-Post Staff
It's not a glamorous life being in a local rock 'n' roll band.
Many musicians work day jobs. Most book and promote their shows in venues where they aren't given the red carpet treatment. And road crews are a luxury.
Despite these diversions and obstacles, local artists produce independent compact discs to try to get major label attention or satisfy fans. Although computer technology makes it less espensive to produce albums, musicians still pay up to $25,000 for quality recording sessions and mass compact disc production.
In recent months, several local artists have released albums in the pop and rock genres. These CDs are available at Tower Records in Cherry Hill, Compact Disc World and Tunes locations and online at stores such as www.amazon.com and www.notlame.com or on the band's Web sites.
Here is rundown of some talented local artists and their recent releases.
Dallas, Tom Gillam
If a kid from Deptford grows up listening to Johnny Cash, Ray Price and the Allman Brothers, what kind of band will he end up forming? Tom Gillam's Tractor Pull Band.
Tom Gillam's guitar-heavy, country rock album, Dallas, was picked up by Gotham records and released in February 2001.
Since then, Gillam has been touring, writing songs and trying to get noticed by radio stations. It's been a hectic year, he says.
"People think that when you have a record deal, the work is over, when actually it has just begun," Gillam said earlier this year. "The promotional tour is like running for office."
Gillam and his band play regularly in the tri-state area and New York City and spent part of the summer touring major cities. Songs from Dallas are getting air play on adult contemporary `Americana' radio stations in Texas, Arizona, Nashville and West Virginia. Gillam hopes the local music scene and radio stations will embrace his rock- style country sound."People tend to take you for granted if you're in their back yard."
The songs on Dallas are worth a spin. "High" is based on a woman Gillam knew. "Get your Groove On" is simple and funky, and was inspired by someone trying out a drum machine in the music store where he works. "Just Like Rain" is a country rock story of a troubled girl. Samples of the songs are available on Gillam's Web site. Gillam and the Tractor Pull Band perform a brilliant version of The Monkees' "Girl That I Know Somewhere" in concert and on a Michael Nesmith tribute album called Papa Nesmith. In concert, the band is tight and fleshed out with slide guitar parts and a mandolin. Imagine the Jayhawks on caffeine or Chris
Whitley with a personality and you have Tom Gillam.

"I really like this CD," World Cafe host David Dye said on the air.

Tom Gillam "Dallas" GOTHAM
Many times when one picks up a CD that falls into the "Americana" category, the advice of Forest Gump's mother whispers "You never know what you're gonna get." Will it be folk, bluegrass, rock/twang, or perhaps a "Country" artist that couldn't make it in
"Country" so they're testing the Americana waters, looking for friendlier shores?

Tom Gillam announces his place in the Americana Roots mix with the first chords of the first song, "Diamonds in the Rough". Slide Guitar and Rock and Roll with a hint 'o twang that suggests somewhere Tom had listened to plenty of country. But the acknowledgment in his style seems to come more from a working man's honest expression rather than an attempt to cater to a genre that won't accept him anywhere else. Instead, it is the genre that
pulls him in and says, "Hey, you belong here, kid!"

Listeners come to this Americana genre looking for different things. With music that ranges from Appalachian to roots rock, from all-acoustic to all-electric, from traditionalist country to neo cowpunk, the inevitable evolution is often a synthesis of different styles where new genres are born. Participants often are formerly orphans who play from the heart but find they must search the dial or the chart for kindred souls.

To be sure, Tom's music is based in rock. There's a Stones/Black Crows style delivery with such songs as "Diamonds" and "High". His vocals rend a cigarettes and whiskey rasp that suggests some serious club time. But the album takes turns offering Neil Young-like guitar voicing, as in "Dallas", to perhaps a distant relative to early Jackson Browne with "Every Morning, Every Night, and Every Day". All the while, a proficient, direct, slide guitar
colors many of the cuts. Very tasteful guitar work from Dave Gardner adds graceful finesse and balance to the straightforward and solid band.

Lyrically, the listener is treated to the honest unrest that only a troubadour searching for his time and moment can deliver. "Just Like Rain" perhaps empathetically describes his soulmate; "She has one hand on her heart, and the other on the wheel, she wants to make a brand new start, she wants to know how it feels to be just like rain".

In the title cut, he's "Goin' to Dallas -- it's nice this time of year". But its not a vacation, but rather a place to get away from unrequited love. "Texas is big I hear", but obviously not big enough to hold the pain ... the slide guitar then speaks where the words fail him.

The only near misses in the otherwise complete project come at the end of the CD. "Get My Groove On", while delivering a different beat, stuggles to find itself melodically. "Bottom of the Bottle", while reminiscent of a Jerry Riopelle west coast country-rocker, feels like a party filler. If you haven't found something in Tom's music by this last song, this won't change your mind. Although for all the drinkers out there, go ahead, tip a glass. Because this CD is a solid, very listenable project.

Tom Gillam has a home with Americana. He undoubtedly has more music inside. Like the genre, he is exploring the boundaries of an evolving landscape and testing it against what he has to offer. It is perhaps comforting to listen to music from someone who has more potential to reach. There is something to look forward to with this artist. He is like many of us, and he assures us that it's ok, to be "Diamonds in the Rough".

- S. A. Haasis

TOM GILLAM
Dallas.... (Gotham)

Tom Gillam comes from Philadelphia and bringing some fiery slide guitar to a mostly Alt.Country-styled album to create something unique. I hear Goners-era John Hiatt, some Allmans, and even Skynard but it ain't regular rock 'n' roll. His songs are top-notch and he can bring it down for some nice country ballads too. This is rock label Gotham's first foray into the Americana format and I think they found a real winner in Gillam.
- - - Reviewed by Bill Frater.
-

"More stations should give Tom Gillam another listen.  Had I not heard the World Cafe play him twice I probably wouldn't have, and that would have really been a shame for our listeners."
- - - Mark Keefe, PD WNCW

Reviews
All Music Guide
Singer-guitarist Tom Gillam's corner of the Americana/alt-country world features rocked-up country often smothered in his searing guitar work. The album's tone is set on the opener, "Diamonds in the Rough," an Allmans-flavored rocker with Gillam's trademark electric slide all over it. What might set this artist apart from the pack, however, is his songcraft -- most noticeable on the title track, which has just the right balance of guitar crunch, winning melody, and manly anguish. Dallas bears the influence of the long history of roots rock success stories, from The Flying Burrito Brothers to the Allman Brothers to Tom Petty to the Jayhawks (particularly on the guitar intro to "Got to Make it Work," which sounds an awful lot like the Jayhawks' "Sister Cry"). And while the album may be somewhat lyrically anemic, stepping in clichés at every turn, it's wise to file this under highly likable.
- - - Erik Hage, All Music Guide

CD: Dallas Buy It!  
Label: Gotham
Released: 2/6/01
Rating: 3.5 STARS

Slide guitarist Tom Gilliam fits that broad Americana segment occupied by everyone from Sonny Landreth to John Hiatt. His first national release is a listenable collection of swamp boogie songs filtered with a few slower crooners.

Gotham Records broke from their hard-rocking conventions when they signed Gilliam, but it was a calculated risk. For one thing, Gilliam is a solid songwriter who knows how to turn a phrase. My only criticism is that most of his songs follow a strict Nashville 101 songwriting trick where you lead up to the name of the song in the chorus. Some people really like that, but it sometimes made the songs a bit predictable.

The music is streamlined for a wide pro-radio audience, especially the foot-tapping goodness of the title track. The first few songs are not as good as the last half of the record; it really picks up on songs like ?High.? What grabbed my interest right away was that Gilliam decided to start the song with a heavy fuzzed out guitar and then intermingles his slide work later on. This sort of goes against the grain nicely, since your typical Sonny Landreth song almost always starts (and ends) with slide.

I also really liked the shuffle-rock song ?A Place Called When? as Gilliam does his best vocals on the record and tones down the swampiness a bit. Anyone who likes slide and appreciates the album-oriented rock sound of earlier Todd Snider records should check this one out.

