loves secrets heartfelt declarations

February 14, 2013

Today is Valentine’s day. Lovely day. Going on tour in 4 days for 3 months.

I have an idea… as an intro for the coming performances I want to hear your voices: i want to give you a chance to speak, to voice something, anything that weighs heavy on your heart, fills up your soul, or means something important to you.

A thank you x, an I love you y, an I miss you z.

A you hurt me, an I hold your heart in my heart, anything.. You know?

Or, today, make a recording of a love note for your Valentine and send it to them and cc me :+)

If you feel me, make a simple audio recording of just your voice speaking from the bottom of your own heart. Don’t worry too much about it. First thought best thought.

Email it to Howtodresswellmusic@gmail.com

I can’t wait to hear your words and I CANNOT wait to c u on tour. Click shows above for dates and tix <3

& IT WAS U

December 22, 2012

favorite albums of 2012

December 8, 2012

oh! so much good music this year. crazy. it’s totally insane to even try to pick the ‘best’ records, but these r some lps i was listening to a lot and was inspired by over the course of this lovely year. some real jammers and some real weirdo sounds as well. r u into these ones too?

 

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

favorite albums of 2012

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

arca – stretch 1 & 2

brandy – two eleven

mount eerie – clear moon  (if i had to pick 1 ab favorite from 2012, this would be it)

maggi payne – ahh- ahh

dean blunt – the narcissist ii // dean blunt and inga copeland – black is beautiful

jeremih – late nights w jeremih

estasy – wild songs

akos rozmann – 12 stationer VI

future – pluto

antony and the johnsons – cut the world

supreme cuts – whispers in the dark

good music – cruel summer

death grips – no love deep web

kendrick lamar – good kid m.a.a.d. city

jason lescalleet – songs about nothing

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

 

thank you so much to everyone who copped Total Loss, who came out to the shows, who laughed and cried w me after concerts—- thank you to everyone who shared their time, hearts, and spirits w me this year. it continues to be such a complete fucking honor to be able to be with you.

 

yours, tom

Fall Tour Dates and Shirts

September 26, 2012

Bringing these shirts out on tour.  Come to a show and check them out. ♥

All Tickets are HERE

10/04/12 @ Great Hall- Toronto, ONT
10/05/12 @ Club Lambi- Montreal, QC
10/06/12 @ Eclectic House- Middleton, CT
10/07/12 @ Brighton Music Hall- Boston, MA
10/08/12 @ Santos- New York, NY
10/10/12 @ Johnny Brenda’s- Philadelphia, PA
10/11/12 @ Rock & Roll Hotel- Washington, DC
10/12/12 @ Soapbox- Wilmington, NC
10/14/12 @ The Bishop- Bloomington, IN
10/18/12 @ Charlatan- Gent, Belgium
10/19/12 @ AB Club- Brussels, Belgium
10/20/12 @ Paradiso- Amsterdam, NL
10/22/12 @ Inkonst- Malmo, Sweden
10/23/12 @ Bla- Oslo, Norway
10/24/12 @ Fargfabriken- Stockholm, Sweden
10/25/12 @ Pumpehuset (downstairs)- Copenhagen, Denmark
10/26/12 @ Train- Aarhus, Denmark
10/27/12 @ Turmzimmer- Hamburg, Germany
10/29/12 @ Bi Nuu- Berlin, Germany
10/30/12 @ Kranhalle- Munich, Germany
10/31/12 @ Sudpol | Musik Tanz Theater- Luzern, Switzerland
11/01/12 @ Pitchfork Festival- Paris, France
11/02/12 @ Twisted Pepper- Dublin, Ireland
11/03/12 @ Soup Kitchen- Manchester, UK
11/05/12 @ XOYO- London, UK
 11/25/12 @ Firebird- St. Louis, MO
11/26/12 @ Proud Larry’s- Oxford, MS
11/28/12 @ The Loft- Dallas, TX
12/01/12 @ Solar Culture- Tucson, AZ
12/02/12 @ Soda Bar- San Diego, CA
12/04/12 @ Echoplex- Los Angeles, CA
12/05/12 @ Rickshaw Stop- San Francisco, CA
12/07/12 @ Doug Fir Lounge- Portland, OR
12/08/12 @ Barboza- Seattle, WA
12/10/12 @ Biltmore Cabaret- Vancouver, BC
12/13/12 @ 7th Street Entry- Minneapolis, MN
12/14/12 @ Co-Prosperity Sphere- Chicago, IL

 

TOTAL LOSS out today!

September 18, 2012

Here’s a story from the Fader about TOTAL LOSS -

a piece of work that’s very dear to my heart

and I’m so happy to be able to share it with you today.

