The Low Spark profile picture

The Low Spark

About Me



"amazing, dense and moody debut album ...... overlook this record at your own peril" - Andrew Tidbull, cheeseontoast.co.nz
....read full review here....
"this is rock music made by a young four-piece band with reach and ambition. There is angst, anger, energy, joy -- and musicianship to burn" - Graham Reid, elsewhere.co.nz
....read full review here....
"****.......the content is sensational" - Vicki Anderson, The Christchurch Press
....read full review here....
"****.......at last, we have a rock band with more than one ace up its sleeve" - Jeff Harford, The Otago Daily Times
....read full review here....
Hey all. Great news! The album is out now and ready to go. It is being sold through stores by Global Routes Distribution and is available on i-tunes! For information on how to purchase our album you can e-mail The Low Spark and we will sort you out.
Do you want to be informed when we play a gig in your locality? Then join The Low Spark Mailing List Please include your name or a suitable pseudonym and also the town or city where you hail from and we will make sure you don't miss out when we are on tour. Thanks!
“Look out for them, insiders say they are coming” – Bernie Griffen, Global Routes Music
The first incarnation of The Low Spark formed in Dunedin in 2004 as The Tomahawks. In parts evocative of Neil Young epics, of brutal Nick Cave narratives, and of the dense, sonic assault of Straightjacket Fits, their music could be broadly described as lyrical rock – with layered instrumentation creating a dynamic and expansive backdrop for the lyrics and voice. They promise they are not fashion victims riding musical bandwagons, or singing with phoney accents for invisible foreign markets. In short, they play music because they love it.
The Low Spark are a four piece who met each other through university in Dunedin, formed upon the promise of songs Tom was starting to write. Early on they developed a musical scope employing a variety of instrumentation live and in the studio. After a year and a half of honing their sound, songs, and performance, they set about finding how they’d come across on record. Their initial efforts (still as The Tomahawks) yielded their first single "Yesterday's Drink", which held the number 1 spot on Dunedin's BNet station Radio One for two weeks and featured on the Radio One 2006 Sampler album. Having had their interest in recording piqued, The Low Spark began recording tracks for an album in late 2006. Utilising Dunedin's Albany Street Studio - a room modelled off the famous BBC 1 studio at Abbey Road – without any time constraints, they let the album take shape over a year.
The album was then mixed and mastered by the brilliant Dale Cotton (Conray, HDU, Dimmer, Paul McClaney, Die!Die!Die!….) who worked closely with the band to capture its musical identity. In addition to Cotton's assistance, musical icon Graeme Downes lent his song-writing and production expertise. Their debut album Out in the Ozone is released nationwide in November 2007.
The Low Spark have performed extensively over the past few years and are currently based in Auckland, where they’re said to be enjoying traffic jams and the Asian Food Courts. They are also touring regularly throughout the country. You could say that the band has one foot in the past and one in the future, taking literate and incisive songs and wrapping them in layers of guitars and effects. But better still why don’t you put their album in your machine, pour a glass of scotch and make up your own mind.
“I'm really looking forward to seeing what the world makes of this album……there's enough puerile rock in the world but more rarely a band with something substantial to say comes along” – Graeme Downes, The Verlaines
To contact The Low Spark Management e-mail or phone Thomas on +64 21 1699 472

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 25/05/2006
Band Members:
Tom Healy (Guitar and vocals)

David Flyger (Bass)

Paul Raine (Keys and guitar)

Yair Katz (Drums)
Influences:As an idea of stuff we find exciting, we could start with Neil Young (and not forgetting Crazy Horse), The Band, Television, Radiohead, King Crimson, Dylan, The Verlaines, Lou Reed, Velvet Underground, Wilco, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Jeff Buckley, New Order, The Clean, The Doors, The Byrds, Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno (production for both their combined and solo work with Dylan, Robbie Robbertson, Emmy Lou Harris, Bowie, Talking Heads..........), Tom Waits, Big Star, My Bloody Valentine, Pink Floyd, Townes Van Zandt, Straightjacket Fits
You have got to love The Who, Springsteen, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Hendrix, Tribe Called Quest, Dinosaur Jr., Quicksilver Messenger Service, Sonic Youth.... there is so much good music out there.
Sounds Like: You can be the judge - unless your internet is so slow you can't play the songs.....
Record Label: Independent

My Blog

Couple of reviews for posterity

Reviews taken from the excellent websites www.cheeseontoast.co.nz and www.elsewhere.co.nz(02/03/08)THE LOW SPARK - Out in the Ozone (self released / Global Routes) Formerly The Tomahawks from Du...
Posted by on Mon, 03 Mar 2008 18:18:00 GMT

Stuff and Nonsense

We have just got back from a North Island tour. If you have been watching our space then you would know where we went. But just for kicks we went to.... Leigh Sawmill - really magic place to. The bar ...
Posted by on Mon, 29 Oct 2007 20:28:00 GMT

New(s)

So, we're all getting primed for our next tour-jaunt which is coming up in a few weeks.Til then we have a show this thursday the 20th at Wine Cellar... then next weekend we're away! Good times.We have...
Posted by on Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:47:00 GMT

Album release, radio play and you

Hello all. Well the album is coming out nationwide with Global Routes which we are excited about. We are going to put up another single on our Myspace page, but it won't go into radio stations just ye...
Posted by on Sat, 01 Sep 2007 22:19:00 GMT

Post-Tour come-down

Hey boys and girlsWe've just returned from our first tour... man it was good fun. Big thanks to the bands we played with, including but not limited to: Us As Robots, Sleepy Demons, Thom McArthur, Hann...
Posted by on Fri, 17 Aug 2007 20:28:00 GMT

Album release and everything else

Hey all. We have finished the album (music wise). We are just getting the artwork finished, and then we tour like the depraved and determined musicians we plan on becoming. The album Out in the Ozone ...
Posted by on Fri, 15 Jun 2007 19:01:00 GMT

Hello, (hello...hello...) is there anybody in there?

Hey all. Tom here. The album is finished mixing and a week away from finished mastering. And you know what. I think we are happy with it. I think Dale Cotton has done some tremendous work, much kudos ...
Posted by on Thu, 05 Apr 2007 17:19:00 GMT

Doo Doot

Erroorrrah....That's the sound of a man with a hangover. Man, sweet party last night at Paul and Alex and DJ's house. Like awesome, the best party I've been to in a while.Tomahawks... well, since the ...
Posted by on Sun, 11 Feb 2007 02:09:00 GMT

Big Updates

Hello all, it's been a while...Well, we are now out of the studio (well, pretty much, a couple of things need re-doing)... which means....THE ALBUM IS FINISHED!!!!Oh God, it took lots of work and long...
Posted by on Thu, 02 Nov 2006 18:05:00 GMT

Thanks all

Big thanks to all of you who came to our single release party on Saturday. We all had a great time playing, as did all the bands. Good times, good times.So now, the agenda for The Tomahawks is now all...
Posted by on Tue, 12 Sep 2006 18:40:00 GMT