Reviewed By: John Brandon
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No Carpetbagger by Harold Fine
4.9.2001
Philadelphia is not going to replace Nashville or Austin any time soon as Country music nexus, and you’d hardly expect any country (or, more accurately, ?alt.country?) musician who came out of the land of cheesesteak and not chicken-fried steak to be worth much. That’s why it’s such a surprise when an artist like Tom Gillam releases a record like Dallas, which can more than hold its own against this year’s best country rock records.
Part of Gillam’s secret is the confidence of his country-rock fusion, which, to be honest, is about 30/70, which means that when Gillam sings with no trace of a faked southern accent or unleashes rock solos with no restraint, it doesn’t mar the image of him as a ?country? artist but instead aligns his music with that of artists like Bruce Springsteen (who learned almost 100% of what he knows from country music but is wise enough to keep his influence in the music and not don a cowboy hat or write a tune about moonshine), rather than Lyle Lovett. The only disingenuous thing about Dallas is its title, which may be an ironic riff on Gillam’s yankee HQ (in the title track, Gillam sings ?I’m going to Dallas / it’s nice this time of year.? FYI, Tom, from a TX resident: at no point during the year is Dallas ever ?nice?).
The bottom line when it comes to Dallas is if you just like twang you’ll be let down by the lack of it here. But if you like the honesty, sincerity, and economy that are the deeper attributes of all great country music, there’s much to love on this record.

An Outstanding Tribute, June 7, 2001
Reviewer: scotthall (see more about me) from Bloomington, Indiana USA
Papa Nez is packed with respectful but distinctive readings of strong material. Many tribute albums feature better-known musicians performing better-known songs, but in terms of overall listening experience, few work as well as this collection of alternative country and power pop. Tom Gillam gives a tasteful, Allman Brothers slide-guitar treatment to "The Girl I Knew Somewhere." A band called Frog Holler plays a low-key acoustic rendition of "Different Drum" that makes the hit version by Linda Ronstadt's Stone Poneys sound silly and overblown. (Also, a male vocalist makes more sense of the line "I ain't sayin' you ain't pretty.") Closing the 19-song set is "Prairie Lullaby," performed by Bloomington's own Mary Janes. The sparse arrangement with acoustic guitar and violin is very much like a lullaby, though an eerie one. Vocalist Janas Hoyt manages to make even the yodeling sound gentle and musical.
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REPRINTED FROM "AT THE SHORE" http://www.attheshore.net
Local Bands 1
WEEK OF MARCH 30 - APRIL 5, 2001
Gillam not just another country boy
By SCOTT CRONICK
At the Shore, (609) 272-7017
The people at the New York-based small label Gotham Records seem to be really pushing Tom Gillam into the Americana category. The only problem is that Gillam doesn't totally agree.
"I call it country rock," says Gillam, who recently released "Dallas," his second album, on Gotham and plays at the Bubba Mac Shack in Somers Point 10 p.m. Friday, March 30. "I'm not so sure about this Americana label. The cool thing about this whole thing is that we're on radio for four weeks now, and we debuted at No. 35 on Album Network's Americana chart and are now up to 28. It's based on records spun, not records sold, so we're getting way more airplay than I ever received."
Gillam's brand of country rock, Americana or whatever you want to call it, offers a nice mix of country, rock and even blues. But the bottom line is that they are all songs of human emotion. Maybe that's why radio stations in Texas, Arizona, California and Boston are spinning his first single and title track in "ridiculous" proportions, according to Gillam.
"In Tempe (Ariz.), we're getting tons of airplay," says Gillam. "This is all out of nowhere. It's kind of a great feeling. The first single has all the elements of what this record is about. It's kind of hooky - although when I wrote it I didn't think so - and it has that faux steel guitar we use, and of course my slide playing."
Gillam grew up near Philadelphia and says he never pictured himself as anything but a musician. Listening to his parents' Johnny Cash and Glen Campbell albums gave him an early dose of country he and his brother Michael Scott Gillam (who plays drums for Gillam's band Tractor Pull) never forgot once they picked up instruments in their early teens.
"We also grew up on The Beatles and other stuff, and we eventually did the whole rebellion thing and loved Aerosmith, Van Halen and Black Sabbath. Hell, I always wanted to be David Lee Roth. I was in a lot of bands and played lots of music, but I decided to quit the band thing. I felt I was writing music for the band and not myself. And when I sat down to write music for me, my country side came out. And I was all right with that. It works for me."
According to Gillam, there was a time when he was doubting himself. He couldn't catch a break and was wondering if he was in the right business.
"I don't think I was ever contemplating giving it all up, but I wasn't happy," he says. "I was working with Joe Carroll (who produced 'Dallas' and is also a member of Tractor Pull) at the time and he had a music machine and said, 'Why not record some of your stuff?' Six months later, I had my first album."
That album, "First of All ...," gave Gillam his spirit back. He received some nice press and eventually played sidestage for the likes of Garth Brooks and The Dave Matthews Band.
"On the last album, there were songs I thought would absolutely be what people would want and get into," says Gillam. "They went completely unnoticed by radio. The songs they did like were acoustic songs that took me 10 minutes to write."
Gillam says "Dallas" is a better album than his debut.
"I do have things to say in my music, but I learned that I don't need to take 10 minutes to say it," he says with a laugh. "'Dallas' is more focused."
While Gotham Records, which primarily featured rock bands like Flybanger and Liquid Gang before signing Gillam, get accustomed to the Americana scene, Gillam and his manager David Rath are making sure "Dallas" reaches as many radio stations as possible while playing live "364 days a year," says Gillam. "I'll take off Christmas Day."
An upcoming tour will take Gillam all the way to the West Coast, and he can't wait.
"This is an important tour for me," he says. "The last record had very limited release, and when I walked into these clubs, no one knew who I was. Now I'm going to have more exposure with the radio play I'm getting and the larger distribution deal. I also feel like I won a lot of people over on the last tour who will come back out to see me when I'm back in town. It shouldn't be as hard for me. That's a nice thing to know when hitting the road."
While Gillam would like to see "Dallas" hit the Top 10 on the Americana chart so it could cross over to AAA (adult alternative album) where he says he belongs, Gillam has learned too many lessons in music to count on that, including one from Shelly Yakus, who's mixed everyone from U2 to Tom Petty.
"He loved the title track so much he told me he wanted to mix it," says Gillam. "When we were done with 'Dallas,' I asked him if the thought I had a hit," says Gillam. "He told me if all the stars were in line and God was on my side I would have a hit. And I knew what he was talking about. This business is 50 percent talent and the other 50 percent is if all the stars line up. I understand that. But I think this album shows I'm ready for the next level. Hopefully, it will happen."
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REPRINTED FROM AT THE SHORE
"Dallas"
Tom Gillam
(Gotham)
Many people cringe when they hear that country music twang. But lately, for good or bad, the genre has diversified to include pop (Shania Twain) and rock (Steve Earle) influences.
The rock side of this movement has been dubbed Americana, and if his second album is any indication, southern New Jersey singer/songwriter Tom Gillam could quickly make a name for himself outside of Nashville.
Gillam starts strong with the rockin' "Diamonds in the Rough," sounding like something you might hear from Lynyrd Skynyrd or the Allman Brothers. The album's best songs - the title track and "High" - are reminiscent of Earle and John Hiatt as Gillam's guitar playing shows he can jam. But traditional country fans can find something, too, with heartfelt ballads like "Got to Make it Work" and "Just Like Rain."
The album loses a little steam in the middle, but roars back with a great honkytonk song "Get My Groove On" and ends with "Bottom of the Bottle" - perfect as a last-call, end-of-the-night drinking song. "Dallas" is a small-label gem that leaves you wondering why Gillam hasn't hit it big. It should be just a matter of time.
- - - Mark Melhorn

