Tom Farley : iSOUND.COM™

Biography

For standard (non-MP3) CD sales, photos and other links, visit

http://kristwinkles.com
or
http://members.cox.net/tntrockit/

I am a lifelong resident of Virginia....from the Hampton Roads area. I've been married to my best friend and soulmate Tania since 1976, and, have spent my life consumed by my three loves....my wife, my music and my teaching….

On the musical side, I was the owner of Alum Ridge Music (1982-2000), a music publication and workshop company. As a local music artist, I've performed since 1975 as a solo artist and with several successful musical groups, culminating in The Tom Farley Band. I've written, performed, co-engineered and produced four recordings: the album Songsmyth (1982) and the CD recordings The Calm Before the Storm (1991), Songsmyth and the Basement Cuts (2000), and Over the Falls (2006). Over the years, I garnered two local awards from Port Folio Magazine as Best Acoustic Musician (1984) and Best Rhythm Guitarist (1987) in Hampton Roads, and, have opened for Bruce Hornsby, Poco, Firefall and Louisiana’s Larou.

Just a bit of background about the recordings….

The Songsmyth album (1982) was my first attempt at a major studio recording. When it was produced, my thoughts were to bring together some of the most endearing musical friends I had known over the years and to let the magic happen. The end result was a labor of fun and shear joy.

At my side on keyboards and vocals, as in every musical group I was connected to, was Tania Farley…..the one who believed in me the most. My brother-in-law, Steve Ihlenburg, who would later bring his energy and humor to The Tom Farley-Cam Head Band, was our drummer. Steve and Todd Gallagher, whom I had developed a rich writing and recording tradition, accompanied me on lead guitar, keyboards and flute. Donnie Satterwhite, known for his tours with Thunder Road, The Ill-Eagles and duo with Jim Cootes, has been a part of every major studio situation in my career. From my earlier days of Cimarron was Tom Lavin, a bassist steeped in the Southern Rock tradition. Denny Smith of the Blacksburg-based band Happy was the fellow background vocalist, responsible for all of the background vocal arrangements. Just back from the road was Cam Head, whose collaboration in both duo and band I would cherish for nearly a decade. Rounding off the list would be Jim Cummins on harmonica, Greg Ferris on guitar and Mike Gosey on acoustic lead.

The final mixing and mastering were done in Nashville. I chose Quadrafonic Studios because I was a real Fogelberg freak at the time, and, I wanted to be surrounded by the people and equipment he worked with on his earlier albums. To have the chance to experience the atmosphere and spirit of Nashville was a real education. The Quadraphonic engineer was Willie Pevear; it was mastered by the legendary Randy Kling at Diskmaster. Thanks to Tania, our families, our friends (especially Beetle Bailey, Laura Kesser, Lannie and Debbie Hazelwood Woolford, Sharon Kelley, Charlie Scott, Pat and Beau Ludwig, Lloyd Stone and Kristin Phillips), and the many fans and supporters, I had the rare chance to have a dream come true. Little did I know that it would open other doors that would continue to enrich my life in ways that I could never have imagined. To have the chance to experience the atmosphere and spirit of Nashville was a real education.

Eighteen years later, I decided to archive the master tapes into a CD for my own pleasure and for their preservation. When I heard how good the original cuts transferred to CD format, I decided to work to add additional "basement cuts" and make a fuller, 72 minute CD product. The result is a history and compilation of established and never-before-heard cuts that pleased fans and newcomers alike. It was my pleasure to re-release the Songsmyth album on CD and to share with you some of the best memories and moments I have savored over the years.

The Calm Before the Storm CD (1991) was the definitive performance of The Tom Farley Band captured in the studio. Produced by Tom, engineered and recorded at Earworks Studio with Bob Smith and mastered in Nashville at Mastersound, it was the end result of many years of playing, writing and technical experience. Tom, Tania and Gerry Herndon had been performing live in local clubs for about eighteen months before going into the studio. Using a combination of sequenced rhythms and live performance, the band was not only able to achieve a dynamic recording, but also reproduced the album-quality performance consistently in all the venues they played.

The “Over the Falls” CD (Released 2006) was a long time comin’….but worth the wait. I recorded the entire CD at the house….using Acid Pro….with the help of Steve Gallagher as engineer, Tania on background vocals and Greg Ferris on Electric Guitar and Mandolin. Greg and I collaborated long distance through software and wave files….a first for me, but really successful.

It’s good to be back in the game….

The last album released, "High Energy Acoustics - The Tom Farley Collection" (2006), is a compilation of the most requested songs from the earlier recordings....

On the teaching side....I was a teacher (now retired) in the Chesapeake Public Schools from 1973-2004, and have been an Adjunct Professor at Virginia Wesleyan College from 1986 to the present. I also work part-time as the Program Development Coordinator K-12 for Virginia Wesleyan College.

My Bachelor’s degree is from Va. Tech with a double major in History and English; my Masters in Education degree is from Old Dominion University.

In the area of business, he is the former President of Soft Pubs Incorporated, makers of Educational and IEP Internet Database software. The flagship of the Soft Pubs' line was Easy IEP®, an internet database for compiling, manipulating and querying Special Education IEP's and their data. It is currently being sold by PCG, Inc. (Public Consultant Group) and is being utilized by school systems and districts nationwide. A co-founder and former President of Soft Pubs, Inc., he has been responsible for the design, help sections and training development for all Soft Pubs’ products.