Artist description Tom's House features tight three part harmonies and an energetic pop beat.This New Orleans band in their first year sold out the House of Blues at their three headlining appearances, appeared at The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and has been called one of the top bands to watch by OFFBEAT Music Magazine, which compared them to The Byrds and Gin Blossoms.

Music Style 3 part vocal harmonies, strong keyboards and guitar, solid bass and drums

Musical Influences U2, Beatles, Outfield

Similar Artists Sister Hazel, Gin Blossoms, The Byrds, Crosby Stills and Nash, Fuel

Artist History Members of the band previously extensively toured The Southeastern College Circuit as the popular cover band Black Diamond. Their first CD, Hey World, is currently in its third run, and has recieved regular airplay around the country on AAA radio.Tom's House has recently released their second CD "re.wired".

Group Members Joey Mangiapane, Billy Gaudin, Mark Hebert and Dave LeBlanc

Instruments keyboards, Guitar, Bass, Drums

Albums "Hey World", "re.wired"

Press Reviews Tom's House - The Ones to Watch - Where Y'at Magazine, September 1999 by Tom Loughran. The first time I listened local pop band Tom's House's debut CD Hey World, I wasn't prepared for what I heard. Upbeat guitar pop with tight, three-part harmonies and oodles of hooks, Tom's House sounded less like an unsigned band and more like the real deal. That they recorded Hey World at a local studio (with Mark Miller of Deadeye Dick producing) and pressed the CDs themselves was even more impressive. It's no wonder they've garnered a strong enough local fan base to sell out the House of Blues not once but three times. So who are they and what's their secret? A short answer to both questions would be Black Diamond. No, not the Kiss song of the desperation of street life, but the name of an earlier incarnation of Tom's House. With two more members than Tom's House, Black Diamond cut its teeth playing covers on the southern college circuit. After five years, however, Black Diamond called it a day. Four members wanted to move on to writing original songs and the other two just moved on. The four remaining members of Black Diamond, singer/keyboardist Billy Gaudin, guitarist Dave LeBlanc, bassist Joey Mangiapane, and drummer Mark Herbert set out to find a lead singer. After a year and a half of fruitless searching, the band ended up finding themselves, instead, singing the three-part harmonies that are at the core of their sound. A three song demo (recorded at Tom's house, hence the name) got them their debut gig at the House of Blues on November 26, 1997. Since then, they've gone on to play nearly 150 shows, opening upfor Cowboy Mouth, Aaron Neville, Sister Hazel, Better Than Ezra, and the Smithereens. Along the way they've garnered plenty of good press, for their music as well as their looks. Impact magazine put them on the cover with the headline: "Can straight guys really be this hot? "Another writer proclaimed Tom's House "the new heart-throbs ofthe local alternative pop scene, complete with photogenic jawlines and dimpled smiles." While my affection doesn't run that deep, I will say that they exude a healthy, upbeat attitude and usually look like they've showered in the last 24 hours, something not every local band can claim. Tom's House is currently in the studio working on their second album with Cowboy Mouth's Fred LeBlanc producing. Their debut CD is in it's third pressing, a remarkable feat for an unsigned band. The way things are looking, however, Tom's House won't be unsigned for very long. - MTV Review Come On Over to TOM'S HOUSE - There are two things you can say about a group who, after writing songs for only two months and recording a five-song demo tape, gets a show at the House of Blues. Either these guys are extremely lucky or really talented and hardworking. In the case of TOM'S HOUSE, it's a little bit of column A and a little of column B. I had seen posters for the band up around New Orleans for about a year, but never really thought too much about seeing them. In fact, I was pretty turned off by the thought. I had the misconception, as it seems most people do, that local bands are local because they aren't very good, that most of them suck and just cover up their lack of talent with a lot of noise. Ah, but then I took a walk around Loyola's campus in early fall, and heard something I was really not expecting: a three-part harmony. So I walked over to the stage and saw TOM'S HOUSE playing. I was impressed. Not only were these guys singing very well, but they were playing some really tight music, and doing it well. Damn,I thought, I hate being wrong. So I got a copy ofthe band's debut CD, Hey World, and after a really drawn-out game of phone tag, scored an interview. I gave the CD a couple listens before I sat down with the band; it's always good form to do so, but I'm really glad I didn't listen as intently as I have since; otherwise, I would have been really