Saturday, February 24, 2001 Features CAMDEN COUNTY COURIER POST

Looking for a hit: Gibbsboro roots rocker spreading the word about his new  album
JOHN ZIOMEK/Courier-Post As the manager of the Music Museum in Pitman, roots rocker Tom Gillam can just pick up a guitar and start writing, if he's so inspired.
By CHERYL SQUADRITO
Courier-Post Staff
Roots rocker Tom Gillam cruises through a rack of compact discs, stopping only to examine a classic like the Allman Brothers or the Byrds. The Gibbsboro musician is taking an album-browsing break from promoting his first national release, Dallas, on Gotham Records
"People think that when you have a record deal the work is over, when actually it has just begun," Gillam says. " The promotional tour is like running for office.
A favorite on the local music scene, Gillam signed a deal with a major independent label, which will distribute Dallas in every state and promote it on adult contemporary " Americana" radio stations. Gillam admits that now the real work begins: getting the word out to music fans.
Tonight, Gillam and his Tractor Pull Band will play to family, friends and fans at a record-release party and show at the Trocadero in Philadelphia. Admission to the party includes a copy of Dallas, which is selling well locally. Just through word of mouth, the album charted in less than two weeks in the top 10 at Tower Records in Cherry Hill, says manager Pete Pataro.
Gillam's live shows also are well-received. In concert, Gillam and the Tractor Pull Band are exciting, says Jennifer Scott, booking agent for Bubba Mack's Blues Shack in Somers Point, a club Gillam played three times recently. She says Gillam and his band have a genuine spark. "They enjoy themselves on stage. They put everything into every single song. You can tell they are not doing this just to pay the bills," Scott says.
Gillam began writing and recording songs for Dallas after releasing his independent debut, First of All, in early 1999. Holed up with his friend and creative partner Joe Carroll at Treehouse Studios in Pennsauken, Gillam and his backing band recorded 22 songs by May 2000. Gillam, Carroll and manager David Rath cherry-picked 12 tracks, which turned into the album. Rath shopped Dallas to record labels, and Gotham Records was the right fit, Gillam says.
"I don't feel like I'm working for a record label; I feel like I'm working with them. Gillam wanted to keep creative control of Dallas and he did. He selected the artwork, songs, musicians and more. He was thrilled veteran engineer Shelly Yakus (John Lennon, Tom Petty) agreed to produce the title track.
"We worked hard on making the album sound good," he says.
Gillam admits his sound is too rock 'n' roll for Nashville and too twangy to be hard rock. He doesn't fit the mold of country pop stars like Garth Brooks or Alan Jackson. Part Johnny Cash and part Waylon Jennings, Gillam sounds like the Jayhawks charged up on coffee or Chris Whitley with a personality. "How country can you be if you're from South Jersey? I'm a product of my environment," Gillam says over coffee at Barnes & Noble in Marlton. "My influences are right there on the album."
As a young child, Gillam and his younger brother Mike played "air guitar" with brooms while they listened to Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Ray Price on their parents' jukebox. His brother now plays drums in the Tractor Pull Band. Gillam, the oldest of five, graduated from Deptford High School, the alma mater of rock poet and musician Patti Smith.
Working at the store gives him instant access to guitars, so if he's inspired to write a song, he strums and plays into a mini tape recorder he carries. When he played in local bar bands like Radio Rodeo, Gypsy Rose or Blue Noise, Gillam wrote songs for the group. When he went solo, "the floodgate of songs opened. Now I write songs for me."
One tune, "She Gets High," is based on a woman Gillam knew. "Get your Groove On" is simple and funky, and was inspired by someone trying out a drum machine in the store. He likes the relaxed atmosphere at the store, which is owned by a musician who understands Gillam's lifestyle.
Until he strikes gold, he'll continue juggling family, working at the store, recording in the studio and playing gigs, which he describes as a 20-hour day.
"I never feel tired. I love what I do," says Gillam, who adds that he doesn't see his wife, Caroline, as often as he would like. "My wife is a cheerleader. She's so into what I do," says Gillam, who has a son, Tyler, from a previous marriage and a stepdaughter, Kellie.
Gillam might leave South Jersey for New York someday, but for now he likes being close to his friend's studio in Pennsauken, his family in Deptford and shows in Philadelphia Gillam's next step will be promoting the album by going on long-weekend road-trips.
"The plan is to play. I want people to hear the record."
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02-08-01
CAMDEN COUNTY COURIER POST
BY CHERYL SQUADRITO
LOCAL SINGER'S NASHVILLE-SOUND CD GETS NATIONAL RELEASE
GIBBSBORO'S TOM GILLAM HAS A NEW  ALBUM OUT ON GOTHAM RECORDS CALLED DALLAS.
WITH HIS RAMBLING GUITAR SOLOS AND A BIT OF SOUTHERN BLUES TWANG, THIS JERSEY BOY IS PART STEVE EARLE, PART ALLMAN BROTHERS AND A LOT OF JOHNNY CASH.
GILLAM RECORDED DALLAS AT THE TREEHOUSE IN PENNSAUKEN AND THE ALBUM WAS PRODUCED AND ENGINEERED BY BY HIS FRIEND, JOE CARROLL, WHO ALSO PLAYS MANDOLIN AND GUITAR ON THE ALBUM. GILLAM'S BROTHER MICHAEL, PLAYS THE DRUMS ON DALLAS.
ALTHOUGH THE ALBUM WAS CREATED INDEPENDENTLY, IT WILL BE DISTRIBUTED NATIONALLY THROUGH GOTHAM RECORDS. GILLAM'S RELEASE IS THE FIRST "AMERICANA" GENRE ALBUM FOR THE LABEL TO ISSUE. THE COMPANY HAS SPECIALIZED MOSTLY IN ROCK ALBUMS BY BANDS LIKE LIQUID GANG AND FLYBANGER.
DALLAS IS FILLED WITH GILLAM'S POWERFUL   VOCALS, HAMMOND ORGAN RIFFS, AND SLIDE GUITARS. GILLAM'S AMBITIOUS RELEASE SOUNDS MORE  NASHVILLE, THAN DEPTFORD, AND IT WORKS WELL. GILLAM WILL HOST A CD RELEASE PARTY ON FEB. 24 AT THE TROCADERO IN PHILADELPHIA. BUT IF YOU CAN'T  WAIT UNTIL THEN, CHECK OUT GILLAM WHEN HE PLAYS AT BUBBA MAC'S SHACK, 520 BAY AVE., SOMERS POINT. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL (609) 926-7575 OR VISIT WWW.TOMGILLAM.COM.

