Tom Fuller: Abstract Man in a rock & roll band

Chicago-based rocker Tom Fuller may be an Abstract Man, but that doesn't mean he's hard to understand. In fact, that precarious balance of the accessible and the esoteric is the very fuel on which his artistic engine runs. Fuller's second album, Abstract Man, out May 20 on Mesa/Blue Moon, is full of tunes that put his pedal-to-the-metal, Classic Rock-influenced riffs toe to toe with his goosebump-inducing melodic hooks and his song-craftsman's knack for lyrical narrative. Sometimes his messages are conveyed in bite-size chunks, sometimes with intriguing, poetic imagery that lets the listeners create their own interpretations. “I like writing thought-provoking lyrics that match the intensity of the music, to fit like a glove, in a timeless way."

The music of the Tom Fuller Band as we know it today started touching people with the release of 2005 debut album Chasing An Illusion. Fuller put the record together with the assistance of his sonic soulmate, producer Rick Chudacoff, who gave some valuable on-the-job training to the previously unrecorded artist. “He adopted me,” Fuller recalls. Chasing An Illusion was an important first step, that led to 5 Top 5 hits on small town FMQB radio stations all across the U.S. “Chasing An Illusion was more of a ballad-rock CD,” he confirms, “I wanted to significantly raise the bar on Abstract Man, with a more roof-raising attitude for my second project."

The Abstract Man that Fuller raised from its infant state with the help of Chudacoff and the multi-talented Christian Cullen, is a kaleidoscopic musical journey that exceeded any of its participants' wildest imaginations. Those true-blue rock & roll values that Fuller has held close to his heart all along bear fruit in the form of everything from arena-size rock anthems to tough-but-tender portraits of everyday people's inner lives. Listening closely to each facet as they shift and twirl, you can catch a wide variety of reflections. Besides some Fab Four touches, there's a bit of everything from the stadium-stomping Britpop of Oasis to the saber-sharp roots-rock of John Hiatt, and the kind of heartland rock that conjures up Tom Petty's finest moments.

True to Fuller's storytelling penchant, Abstract Man is full of resonant tales. “When I write a song, it takes on a life of its own,” he says. Those lives encompass a vivid world of love, loss, and redemption. In the end, the most resonant message the listener takes away is one of self-realization; the notion that people have the power to change their lives and define their world. Make no mistake, though, for all its weighty issues and philosophical concepts, Abstract Man is first and foremost a multi-hued explosion of sound. Every song on it will appeal to anyone who's ever turned on a radio or thrown on a new album and had their life changed in three-and-a-half minutes.

The future is now. The six-member Tom Fuller Band has been rehearsing non-stop, fine-tuning for the BREAKOUT TOUR. Summer of 2008 is the beginning and will take them throughout the USA, UK, Germany, and Japan, among others. Put on your seatbelts, the BREAKOUT TOUR will be coming to a city near you soon. For info on tours, merchandise, CD's & more....visit the official sites: WWW.TOMFULLERBAND.COM, MYSPACE.COM/TOMFULLERBAND, FACEBOOK.COM/PAGES/TOM-FULLER-BAND/11874371119, REVERBNATION.COM/TOMFULLERBAND
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Tom Fuller: Abstract Man in a rock & roll band

Chicago-based rocker Tom Fuller may be an Abstract Man, but that doesn't mean he's hard to understand. In fact, that precarious balance of the accessible and the esoteric is the very fuel on which his artistic engine runs. Fuller's second album, Abstract Man, out May 20 on Mesa/Blue Moon, is full of tunes that put his pedal-to-the-metal, Classic Rock-influenced riffs toe to toe with his goosebump-inducing melodic hooks and his song-craftsman's knac... (read more)