Thollem (SmhSmh)

"Unclassifiable and extraordinarily equipped, a travel through disparate musics. Thollem McDonas redefines the concept of performance in solo pianoforte".
- All About Jazz, Italia
I make music that's intellectual and sexy and meditative and ferocious and poetic and athletic and revolutionary and spiritual and political and humorus and loving and that shakes people awake, starting with me first.

SHORT BIO

Thollem McDonas (pianist, composer, improviser) was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.
He began his musical explorations as a child, rigorously studying the keyboard musics from the Rennaissance through the 20th century. He has toured across much of North America and Europe and released many albums on several labels. His music is very diverse, each album exploring wildly different paths. He has played in gamelan ensembles, African drumming troupes, punk bands, improv ensembles, in abandoned warehouses, jazz clubs, rock clubs and concert halls.
To check out some of his more experimental musics:
ThollemMcdonas
To check out his song oriented project:
ThollemCanción

PRESS

"...the result is the natural consequence of being intrinsically eclectic at heart. His inventiveness is facilitated by his highly developed virtuosity." - Eduardo Chagas, TomaJazz, Portugal
OneFinalNote.com
Tofaki.com
Splendid Magazine
52ndCity.com
Touching Extremes

DISCOGRAPHY:

NuclearBomb CavePainting
PoorStopKillingPoor
RacingTheSun ChasingTheSun
Everything'sGoingEverywhere
I'llMeetYouHalfWayOutInTheMiddleOfItAll
BloomQuartet
SonoContentoDiStareQua

LABELS:

Edgetone
Pax Recordings
Saravah
CreativeSources
BurpProductions/Magnaphone
Palustre

NEW RECORDINGS:

*SoMuchHeaven SoMuchHell
(Live solo recording in Nantes, France)
*Lubuaku Quartet
(With Jacopo Andreini, Matteo Bennici, and Scott Rosenberg - Recorded in Forli, Italy)
*Cosi/Franchini/McDonas Trio
(Recorded in Rimini, Italy- Will be released by Palustre)
*Waristerror Terroriswar
(Anti-terror, Anti-war Album with Matteo Bennici, and Andrea Caprara)
*Don'tBuyThis, LoveSongsForPeopleWhoDon'tBuyWhatThey'reSupposedTo
(A collage album of recorded but unreleased material from the age of 7 to 29)
*Sono Contento Di Stare Qua After The War
(A second album of improvisations with Edoardo Ricci)

RECENT PERFORMANCES:

(France) Cherbourg, Lille, Lyon, Claremont-Ferrand, Nantes, Paris (Portugal) Lisbon, Porto (Italy) Bologna, Florence, Milan, Schio, Livorno, San Marino, Pisa, Savona, Meldola, Rimini, Ravenna, San Sepulcro, Pitigliano, Pistoia (Ireland) Dublin (Greece) Thessaloniki (Slovenia) Ljubljana (Mexico) Queretaro (USA) Kuumbwa Jazz Center (Santa Cruz), CenterForTheArts(LA), Bohemian National Home (Detroit), CalArts(LA), Iron Post (Urbana), The Tap Room (St. Louis), A/V Space (Rochester), BottomOfTheHill(SF), Zeitgeist Gallery (Boston), Holocene (Portland), Wombat Studios (NY), OldIronsides(Sacramento), Cafe Metropol (LA), C.O.M.A. @ ABC no Rio (NY), Berkeley Art Center, AVA Gallery (Astoria) KAOS radio(Olympia), Musicians' Union Hall(SF), KFJC radio(CA), KDHX (St. Louis), Gallery 1412 (Seattle), Santa Clara University(CA), Zebulons Lounge(SF), University Of Illinois, The Rickshawstop(SF), Big Sur Experimental Music Festival HenryMillerLibrary(CA), Olympia festival of Experimental Musics(WA), Berkeley Jazz House(CA), Luggage Store Gallery(SF), Day Musics' Auditorium, (Portland), 1510 8th St. Performance Space (Oakland), Dunes(Portland). Cryptonight Series(L.A.), Voz Alta(S.D.), EdgetoneSummit(Oakland), and many more...