WHOOT! ENTERTAINMENT JERSEY SHORE
BY  STEVE ANGELUCCI
PICK OF THE WEEK
TOM GILLAM AND TRACTOR PULL KICK COUNTRY UP A NOTCH
GROWING UP IN DEPTFORD, NJ, TOM GILLAM KNEW HE WANTED TO BE A MUSICIAN. STARTING OUT ON THE DRUMS, HE SWITCHED TO GUITAR, LETTING HIS BROTHER MIKE HANDLE THE SKINS.
AFTER PAYING HIS DUES FRONTING MANY BANDS AROUND SOUTH JERSEY AND PHILLY, GILLAM WENT SOLO A FEW YEARS BACK. HE RECORDED HIS DEBUT ALBUM FIRST OF ALL, IN 1998, AND EARNED STRONG REGIONAL AIRPLAY IN THE DELAWARE VALLEY ON COLLEGE AND COUNTRY MUSIC STATIONS.
THE SOUND, ACCORDING TO A REVIEW IN THE COURIER POST, IS "....GUTSY ROCK WITH A COUNTRY FLAIR, REMINISCENT OF SON VOLT OR   SINGER/SONGWRITER CHRIS WHITLEY." THE COUNTRY COMPONENT WAS FROM GILLAM'S CHILDHOOD, LISTENING TO  HIS PARENTS' RECORDS BY JOHNNY CASH AND WILLIE NELSON. HIS SUCCESS AT LOCAL CLUBS LIKE THE TIN ANGEL AND THE NORTH STAR BAR LED GILLAM TO HIGHER PROFILE GIGS AT THE FIRST UNION CENTER, AS PART OF THE PRE-SHOW PARTY BEFORE SOLD OUT CONCERTS FOR SHANIA TWAIN AND GARTH BROOKS.  GILLAM, WHO TOOK UP SLIDE GUITAR ABOUT SIX YEARS AGO, NOTED IN THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER THAT HIS BRAND OF OF MUSIC IS "AMERICANA... A LITTLE DARKER EDGED COUNTRY THAN GARTH BROOKS AND SHANIA TWAIN SONGS."
GILLAM WILL BE JOINED THIS SATURDAY  AT BUBBA MAC'S SHACK WITH HIS BAND TRACTOR PULL, FEATURING GILLAM'S MUSICAL PRODUCER, JOE CARROLL, ON GUITAR AND MANDOLIN. ON THE DRUMS IS  BROTHER MIKE GILLAM;; DAVE GARDNER PROVIDES THE NASTY, HARD COUNTRY EDGE ON GUITAR, FAUX STEEL, AND BKG. VOX, AND HANDLING THE BASS AND BKG VOX IS TIM MCMASTER.
THE SHOW AT BUBBA MAC'S IS A RETURN VISIT AFTER A WELL RECEIVED GIG IN DECEMBER. THE TIMING IS PERFECT SINCE GILLAM JUST RELEASED   A BRAND NEW CD, DALLAS ON GOTHAM RECORDS. THE TITLE TRACK IS THE FIRST SINGLE, RELEASED A FEW WEEKS BACK.
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02-10-01
FORM BARNES AND NOBLE ONLINE
Nicole
Marlton, NJ
12 Feb 2001  5 CUPS OF COFFEE (5 STARS) It's about time!
Finally, a CD that sounds good, makes sense, is easy to relate to, makes you wanna move, and mixes great lyrics, great singing, and great instrumentals for ANYONE to enjoy.
--

FROM AMAZON.COM ONLINE
a must have, May 22, 2001
Reviewer: David D. Mantle (see more about me) from Woodbury, NJ United States
This CD transcends labels or genres. Some call it Americana, some call it Country Rock, to me it's just flat out good stuff. Tom Gillam is a singer songwriter slide guitar player whose talent shines through on every track of this cd. With subtle hints of Joe Walsh, Gregg Allman, Pete Droge, and Dan Baird, Tom blends many of his own influences into a unique style that is fresh and captivating. This now lives in my disc player, where it gets played over and over. Tell your friends about this one, they will be thankful you did.
An Absolute Great Talent, April 13, 2001
Reviewer: Johnny  Marcasciano from Mt. Laurel, NJ United States
Tom displays an unbelievable talent with this CD. His expertise on slide guitar makes you feel like you are listening to JOE WALSH all over again, however Tom adds his own special touch which seperates him from most musicians. Went to see Tom in Philadelphia and he was absolutely spectacular as was the rest of his band, which includes his brother "RHONDO" on drums, who is also spectacular. This is a MUST buy for anyone who has taste for GREAT music.
PS- Found out Tom will be touring ARIZONA, TEXAS and NASHVILLE. The word is out... BUY IT TO BELIEVE IT!!!
 So grateful my friend recommended this!!!, March 13, 2001
Reviewer: A music fan from West Hollywood, CA USA
I don't think I would have found this on my own because I don't normally jump into new artists without strong recommendations. I owe my friend "big-time" for this recommendation and I turn it back to you Amazon music buyer. There's no easy music genre to qualify Tom Gillam except sophisticated music, thoughtful lyrics and great musical spirit. Can't wait to hear his future recordings!!!!
This Is Real Music, February 26, 2001
Reviewer: A music fan from Philadelphia, PA
Super, super record. Terrific musicianship and songrwriting. I have not heard such quality stuff from a new artist like this in a long time.
People really need to check this out, because there is some really fine guitar playing and singing on this album. I hope this artist gets the support he deserves. There are many great tunes on this record, not just one, like you see with many artists.
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02-10-01
FROM BORDERS ONLINE
Customer Comments: An Open Forum
Number of Reviews: 2 Average Rating: 5 Stars
Andrea, now a Tom Gillam fan, 5 Stars
It hits home
''Dallas'' hit home for me and can hit home for you as well. The tracks on this CD will bring you back to trials and tribulations that just about everyone has felt, seen or been through. It's about time someone sang about things that the listening public can actually enjoy!

Sticks Baxter, 5 Stars
Don't Miss This One
This is a terrific album. Good songwriting, great guitar work and some memorable tunes. This is definitely an artist worth keeping an eye on. Could be a star in the making.
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FROM BILLY'S BLOCK WESTERN BEAT
Tom Gillam
Philadelphia and South Jersey may not seem like a hotbed for the country's burgeoning Americana music scene, but with the emergence of artists such as Marah, Frog Holler, and Jim & Jennie and the Pinetops, the area has developed it's own identity within the scene. Now enter Philadelphia based singer /songwriter Tom Gillam, and expect the world to start taking notice. As the Americana genre enters 2001 with a full head of steam, Gillam throws his into the ring with his national debut, Dallas on Gotham Records. Dallas was recorded with the help of his touring band Tractor Pull, and was produced and engineered by the band's guitar/mandolin player - Joe Carroll - at his home studio in Philadelphia. Gillam's fiery brand of slide guitar stands out and his original sound stems from the ability to weave his guitar playing into the fabric of his music, leaving no part without a strong emotional pull. visit www.tomgillam.com.

L I V I N G
Thursday, January 14, 1999
Jersey country rocker
By CHERYL SQUADRITO
Courier-Post Staff

Tom Gillam's fingers massage the mixing board in a recording studio above a musty, converted garage on a side street in Pennsauken. His brow wrinkles in concentration as he listens to the mandolin track on his song "Just  Like Rain."

It's 3 in the afternoon and Gillam and his producer, Joe Carroll, are just getting started. Before this session ends, Gillam will re-record the vocals and maybe tinker a little with the guitar and drum tracks.

After many years of playing in local rock bands, this thirtysomething singer-songwriter-guitarist from Gibbsboro boldly decided to go it alone. Now, with his independent release called First of All . . ., he is garnering attention from radio stations, producers and record labels.

Gillam is leading the life of his childhood dreams: writing songs, recording in the studio and performing in concert. "Come live in my shoes. This is a wonderful life. This is a really cool thing, just being a part of music," says Gillam, who will share the bill with guitarist Tommy Conwell at the Grape Street Pub in Manayunk on Friday night.

Although many of his new fans don't know him from his days fronting Radio Rodeo, Gypsy Rose and Blue Noise, Gillam is playing an old-school country rock that comes from his heart. "I'd rather be an artist instead of rock star. I never looked back. I'm into what I'm doing now," says Gillam, who works part time in the Music Museum in Pitman and lives with wife Caroline in Gibbsboro and has a son, Tyler, and stepdaughter, Kellie.

Gillam is more Johnny Cash than Garth Brooks, but the Jersey native brandishes a slide guitar, not a cowboy hat. Gillam's music is gutsy rock with a country flair, reminiscent of Son Volt or singer-songwriter Chris Whitley. Gillam is thrilled that a few of the 12 songs from First of All . . . are played on college and country radio stations from Kentucky to Canada.

When he was singing in bands, Gillam rarely wrote songs by himself.
But when he started playing solo, "the floodgate of songs opened. Now I write songs for me."

Gillam is quick with a witty retort, the likely result of being the oldest of five. As a child growing up in Deptford, Gillam and his brother Mike, now a drummer, used to play "air guitar" with brooms when they listened to their parents' jukebox music. His parents raised them on "old school" country and western music from the '60s, like Cash, Ray Price and Willie Nelson.

