Today we’d like to introduce you to Andy Toomey
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I graduated from the College of Visual & Performing Arts U Mass Dartmouth. I studied under Marc
Davis (guitar) and Robert Adams (composition) with Eleanor Carlson (piano/chair) and Bobby Greene (jazz).
After graduation I moved to New York City and worked full time at Voyetra Technologies helping to develop
MIDI, digital audio interfaces and sequencers on the Windows platform.
Soon after, I completed the MFA program at SUNY Purchase, and immediately got signed to Musikus records and began making records and touring. In addition to writing and performing with my original band, I played upright bass in a jazz trio, electric bass in a Spanish metal band that toured Spain, sang in Bonomania, a busy U2 tribute act, and played drums in Wearing and tearing, a Led Zeppelin tribute act. Fun times!
Around then I got into sailboat racing, bought a boat and raced for ten years on the Hudson river and doing long distance races to places like Halifax, Nova Scotia. Since then I’ve continued making records, teaching and performing. I got married and eventually my wife and I sold everything and traveled through 15 countries where I worked as a street performer. I say “worked” but it was quite unstructured. We did a lot of sightseeing.
We returned to the states and landed in Jacksonville, Florida where we bought a house and got Heidi, a big black Great Dane. Since then I’ve written two books, both available on Amazon, and continued writing and releasing original music through my website http://www.AndyToomey.com. I’ve had the amazing good fortune to record with some truly stellar musicians such as Pet and Tony Levin, Jerry Marotta, Pat Mastelotto, Markus Reuter, Jon Herington and many more.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The life of any creative person is fraught with peril. “Glittering prizes and endless compromises shatter the illusion of integrity.” – Neil Peart
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’ve made it a priority to always pursue the muse wherever she leads. The good side of that is I’ve had a very diverse career, playing guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, singing and writing in many different styles. The bad side of that, commercially, is that I don’t fit neatly into any particular niche and that has made marketing a real challenge. I’ve had many executives tell me they love my work but don’t know what to do with me. I’ve worked in Classical, Jazz, Rock, Punk, Funk, Reggae and more. That’s pretty rare in the industry and so I’m proud of it, but it can be kind of a pain as well.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I had really mixed results thru covid. I lost essentially all my performing opportunities. Many places closed, and many of my contacts for booking and promotion moved on so I really haven’t been performing much since 2020. On the other hand I realized a lot of other people were having the same experience and that led my into recording with a lot of really famous and talented musicians who otherwise would not have been available. Also, wearing a mask is a good idea at any time. One result of extended enhanced caution is I haven’t gotten sick nearly as often.
Pricing:
- Songs are $1 on bandcamp.com
- Albums are $7 on bandcamp.com
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.AndyToomey.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/AndyToomey
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndyToomeyTrio/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLW0CczXZJSNCqC0A093wtQ
- Other: https://linktr.ee/andytoomey