intimidated. Not only are these guys good musicians, but their lyrics are incredible, which always impresses me. But the band has duly paid for whatever talent they possess. I conducted my interview with Billy Gaudin, the keyboardist, and Joey Mangiapane, the bass player, in their warehouse in the Quarter. Romantic as that sounds, the place is no pleasure dome. There is no heat or air conditioning, but without fail, the boys practice at least three hours a day. (The band's drummer, Mark Herbert, and guitarist Dave LeBlan ccouldn't make the interview because they were so sick from the group's hectic routine.) But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before we can talk more about TOM'S HOUSE, the band's former incarnation, BLACK DIAMOND, has to be mentioned. BLACK DIAMOND was the four guys who make up TOM'S HOUSE, plus two more guitarists/vocalists. The group began seven years ago as a college cover band and was very successful. They played frat parties and Spring Break shows at Panama City. But then, about two years ago, the two other guitarists picked up and got married. So the four members left searched long and hard for a new frontman, or woman. Several came and went, and slowly took away the band's confidence that they could find someone who wouldn't drive them nuts. Things were looking bleak. Not only were they sans singer, but they realized that they could only take this music career so far as a cover band. So, one afternoon while sitting around at a friend's place, Gaudin and Mangiapane started singing. One laid down a part and the other added his own, and just like that they had a harmony. Then in walked Hebert to add the finishing touch with his tenor voice. Just about this time, they realized that the band didn't need a new singer; it already had three. And it didn't have to be a cover band; songs could be written. Incidentally, the name of the guy who owned the house where all this happened was Tom. In the two years the band has been together as TOM'S HOUSE, they played the aforementioned House of Blues show two months after beginning to write, and have sold the place out twice. They have performed all over Louisiana and are slowly spreading out. In Atlanta and Washington D.C., the band opened up for COWBOY MOUTH. The boys have graced the cover of countless magazines and local artist reviews. But this isn't only because of, as one writer put it, their "photogenic jaw lines. "TOM'S HOUSE" is a really dynamic band. Not too many groups have tried three-part harmonies since CROSBY, STILLS, AND NASH or the EAGLES, except for real musical cavaliers like BEN FOLDS FIVE. And the band has not forgotten its musical roots in the '80s. They take '80s pop, with its happy songs and keyboards, and make it sound good. Their CD Hey World is something to behold."Maybe" is probably the most single-worthy track. The song switches between the sounds of a really percussive musical track and the contrasting smooth vocals that take the song in a completely new direction. The attitude and tone of the lyrics remind me of OASIS -- very self-confident and vibrantly alive. "Sleepy Man" is the crowd favorite. With lyrics like "Sleepy man is going to wake the world today/ He slept for far too long," it's not hard to see why. The band deals with the malaise that comes with being twenty-something, and comes up with some very interesting and life-affirming ideas. But the album is good as an album because of the little details. The piano on "Again" really fills the track, and makes the song one of the jewels of Hey World. The last song, "Nickelless," adds acoustic guitar, harmonies, and hand-clapping to make a really full, rich sound. Even with their musical talent, the main commodity these boys have is their potential. They've been playing together for seven years, but it's only now that they are really learning about music and what each other can do. "Don't get me wrong," says Mangiapane, "we really like the CD, but we can see what we can do better." I asked Mangiapane what he would really like the world to know about TOM'S HOUSE: "This didn't come about just out of luck, we've worked for this." While most twenty-seven-year olds are having babies and working at steady jobs, the members of TOM'S HOUSE are playing music. It's a risky business and they realize it. Seven years together have given these guys the smarts to realize what they can and cannot do. It has definitely not been the easiest road to follow, but the obstacles Mark, Billy, Joey, and Dave have overcome give them self-confidence but also make them down-to-earth. I think some words from "Sleepy Man" say it best, "I wanna write my name in the books/ I wanna carve my name in the stones, And when the stones begin to crumble/ Let then crumble and see if I care." Yeah, fellas -- hell, yeah. -- Diego Lara MTV College Stringerfeedlocal@mtvmail.com(November 16, 1998)

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Location New Orleans, LA - USA

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