Fast forward to last summer. Gillam is asked to warm up audiences at the First Union Center for Shania Twain. Although he didn't play the main stage - he performed under a tent in the parking lot - the shows introduced him to many people who may never have heard of him otherwise. Ike Richman, the spokesman for Comcast-Spectacor, which owns and operates the center, says Gillam's popularity also led to his opening at the First Union Center for two Dave Matthews Band shows and six Garth Brooks concerts.

"He must be good, because he keeps coming back," Richman says.

Another Gillam supporter who is a booking agent for Sam Adams Brew House in Philadelphia, Kathy James remembers Gillam - then going by the name Tom Toonz - from the early bands he has since outgrown. "I think he's made the transition beautifully from hard rock into country rock. He's a consummate performer with such enthusiasm for whatever he does. He goes over well with the audience. I like his new music - a lot."
Depending on the venue, Gillam will play solo, simply with a guitar, or with his backing group, The Tractor Pull Band.

Gillam's manager, David Rath, says the compact disc - which is available at Tower Records and Sam Goody's stories - has sold so well that it is ready for its second pressings.
Gillam's musician friends who played on First of All . . ., a low-budget project, were paid in beers rather than dollars. And his friend and producer, Joe Carroll, gave him a good deal on his recording studio rates. The result, however, sounds professional, not homespun.
Gillam says the future holds gigs at festivals in Nashville and Canada and an upcoming show in New York City in two weeks. A national recording contract with a major label could be on the horizon.

Although he has not yet gained mass commercial attention like artists such as the Dixie Chicks, in his eyes he's grabbed the brass ring. There's no stopping him. "The well of songs hasn't stopped. I want to continue. I want to make sure I can survive doing this. So far, touch wood, I have."

If you'd like to check out Tom Gillam's Web site and listen to snippets of his songs, visit www.tomgillam.com. Gillam will be playing at the Grape Street Pub in Manayunk on Friday night. You can reach Gillam through his manager at 795-0028
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IF YOUR'RE GOING TO ANY OF  GARTH BROOKS' SIX SOLD-OUT FIRST UNION SHOWS TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY, MAKE SURE YOU GET THERE EARLY ENOUGH TO CATCH DEPTFORD'S TOM GILLAM, WHO HAS BEEN ASKED TO PERFORM FROM 5-7:30 EACH NIGHT. NEXT THURSDAY, GILLAM WILL HAVE A PARTICULARLY
LONG NIGHT. AFTER WRAPPING UP AT FIRST UNION,
GILLAM AND COMPANY WILL PACK UP THEIR GEAR
AND HEAD ON OVER TO THE SAM ADAMS BREWHOUSE,
WHERE THEY WILL PERFORM  THE SECOND OF
THEIR EVERY-THURSDAY-IN SEPTEMBER RESIDENCY.

-chuck darrow, courier post september 4, 1998
 

ROOTSY ROCKER TOM GILLAM'S SPREADING HIMSELF THIN IN SEPTEMBER. NOT ONLY WILL THE FINGER-PICKIN' GILLAM HOST AN EVERY-THURSDAY RESIDENCY AT SAM ADAMS, HE'LL BE PLAYING THE FU CENTER, THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRETY OF GARTH BROOKS' SOLD-OUT RUN SEPT. 8-13. SHEEEET. ON THURSDAY SEPT. 10, GILLAM'LL DO DOUBLE DUTY PLAYING FIRST FOR GATH THEN FOR SAM..............
 
-a.d. amorosi spacejunk philly city paper sept 3 1998

MUSICIAN WILL GET HIS BIG BREAK WHEN HE OPENS FOR GARTH

AS A BOY GROWING UP IN DEPTFORD, TOM GILLAM WAS ONE OF THOSE DIEHARD MUSICIANS WITH A BAND IN HIS BASEMENT, DREAMING OF BECOMING A MUSICIAN AND OF GETTING THAT BIG BREAK. NOW , HE HAS A  CHANCE TO MAKE HIS MARK IN A BIG WAY.
GILLAM IS TO OPEN AT ALL SIX SOLD-OUT GARTH BROOKS CONCERTS THIS WEEK.BROOKS WILL PLAY TODAY THROUGH SUNDAT AT PHILADELPHIA'S FIRST UNION CENTER. GILLAM, WHO PLAYS AMERICANA, OR ALTERNATIVE COUNTRY MUSIC, WILL PERFORM FOR ABOUT TWO HOURS BEFORE EACH SHOW. "THIS IS THE GREATEST THAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED" HE SAID. "THIS CAME OUT OF NOWHERE. IT CAUGHT US ALL OFF GUARD." ABOUT 120,000PEOPLE ARE EXPECTED TO ATTEND THE CONCERTS, WHOSE $20 TICKETS SOLD OUT IN ABOUT 3 1/2 HOURS LAST WEEK, ACCORDING TO ARENA SPOKESMAN, IKE RICHMAN. THERE WILL BE LINE DANCING LESSONS AND TRISHA YEARWOOD PLAYING BEFORE THE BROOKS PERFORMANCE, ALL OF WHICH WILL BE FREE TO THOSE WITH TICKETS TO THE CONCERTS, RICHMAN SAID.  GILLAM IS HOPING THIS EXPOSURE WILL HELP PROMOTE THE SALE OF HIS RECENTLY RELEASED CD  FIRST OF ALL....
AND PROPEL HIM ON TO THE NEXT BIG THING. IT ALL STARTED AT FAT JACK'S.
GILLAM WAS PLAYING ONE TUESDAY NIGHT AT THE BERLIN RESTAURANT/BAR AND BLUES CLUB WHEN GEORGE SCOTT WALKED IN. SCOTT IS THE MARKETING COORDINATOR FOR COMCAST SPECTACOR, WHICH OWNS AND OPERATES THE FIRST UNION CENTER. SCOTT SAID HE GOES TO LOCAL SHOWS JUST TO SEE WHO IS OUT THERE AND KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST MUSIC. AT THE TIME, HE SAID, HE WAS LOOKING FOR A LOCAL ARTIST TO OPEN FOR A PRIVATE SHANIA TWAIN SHOW AND "THOUGHT (GILLAM) WOULD BE PERFECT" "HE WAS INCREDIBLE DURING THE SHANIA TWAIN CONCERT," SCOTT SAID. "WE HAD ANOTHER CONCERT COMING UP AND WE KNEW E HAD TO GET HIM IN THERE." GILLAM WAS RELAXING AT HOME WHEN HE FIRST RECEIVED THE NEWS FROM HIS MANAGER, DAVE RATH, OF BRICKHOUSE MANAGEMENT IN CHERRY HILL. "DAVE CALLED ME UP AND SAID,"DUDE, YOUR'RE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE IT,'" GILLAM SAID . "IT WAS AMAZING. I'VE BEEN IN THIS BUSINESS A LONG TIME, AND I KNOW THAT YOUR'RE ONLY GOOD AS THE LAST THING YOU DID."
GILLAM HAS DEALT WITH REJECTION IN THE PAST, AND TRIES NOT TO GET TO EXCITED WHEN HE GETS NEWS ABOUT A GOOD GIG. "BUT I HAVE TO SAY THAT WHEN DAVE CALLED I GOT THAT FUNNY FEELING IN MY STOMACH THAT THIS GOING TO BE A GOOD THING." GILLAM HAS BEEN PLAYING PROFESSIONALLY SINCE HE WAS 15 YEARS OLD. HE LIVES IN GIBBSBORO WITH HIS WIFE CAROLINE, AND THEIR 2 CHILDREN. HE SAID HE STARTED OUT PLAYING DRUMS WHEN HE WAS 13, AND A YEAR LATER SWITCHED TO THE GUITAR. "I WANTED TO BE A MUSICIAN AS FAR AS BACK AS I CAN REMEMBER,' HE SAID, REMINISCING OF THE DAYS HE SPENT DRUMMING IN HIS BAND WITH HIS YOUNGER BROTHER. IN HIS EARLY 20'S, GILLAM STARTED DOING THE LEAD VOCALS. FIVE YEARS AGO, HE TAUGHT HIMSELF HOW TO PLAY THE SLIDE GUITAR. THE SLIDE GUITAR GIVES HIM A SOUND THAT SETS HIM APART FROM THE MORE POP-ORIENTED COUNTRY MUSIC, GILLAM SAID. "IT'S A LITTLE DARKER, HARDER-EDGED THAN TYPICAL GATH BROOKS OR SHANIA TWAIN SONGS," HE SAID. GILLAM CALLS IT "AMERICANA" MUSIC, A MIXTURE OF BLUES AND COUNTRY WITH SOME ROCK OVERTONES. HIS MUSICAL ROOTS ARE BASED IN LATE '60S COUNTRY MUSIC AND SOME FLAVOR OF THE SOUTHERN
BLUES OF THE '70S" HE SAID.

