Tom Susala - ProfilesArchive

About Me

I was born on Chicago's Northwest side. I was influenced by artists of the 50's; Chuck Berry, Duane Eddy, Santo and Johnny and, of the 60's; the Beatles, Motown, and Memphis soul. I joined my first band on my 16th birthday as a rhythm guitarist playing three and four chord cover tunes. After a short (much to the relief of music lovers) stint as a lead guitarist, I decided that my greatest attraction was bass guitar. I went on to play bass for some of Chicago's blues superstars; Son Seals, Eddy Clearwater, and Hubert Sumlin (Howlin' Wolf).
I've participated in such diverse projects as: World Beat band: Hidden Colors, Pop Band: Suzy Brack and New Jack Lords, and R&B septet: The Smokin' Section.
Some of my bass influences are: James Jamerson (Motown,) Paul McCartney, Donald "Duck" Dunn (Booker T & the MGs, Blues Brothers,) and Jaco Pastorius (Pioneer of the fretless bass and member of the Jazz/Fusion band, Weather Report.)
I live in the Chicago's West Edgewater neighborhood.
Chocolate makes me sneeze and I love vegetables.
I fixed bicycles to pay for my college education.
I have never won any form of award and I don't dance very well.
In fact, my dancing makes nerds look hip
And NOW a shameless plug for the band with whom I am proud to be working:
insert drum roll HERE-( ) "BEATNIK TURTLE!!"
Check 'em out!! @ http://www.beatnikturtle.com !!
BEATNIK TURTLE is a multi-genre band in the midst of their most ambitious project EVER!
-THE SONG OF THE WEEK-
Check it out @ http://www.thesongoftheday.com !!!
A FREE, Downloadable song for EVERY WEEK of 2008!!!
SOON TO BE AVAILABLE!! Beatnik Turtle's NEWEST CD
(I'm on it (Duh))titled "SHAM ROCK, rocked-out versions of traditional Irish tunes!
recorded in conjunction with "RPM Challenge Month."
(Every home should have MANY copies!)
As soon as it's released, PLEASE buy dozens and give them to every single person you've ever known, and THEIR relatives!
Studies show that people who do not purchase BEATNIK TURTLE CDs have a higher incidence of "Woulda, Shoulda, and Coulda!" (I shudder to think of the consequences! but, then I shudder EVERY time I make an attempt at a thought)
PLEASE!! DON'T LET THAT HAPPEN TO YOU!!!
AND NOW SOMETHING AVAILABLE SOONER!!!
THE INDIE BAND SURVIVAL GUIDE!!!
Available August of 2008!
Buy many copies! Carry a copy in your gig bag!!!Give them to all those whose music you enjoy, and musicians and songwriters you admire!!
Details at: http://www.indiebandsurvivalguide.com
World Visitor Map Generator. Create your own today!..

My Interests

Photography, Reading, Blogging, The New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle,browsing old book shops
follow duckofchitown at http://twitter.com

I'd like to meet:

David Letterman, Donna Adler, Angelle Sampey, Emo Phillips, Steven Wright, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Kinky Friedman, Weird Al Yankovic, Judy Tenuta, Art Bell, Norah Jones, Kimi Hayes, Steve Cochran, Nick Digilio, Will Lee, Victor Wooton, Jeff Berlin, Chuck Rainey, Flea, Hurricane Smith, Slim Whitman, Stanley Clarke, Jeff Beck, Brian Auger, Joe Osborne, John Paul Jones, Carol Kaye, Roger McGuinn, Les Claypool, Liz Phair, John Mayall, P. Davis, Mick Fleetwood, Umbewe Torkelson, John Stewart, Jeneane Garofalo, P. Abernathy, Suzanna Hoffs, Jack Bruce, Jessica Calder, Stevie Wonder, Bill Cosby, Bob Newhart, George Carlin, Lombardo Quantas, Little Arthur, Bea Arthur, Arthur Prysock, Arthur Godfrey, Godfrey Cambridge, Angelo D'Mysterioso, Winston O. Boogie, Semolina Pilchard, Ed Feldman, Joe L'Erario, Charles Foster Kane, Harvey Keck, Wendella Binford, Cinderella Lemkiwicz, Congolia Breckenridge, someone with today's lottery numbers

Music:

All Styles: But! REAL FAVES ARE: Booker T & the MGs, Redwalls, Fastball, Indigo Girls, Primus, Bernice and the Rippers, The Kimi Hayes Band, They Play Doctors, The Chuckleheads, Suzy Brack & New Jack Lords, The Beatles, The Stones, Baby Donny's Hatrack, My Chemical Romance, Bozo's Galoshes, Catfight, Death Cab For Cutie, Fountains of Wayne, The Raconteurs, Catsplash, Aquarium Rescue Unit, Sheryl Crow, Duke Ellington, Jaco Pastorius, Beatnik Turtle (Not necessarily in that order)
"music is, to me, proof of the existence of God. It is so extraordinarily full of magic that in tough times of my life I can listen to music and it makes such a difference" ~ Kurt Vonnegut

Movies:

Bananas, Zelig, Take the Money and Run, Dogma, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, Being There, Spaceballs, Blazing Saddles, The Producers, Caddyshack, Debbie Does Berwyn, Le Mans, Grand Prix, A Hard Day's Night, Help, Elephant Parts, 200 Motels, Rock & Roll Circus, Pan and the Labyrinth

Television:

"Television is considered a medium because it is neither rare or well done!."
- Ernie Kovacks

Books:

Conversations With God (Neale Donald Walsch)
Without Feathers and Getting Even by Woody Allen
The Groucho Letters, Groucho Marx
Harpo Speaks! by Harpo Marx
The Vein of Gold by Julia Cameron

Heroes:

Steve Allen, Leo Fender, Groucho Marx, Ernie Kovacks, Jonathan Winters, Dorothy Parker, John Lennon, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Don Pardo, Les Paul, Lou Prete, Bill Cosby

My Blog

The best advice I’ve read today!!

I really don't want to wax philosophic, but I will say that if you're alive, you've got to flap your arms and legs, you've got to jump around a lot, you've got to make a lot of noise, because life is ...
Posted by Tom Susala on Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:11:00 PST

Superstitious? Who, ME?

If you look at your calendar or your cell phone or the sign outside the bank as you travel around your environs today, you'll see that today is Friday the 13th! To quote SCTV character, Count Floyd...
Posted by Tom Susala on Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:15:00 PST

Pre-Release Review: The Indie Band Survival Guide!

As you all know, I am the bass player in a band called Beatnik Turtle. (You're probably saying, "We know, Tom; you ramble on about this band as if you have OCD!") Here is the text of a pre-release re...
Posted by Tom Susala on Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:34:00 PST

Happy Birthday to a HERO

just could not in all good conscience let today pass without some form of acknowledgement of a great man! Today is the 93rd birthday of a man who revolutionized the music industry: Les Paul . Les w...
Posted by Tom Susala on Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:02:00 PST

How Time Flies!

It's Wednesday morning again, smack dab in the middle of a week. This will be a different week though because Thursday (tomorrow June 5,) is the first day of Blues Fest. In a way I'm anxious because i...
Posted by Tom Susala on Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:59:00 PST

Wednesday, (Already?)

Puzzlement and disorientation abound this morning, boys and girls! Every time there's a Monday or a Friday holiday, it throws off my schedule. I keep thinking that today is a day earlier than it is....
Posted by Tom Susala on Wed, 28 May 2008 07:08:00 PST