Get it from Acéphale if you’re in North America (iTunes).

Get it from Weird World if you’re anywhere else (iTunes).

TOTAL LOSS Album Stream

September 10, 2012

So much love to Wired and Guardian for premiering the album stream.

Let me know what you think? @howtodresswell

North America

Stream in full at WIRED.

Buy from ACEPHALE.

Rest of World

Stream in full at THE GUARDIAN.

Buy from WEIRD WORLD.

& It Was U

September 5, 2012

<3 & It Was U <3

 

new day, new song ! click the link above !!!

massive love to NPR for the world premiere!!!! love to all of you for the reposts, retweets, and, as always, your attentive ears and spirits !!!

 

also, shout out to josh clancy for the tour poster below— come out to the shows and say hi :+)

 

Fall 2012 Tour Dates + Again

August 16, 2012

Here’s the upcoming fall tour dates and a cover of Janet’s “Again” for you all.  It’s on a bonus 7″ for all pre-orders and you can get it from Acéphale in North America and Weird World in all other zones.

HOW TO DRESS WELL TOUR DATES
10/03/12 @ TBA- Grand Rapids, MI
10/04/12 @ Great Hall- Toronto, ONT
10/05/12 @ Club Lambi- Montreal, QC
10/06/12 @ Eclectic House- Middletown, CT
10/07/12 @ Brighton Music Hall- Boston, MA
10/08/12 @ Santos- New York, NY
10/10/12 @ Johnny Brenda’s- Philadelphia, PA
10/11/12 @ Rock & Roll Hotel- Washington, DC
10/18/12 @ Charlatan- Gent, Belgium
10/19/12 @ AB Club- Brussels, Belgium
10/20/12 @ Paradiso- Amsterdam, NL
10/22/12 @ Inkonst- Malmo, Sweden
10/23/12 @ Bla- Oslo, Norway
10/24/12 @ Fargfabriken- Stockholm, Sweden
10/25/12 @ Pumpehuset (downstairs)- Copenhagen, Denmark
10/26/12 @ Train- Aarhus, Denmark
10/27/12 @ Turmzimmer- Hamburg, Germany
10/29/12 @ Bi Nuu – Berlin, Germany
10/30/12 @ Kranhalle- Munich, Germany
10/31/12 @ Sudpol | Musik Tanz Theater- Luzern, Switzerland
11/02/12 @ Twisted Pepper- Dublin, Ireland
11/03/12 @ Soup Kitchen- Manchester, UK
11/05/12 @ XOYO- London, UK
West Coast dates coming soon!
<3 <3 <3

cold nites

July 17, 2012

love is a miracle. like, as far as i can tell, it almost shouldn’t be possible, but it transpires sort of in spite of the the world. ‘cold nites’ comes out of experiences i’ve had w respect to the will to preserve love across long distances, thru challenging times, amidst life’s changes— this will to love can give us the most beautiful stability and a sense of truly living, but can also lead us into totally spiritually rending compromises, split between worlds.

 

BANG BANG

wanted to share this with u as soon as possible so i got my friend nick to make this little ambient video thingy – i think it’s REALLY beautiful and i’m always so proud to work w him :+) love you nick


working on a music video for the song now v v v excited 
with an AMAZING director
more details soon
thank u and love you,
tom

2 things

July 17, 2012

i never really get hit in the heart by songs that tell me what’s going on and what to feel. i want to be shown something live and real, not told something. moved by an energetic affect (a deep experience, an ambiguous situation, an image of a moment of emotional intensity, a moment of true heart or peace or love or desperation) i set out to make my songs. and, for me at least (and i think this holds universally but i can’t be sure), often times these intense affects happen right at the edge of language: i don’t have words or a pre-set code to get a grip on these affects (this is after all what makes them feel intense!). and so in my songs i move back and forth between

a singing which is direct and pronounces words, which give me and the listener a certain foothold, some signifiers with which we are acquainted and with which we can begin to see in the dark


&


a singing which is impressionistic or expressive, tracing the contours of shapes which i do not yet know, and which i may never know. singing that feels out shapes, that makes its own shapes, and that isn’t a translation of affect but tries to be or produce affects— this might be impossible but i want to keep trying :+)

i want these two together, all the time. to sing my way towards affects which exceed language but do not exceed the power of the voice, it’s warbles and whispers, even its words.

what i want is a song that does this:

help us get nearer to affects in a sweet way, like how one approaches an injured animal in the wild, or the way one chases after the memory of a dream: by approaching carefully, quietly, on its terms. or how u try to approach emotions if you are being honest with yourself. ok ya.

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