-tanyanika samuels philadelphia inquirer september 8 1998

IF YOU GO
Tom Gillam's All Star Benefit Concert will be held from 4 p.m.
to 2 a.m. May 13 at the Whiskey
Dix Saloon, 421 N. 7th St., Philadelphia. Tickets are $12. All
proceeds benefit Tom Gillam. Call (215) 923-2192.
Stricken musician gets a little help from friends

By TARA MURTHA
For the Courier-Post

Gibbsboro-based musician Tom Gillam is known as a big-hearted, megavolt personality with a quick wit who has been delivering swashbuckling, honky-tonk stage performances for more than 20 years.

The man's all spirit, everyone says: talks a mile a minute and gets things done. He even is rumored to be able to corral musicians to gigs on time.

It makes sense that slowing to the pace of his new, decelerated heartbeat is a bit of a challenge. He's on medication that slows his system to help his body absorb the new splint in his heart.

"I'm feeling better than I was a month ago, considering I think yesterday was the one-month anniversary of when I died," Gillam explained before rupturing into his trademark volcanic laughter. "I don't mean to make a joke of it, but I actually did die."

Though details are still fuzzy, doctors told Gillam he flat-lined six to seven times while suffering three consecutive heart attacks on March 20, just hours after stepping off a plane after performing at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.

Still, it was a good day to have a heart attack, relatively speaking. Gillam was scheduled to fly to France the next morning to record an album with Four Way Street, the powerhouse collective that also features Joseph Parsons, Ben Arnold and Scott Bricklin. Gillam figures his heart would have given out either while he was in the air or at the secluded farm house studio if his wife, Caroline, hadn't urged him to check into the emergency room that night.

He says it was a guy thing. He had dismissed the pain as really bad indigestion.

"I would have been at the farm house, probably drinking way too much alcohol, saying I didn't feel good. They would have told me to sleep it off and I would have probably died," he said. "Life has a way of waking your (rear end) up when it wants to."

The last thing Gillam remembers of that night is lying on a gurney with a doctor standing over him saying something about a heart attack, then turning to his wife and saying "I don't want to die" seconds before losing consciousness.

"All I thought of is, "You've got to be kidding me. This is it? This is all I get? I have so much to do.' That was my last thought," he said. "I've got all these songs I didn't even put down on tape yet."

These days, it looks like Gillam will have the chance to put down those songs, though recording his next solo album and the Four Way Street tracks have been postponed a few months. He also has had to cancel upcoming tour dates.

"There's no such thing as disability insurance for a musician," says Joe Carroll, longtime Gillam friend, collaborator and business partner who organized the upcoming all-star benefit concert that will raise funds toward paying the medical bills.

The concert will be held May 13 at Whiskey Dix, a bar in Philadelphia near the Electric Factory, where Carroll hosts a monthly Roots Rock Revival night and Gillam hosts a weekly open mic.

Carroll plays guitar in Tractor Pull, Gillam's band. Carroll also produced Gillam's last three solo albums, including 2001's critically acclaimed Dallas and 2004's Shake My Hand, which earned Gillam a nomination from the Americana Music Association.

Gillam and Carroll, both in their 40s, say they've been working and playing together since way back when they were just a couple of guys without anything better to do on a Friday night in Jersey.

After spending the first couple of days in a bedside vigil, Carroll began to read Gillam the hundreds of e-mails of support and concern that poured in from all over, including Europe, where Gillam toured with Joe Parsons last fall.

"I broke down and cried a lot. It was a moving thing to know so many people cared about me. When I think about it I still get choked up," Gillam says. "I didn't even realize that many people knew who I was."

The e-mail and MySpace messages were just the first clue to how much the music community was affected by the news.

Once Carroll sent out word he was looking for acts to play the benefit concert, most of the lineup was booked within a day. He even had to turn away about 40 acts.

"I was basically saying I appreciate it, but, unfortunately, I'm booked up. Everyone's been really cool about it. I tried to do it so I can get the most people on the show," Carroll explained.

The final roster is a diverse lineup that reflects the breadth of Gillam's career. Gillam started out playing hard-edged, boozy blues rock 'n' roll in his early days at long-since-closed hair band clubs such as The Galaxy in Somerdale and the Empire Rock Club in Northeast Philadelphia. Back then, he was known to fans as Tom Tunes and performed in the bands Radio Rodeo and Gypsy Rose.

Gillam and Tractor Pull are more known for a rabble-rousing, floorboard-stomping style of music. There also will be some quieter moments at the songwriter circle scheduled for later in the evening.

For Philadelphia-based Kate Gaffney, sitting in on the songwriter circle is the only way she can make it to the show after playing the Camp Jam in the Pines earlier that day. She's one of several artists who are double-gigging to show their support.
Published: May 02. 2006 3:10AM

TOM GILLAM'S TOP 10 SONGS OF SUMMER FROM 'PLAY PHILLY" MAGAZINE

PLAY PHILLY
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06/13/2006
Top 10 summer tunes with Tom Gillam
TARA MURTHA
Contributing Writer

Tom Gillam returned recently to the music scene after suffering three heart attacks last March. Now he tells PLAY what his picks are for our mixed tape.


PLAY caught up with Tom Gillam, Philly-based rocker extraordinaire, host of a weekly Americana-flavored open mic at Center City bar Whiskey Dix (421 North 7th St., 215-923-2192), and self-declared connoisseur of summertime cruising, top-down dashboard classics.

Im a music addict. I can make favorite music lists by any category, and by decade, he says.

Gillam has several solo albums and a Best New/Emerging Artist nomination by the Americana Music Association under his belt, plays with his band Tractor Pull, and tours internationally with fellow singer-songwriter and guitarist Joseph Parsons. Hes currently recording tracks for both his next solo effort and with Four Way Street, a singer-songwriter collective that also features Parsons, Ben Arnold and Scott Bricklin.

As the music community knows, Gillam suffered three consecutive heart attacks back in March but, thankfully, survived to tell the tale. Since he is recovering, we were going to have the poor taste to call this mix I Saw the Light: Top Ten Summer Tunes Tom Gillam Is Sure Glad He Is Still Around To Rock Out To, but theres just not enough room on the little stickers that go on each side of the cassette for all that.

You can catch Toms next appearance at Roots Rock Revival Night at Whiskey Dix Saloon June 17, check out his full schedule at www.tomgillam.com, and help push the dreaded MySpace Tom further out of his Top 8 at www.myspace.com/tomgillamstractorpull.
Youve got to respect a man whose summer tune list manages Davey Jones and Brian Wilson in the same listening hour, and isnt scared to admit he still considers Aerosmith, well, at all. Plug in the extension cord and drag the boom box out back and fire up the grill summers coming and were feeling just fine ...

Statesboro Blues, Allman Brothers Band This is probably my favorite song of all time, no matter what the category is. The rhythm, Duane Allmans slide guitar, and the bluesy vocals of brother Gregg has been reverberating in my skull since the 9th grade. A true classic!

