Tom Heyman

The worlds of indie rock iconoclast John Vanderslice and alt-country godfather Alejandro Escovedo rarely intersect, but in Tom Heyman, they most certainly do. The San Francisco singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has toured and recorded with artists of most every stripe, from Vanderslice and Escovedo to his current gigs with celebrated Americana artist Chuck Prophet and the narcotic country band The Court and Spark, to past collaborations with Okkervil River, David Dondero, Paula Frazer and more.On Deliver Me, Heyman's second solo release following his 2001 record Boarding House Rules, he is joined by an equally eclectic cast of confidants. Wilco's John Stirratt, American Music Club's Mark Eitzel, the Mother Hips' Tim Bluhm, Prophet and Virgil Shaw all contribute.Heyman's music has always resisted neat categories and Deliver Me is no different, as it effortlessly mixes folk-rock, country, blues, swampy Southern R&B and urban rock 'n' roll with an understated confidence.Deliver Me begins as it ends, with a tone of redemption and hope, but in between it pulls the listener under. From the narcoleptic paranoia of Monkey Out Of Me, and the bitter longing and nostalgia of Fool for You, to the title track, a parable of pre-21st century celebrity - a song as gritty and achingly sad as the life it portrays - Heyman's characters are people who get what they deserve, in a world where feeling better seems always just out of reach.Heyman started playing and recording in the late 1980s with the Philadelphia based band Go To Blazes. He wrote songs, played guitar, and the band released 5 full-length records and toured the US and Europe extensively before breaking up in 1997. Heyman did a brief stint with the critically acclaimed Philly band Marah before relocating to San Francisco in 1998. Once in San Francisco, Heyman began working as a sideman on the local scene, while discovering his voice as a solo artist and bandleader. While he often works in a band context, he primarily considers himself a folksinger whose job is to tell stories that draw the listener in to his world.