WHAT CAN'T HE DO?

Meet Tom Misch, a talented singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer.

It’s incredible how some people change your life forever but doesn’t stay there to see the development of their impact. Exactly two years ago, I was at a friend’s birthday party in his house. There, I met one of his friends, which was really nice and talked to me for almost half an hour, about the best thing in the world: music. I unfortunately never spoke to the girl again, but that day she provided me with some of my most cherished artists to listen to. The main one of them was Tom Misch, our Artist of The Week.

Dear friend of a friend which I don’t remember the name (sorry?), if you’re reading this now, THANK YOU, those 30 minutes which our friendship lasted, changed my musical life forever. And you, dear reader, prepare yourself to be amazed and also have your life changed by this singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer that, honestly, leaves me wondering “What CAN’T He Do?”

(Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/villageunderground/31120499091 | Photo Credit: @wfdmedia)

The Beginning In The South Of The River

Tom Misch was born in the South East of London. Having an artist as a mother and a psychiatrist as a father, he grew up in an environment that encouraged creativity and self-expression. By the age of 4, he decided to follow his father’s footsteps and learn how to play the violin, this becoming the first musical instrument he knew how to operate.

Growing up, his parents used to take him to a lot of classical concerts and the opera, which he tells in an interview to Idol Magazine that “I kind of always hated, but I think I stored some of it, I imagine.”

With 9 years old, Misch decides to pick up a guitar that his sister didn’t use anymore and give it a try. He falls in love with it, playing it until nowadays. Hearing carefully some of his work, we can detect the high appreciation Tom has for guitar sounds.

Some years later, he started to create his own sounds, inspired by John Mayer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, the producer J. Dilla and Erykah Badu. After mixing all these influences up together and experiencing with different styles and genres in music, he poured into Soundcloud some of his home-made tracks.

The almost Geography or History graduated, never had the intention to pursue a career in music, but as his work got soaring attention, more people started liking it and the prominent Berlin beatmaker Iamnobodi shared one of his tracks, he began taking it seriously.

He took some classes in Music Technology and studied Jazz Guitar for a year at Trinity College in Greenwich, before dropping out. In some interviews, he says that his passion for “jazz” is thanks to his sister’s ex-boyfriend who introduced him to this world.

And The River Goes Up...

The true turning point to his musical career was in 2014, with the release of Beat Tape 1. With clear hip-hop influences and 15 catchy tracks, the collection released on Soundcloud draw more attention to him, making radio stations and major tastemakers keep “an eye open” for his new work releases.

Beat Tape 2 was released a year later, in 2015. Made of 12 singles, and released under his own label Beyond The Groove, this record received high praises from critics and the public. Having his mother’s artwork as the cover of the album, Beat Tape 2 presents eclectic songs, from diverse music genres and featuring various artists doing the vocal work.

Unstoppable, in 2016 Misch already had new material ready for its growing fans: Reverie the EP. With 4 tracks: “Crazy Dream” (feat. Loyle Carner), “Follow”, “I Wish” and “Watch Me Dance”. This was the work that really put him on the map, earning him interviews and features at Radio Stations. Once again, he was in the good graces of his audience.

Tom has other two works that are worth being highlighted: one is his debut album Geography, that will be available to purchase on the 6^th April 2018. The other is his super interesting project called 5 Day Mischon, an EP with 5 tracks that were recorded in 5 days, on this one, once again he reunites with outstanding vocalists to produce great content (it’s hard to believe that something so good was done in so little time!)

Three curious facts about Tom are that:

1) Due to his passion for chords and beats, he started out as a producer, making only instrumental tracks. However, later on, in order to connect more with the fans and attract new ones, he decided to sing on his songs too (and what a voice he has! Am I right?);

2) He likes his hometown so much that he still lives there, and created a song about it called “South of The River” (which you listened to above);

3) He still makes his music in his bedroom, even though he has already played at important festivals such as Reading Festival (2017).

What I like most about Tom is that he is full of possibilities: he is an experimentalist, he doesn’t restrain himself to a specific type of music, he likes to create what pleases his ears. Of course that we can identify some patterns on his music, like strong guitar picks and the usage of many layers throughout one song, but those characteristics are exactly what makes things interesting: it means that he has a “signature” but at the same time isn’t limited by it. He always keeps his music fresh and new, creating new possibilities to our ears.

Tom is definitely one of those artists which we will hear much about in the nearby future.

To learn more about him, his current almost sold out UK&USA tour and much more, visit his website.

And to keep sailing with us and making these travels more yours, check out our Instagram (@themusicalexpedition), Facebook (The Musical Expedition) and contact us, below. See you all next week! Ahoy!

Here wrote the captain, A.

Over and Out.