Good Feelin To Know, Poco The ultimate feel-good song of all time. Richie Furay and company play and sing their hearts out on what shouldve been their breakthrough track. Another great memory of summertime in the 70s for me! With lyrics like Colorado mountains, I see your distant sky, youre bringing a tear of joy to my eyes how can you go wrong? No matter what ANYONE says, these guys invented Americana.

April Fool, Rufus Wainwright Something about a sing-along chorus just makes me think of summer. Im blasting this while I write!

Sail On Sailor, Beach Boys Forget about all that silly surfin stuff. By the late 60s and early 70s, Brian Wilson was in full mental breakdown and we the listening public came out on the winning end. My friend turned me on to the album Holland during the summer between 9th and 10th grade, and it totally changed my opinion of these guys. Exquisite lead vocals by Blondie Chaplin, who now sings back up for the Stones.

Hey Summer, Where Ya Been?, Ben Folds Five The Summer in this tune, I believe, refers to a person's name, and not a season. Still the groove and the words remind me of the times, years ago, when I used to hang out on the campus of Rowan University (back then it was called Glassboro State College). I met a lot of people from North Jersey who told me I talked funny.

Im In, Radney Foster Radney is a friend of mine who is originally from Texas, but now lives in Nashville. He writes hit songs for Keith Urban (Rainin on Sunday) and Sara Evans to name a few. This tune is taken from the album See What You Want to See, and I think its out of print. Regardless, its a pop masterpiece. Every time I hear the chorus lyric, If I knew what I was doin, Id be doin it right now I get a little tear in my eye. This is one of my wifes favorite songs, along with all my tunes.

Back In The Saddle, Aerosmith As a matter of fact, any tune from their first five LPs -- or cds -- will do just fine. This stuff makes me think of Wildwood, N.J. in the early 80s -- and everything that went with it. If you were there, you know what I'm talking about (wink, wink). Far be it for me to begrudge anyone from making a living, but these guys shouldve broken up after Draw The Line. I still get chills from this one! Im BAAAACK!!!

In A Big Country, Big Country OK, OK, so I liked New Wave in the 80s. Ill bet you did too, but you just wont admit it. At least it says country in the title.

Indian Summer, Joe Walsh Most people equate Walsh with his more humorous stuff (Lifes Been Good, etc.), but it's his more thoughtful songs that really get me. This one in particular, with its warm, cloudy day images and lyrics that suggest a time when things were just a bit more simple -- perfect for a rainy day. Great slide guitar solo.

Sunny Girlfriend, The Monkees From the first LP I ever owned, Monkees Headquarters. My brother and I played this on my sisters record player (remember those?) till the grooves were totally worn out. Mike Nesmith turns in a stellar performance, as do the rest of the band, doing what their critics said they couldnt do: play their own instruments! Then again, being 7 or 8 years old I could care less about what the critics said, they were the fuckin Monkees!

06/30/2005
'Crazy Little Thing'
By: Jillian Kalonick , TimeOFF
From The Princeton Packet
Country rocker Tom Gillam will join Ellis Paul, Jodelle and Shemekia Copeland for the ninth annual Black Potatoe Music Festival.

Tom Gillam will perform his California-style country and Tex-Mex rootsy blues at the Black Potatoe Festival at the Red Mill Museum in Clinton.

   Although his backing band is called Tractor Pull, songwriter Tom Gillam is not, he says, a twangy, Southern-style "country musician."
   "Never, for one minute — there wasn't even a grain of time that I thought of myself as a country artist," he says, speaking from his home in Gibbsboro. On his third album, Shake My Hand (95 North Records, 2004), the sound ranges from California-style country and Tex-Mex to rootsy blues. Not being straight country, Mr. Gillam's sound has that nebulous "Americana" label.
   "I think that Americana is a great label when you don't know what to label something," he says. "It's got country, rock, bluegrass — you're not sure what to say about it. I always called it country rock... If you call it alt country, then all the sudden you have to sound like Son Volt or Steve Earle, and I don't. If you call it Americana this encompasses American music. I don't mean flag-waving music — but most of my influences are American artists — Allman Brothers, early Eagles."
   For Mr. Gillam, the label means his albums frequently climb up the Americana charts, and he was recently nominated for a "Best Emerging Artist" award from the Americana Music Association. He will join many other Americana artists and musicians of all sounds at the Black Potatoe Music Festival at the Red Mill Museum in Clinton July 7 to 10. Shemekia Copeland, Ellis Paul and Jodelle are among more than 30 performers at the ninth annual festival.
   For Mr. Gillam, the show will follow several springtime gigs in Texas, where he's as well-received as a native would be.
   "If you're a musician, you're not a second-class citizen there," he says. "People aren't afraid to go out on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and stay out until midnight or 1 a.m. and go have a couple beers and see a band... In the South it's slower — people are more friendly, more easy-going."
   Since working with producer and Tractor Pull guitarist Joe Carroll, Mr. Gillam's entire approach to recording has been more laid back.
   "I was thinking about leaving the music business because it was just too frustrating," says Mr. Gillam. "(Joe) said, 'If you just want to mess around and record your tunes, I have a four-track recorder.' I went over, but only three of the tracks worked. He got really mad, and told me 'Come back in two days, I'll have a better one.' Soon he had an eight track — in a month he had a bigger studio. It was a natural progression — I had the songs, he wanted to figure out how to run a recording studio."
   In Mr. Carroll's in-house Pennsauken studio, the atmosphere is infinitely more relaxed than in a standard recording studio. "We watch TV, drink a beer, cut a track," says Mr. Gillam. "It's so much better to record under those circumstances."
   Recently Mr. Gilliam worked with fellow Philly-area artist Ben Arnold to record "Ride" for Fins, Chrome and the Open Road: A Tribute to the Caddy, by 95 North Records. Another tribute CD, Mama Kangaroos, an "all-Philly, all-girl" tribute to Captain Beefheart, features Mr. Gillam and Tractor Pull backing up local favorite Mia Johnson on "Crazy Little Thing."
   With Shake My Hand, Mr. Gillam had a collection of songs together a year and a half ago, but it didn't click with what he had in mind, so he and Mr. Carroll revamped it.
   "For the first record, you say that's the experimental record," he says. "You think, 'I don't care if the songs are five or 10 minutes long.' For the second record you learn from your mistakes, and try to condense everything to its purest form. Now it's 'I've showed you the purest form, let me open up a few avenues so I can show you where I am as an artist, a song stylist, a lyricist.'"

The Black Potatoe Music Festival will take place at the Red Mill Museum, 56 Main St., Clinton, July 7-10. Tom Gillam will perform on the Quarry Stage, July 9, 3:45 p.m. Other July 9 performers include Matt Angus Thing, Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle, Gregg Cagno and Kathy Phillips. Tickets: July 7, $10 to benefit the Red Mill Museum; July 8 and 10, $25, $20 adv.; July 9, $30, $25 adv.; three-day pass $70, $60 adv. For a complete schedule, visit www.blackpotatoe.com. Tom Gillam on the Web: www.tomgillam.com

Tom Gillam will play at the Tiger's Tale, 1290 Route 206, Montgomery, Aug. 12, 10 p.m. For information, call (609) 924-0262.

Tom Gillam "Shake My Hand"

     The talented Tom Gillam's new release, "Shake My Hand", has just hit the streets. It will shake more than your hand! Your head will be bobbing and your feet will be tapping in moments. Tom plays a mean slide guitar, traditional acoustic and electric guitar, and has a remarkable voice to boot. He has the ability to demand your ears and pull you right into his music. Some of my favorites include:
     The rocking opener, "Outside The Lines", starts with the guitar work of Craig Simon and Tom's  slide guitar backed by the solid bass lines of Tim McMaster and the rock steady drums of Mike Gillam [brother?].  This tune, like many on this CD, was penned by Tom. It is the perfect forum for his vocals and his slip-sliding electric guitar licks.
     The hard hitting rocker, "Take It Easy On Me", is easily an airplay hit. The guitar work sounds so effortless but is full of remarkable turn arounds and fills. The slide solo in the middle of the song is par excellence in this genre! Tom's voice is meant for this tune. His voice is augmented with great backing vocals and strong mix.
      The story telling "Abby and Andy" is a strong acoustic guitar based song with highlights of pedal steel and a backing band. Tom tells the story of love for all of the wrong reasons with ease and conviction to his voice.
     "Stand By You" could have been a Byrd's hit. I fell in love with this song right away. Mandolin and terrific backing guitar heighten the feel.
     The beat funky strutting title track, "Shake My Hand" is an auditory treat. Be certain to listen to this on a great system so you can appreciate the engineering and mix on this track. Duane Allman influenced slide guitar takes a solo run.
     The foot stopping beginning to "Your Parting Gift" belies the tough lyric in this song. A showcase for every musician on the track [even piano], it simply rocks.
     "I Could Be The One" adds the lap steel and baritone guitar work of Joe Carroll. This rock ballad is well written and delivers the goods. The arrangement uses the lap steel to create a haunting return to the words Tom sings.
     "Over & Over" adds percussion to set the stage. Engrossing synth, sound effects, acoustic guitar and piano fill the background while a pychedelic mix moves various instruments around. Tom and the "Tractor Pull" band ventures into new territory here.
     You can read more about Tom Gillam and even see a video of "Outside The Lines" on his site at www.tomgillam.com . Everytime I listen to this CD my appreciation grows. From a composition standpoint to the sheer instrumental and vocal quality of this CD, I find myself listening to it over and over. It is a great musical accomplishment and a very rewarding listen. Please give Tom Gillam a try--you will not be dissappointed! You can get your own copy here. 
~ steve ekblad audiogrid.com

Twangcast.com Review Twangcast Theres a reason that Tom Gillam's latest release it floating around on the upper end of the Americana charts: theres some damn fine music on it. This is the honky-tonk-influenced roots-rock that will always find a place in every music fans heart, and sounds fresh no matter when it is played. The Phil Lee drive of the opening cut Outside the Lines basically sets up the audio scene. Walls of overdriven guitars and pedal steel licks in the right places, accenting the vocals, which Gillam has the right amount of heartfelt croon and just a wee bit of grit. Most of the lyrics are heart-on-sleeve, with some worthwhile descriptors, but there are some standout stories here as well. Such is the case with Abby & Andy. While the storyline of love from the wrong side of the tracks has been told before, Gillam has a way of using rhymes that make it extremely catchy. Other quality tracks are Stand By You, which is very tributary to Sweethearts-era Byrds, and the Hank Williams Jr. like romp of Your Parting Gift. All of the tracks show Gillams wide variety of influences while still staying close to the roots of rock and country. Gillams sound will give the listener a good idea of how fun he and his band can be live. This is good-time music, while still giving a nod to concern. This disc is a definite winner for the party-hardy crowd. Reviewer: Matt Merta

Shake My Hand Review Take Country Back (Hayden's Ferry) Shake My Hand is the third release from New Jersey native and, presently, Philadelphia based Tom Gillam. Tom serves up a tasty brew of Americana country-rock that's anchored in classic 70s era southern/country rock influences that includes everyone from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band to the Eagles to Skynyrd to the Allman Brothers and just about everyone in-between. He combines his skilled slide guitar work with touches of steel guitar, fiddle, mandolin and nicely done harmonies to deliver his well crafted self-penned songs. Shake My Hand opens with "Outside The Lines," a jangly country-rocker that has an early Eagles groove to it, almost similar in style to a rowdy, though somewhat slower version of "James Dean." The bluesy, self-reflective man-in-the mirror tale, "Disappearing Act" is a standout, while the heartbreaker, "Take It Easy On Me" shows a bluesy Allman Brothers influence in it's stellar guitar work. Steel guitar, some outstanding flourishes of Spanish guitar and a Tex-Mex beat highlight the ballad of starcrossed lovers, "Abby & Andy." Tom incorporates fiddle and mandolin into the rootsy "Stand By You," giving this gently breezy country-rocker a bluegrass flavor, reminiscent of classic Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Tom cranks things up with some swampy, bluesy southern rock in the terrific title track, "Shake My Hand." He keeps the party going with a rowdy roadhouse two-stepper about calling a relationship quits with "Your Parting Gift." Tom offers up a great steel driven, bluesy, swaying ballad about second chances, "Please Come Home," the kind of first-rate song that you'd expect to find on a Delbert McClinton album. "I Could Be The One" delivers an opposite message, one about longing for a first chance. "One Park Lane" is a bouncy country-rocker about longing to go back and start over with a first love. The tale of a guy trying, but having a hard time towing the line is told in the shuffling, swaggering roadhouse rocker "One Step At A Time." "Over And Over" is a captivating song, moody and haunting, with an exotic Eastern influence that describes a man under the powerful spell of a woman. The album closes with the quietly mournful ballad, "Ali Says She's Leaving" that tells the aching story of a fading love. Tom Gillam possesses a warm, pleasing voice and while his songs show he's strongly influenced by the 70s era southern/country-rockers, he's most assuredly not an imitator nor is it the typical watered down sanitized version of the real thing Nashville's been offering up over the last decade or so. He's got a style of his own, with strong, well crafted songwriting. What really pushes Tom over the top is his excellent slide guitar work and the stellar musicianship of his backing band Tractor Pull, comprised of Craig Simon on guitar, Dan Showell on drums, Tim McMaster on bass and Joe Carroll, who also serves as producer, on mandolin. Tom Gillam has indeed delivered a strong, impressive set of Americana based country-roots-rock with Shake My Hand. Standout Tracks: "Outside The Lines," "Disappearing Act," "Shake My Hand," "Your Parting Gift," "Please Come Home," "One Step At A Time," "Over And Over" On The Net: www.tomgillam.com

4/20/01 TOM GILLAM DALLAS GOTHAM From the beer-soaked raucousness of the sadly departed Go to Blazes to the trad-bluegrass stylings of Jim and Jennie and the Pinetops, it seems our fair city has always had something good and twangy to offer. The national debut full-length from singer/songwriter Tom Gillam, Dallas (Gotham) is yet another respectable cog in Philly's alt-country/roots rock wheel of fortune. Gillam's rootsy brew is barroom-ready enough for those who remember GTB's paint-peeling Khyber and Silk City sets from back in the day, yet literary enough for those who prefer their twang tempered with WXPN sensitivity and politeness. The title track is the most polished and radio-friendly tune of the lot, thanks to a mix by Shelly Yakus, falling perfectly in between those two worlds, and steeped in the time-honored tradition of the troubadour vowing this town won't have him to kick around anymore. Gillam flirts with Nashville's new country gloss on "A Little Too Strange," but a smart arrangement and burrowing slide guitar keep things from getting too generic. "Fade Away" is far and away the album's shining moment, leaving the twang behind for a fine mist of mid-'70s California rock dust and glitter. Tightly stacked oohs and aahs give off a peaceful easy glow, while the meticulous weave of guitars and keyboards will have you scanning for Lindsey Buckingham's name in the production credits. - - -PATRICK BERKERY

Shake My Hand Review Freight Train Boogie TOM GILLAM 4STARS Shake My Hand... (Hayden's Ferry) Soulful country rock, strong harmonies, ringing slide guitar. It's not the Palomino club in the early seventies but east coast artist Tom Gillam's new release, Shake My Hand. Engaging songwriting and solid vocals inhabit this disc, his debut on Hayden's Ferry. Produced by band member/multi instrumentalist Joe Carroll, Gillam's work takes it's place in a line that stretches from Poco and the Eagles to Whiskeytown and The Jayhawks. Songs such as "Outside The Lines" and "Disappearing Act" show a confident writer with a personal touch. Backed by his crack outfit called "Tractor Pull" Gillam's recent live set at the Americana Music Conference showed that he's ready to make his mark. Tom's site, Hayden's Ferry Records. Buy from amazon. Released Oct. '04, reviewed by Michael Meehan.