Lo Tom

Lo Tom in May 2016 (via David Bazan's Instagram)

TW Walsh

Trey Many

**Lo Tom** is a collaborative project involving Jason Martin, David Bazan, TW Walsh, and Trey Many.

To date, the band has released two full-length records and played five shows.

## Discography

* *Lo Tom* (2017)
* LP2 (2020)

## History

### Pre-Lo Tom

Previous to Lo Tom, All of the members of the band had worked together on projects in some way:

#### Martin and Bazan

* "**Broken Arm**" - released on the *Ghosts of the Future* 7" series. Elements from "Broken Arm" were used in two David Bazan songs:
	+ "**Lost My Shape** " - released on *Curse Your Branches* (2009). Lyrics adapted from "Broken Arm" and set to new music by Bazan
	+ "**Messes** " - released on *Strange Negotiations* (2011). Music adapted from "Broken Arm" - credited as "music by Jason Martin, words by David Bazan"
* "**Eating Paper**" - released on *Strange Negotiations* (2011). Credited as "music by Jason Martin, words by David Bazan"

#### Martin and Walsh

* Walsh mastered *IAMACEO* and "Like a Baby", and played additional guitar on *IAMACEO*.

#### Martin and Many

* Many has been a member of Starflyer 59 since *My Island.*
* Martin and Many also worked together on White Lighter.

#### Bazan and Walsh

* Walsh was a member of Pedro the Lion, as a player on the band's 2000 tour and as a full member from 2003 until their dissolution in 2006.
* The two worked together on the Headphones project with Frank Lenz.
* Bazan and Walsh have consistently contributed to each others' solo work post-Pedro the Lion.

#### Bazan and Many

* Many was a drummer for Pedro the Lion, playing on Pedro the Lion's *Progress* EP and touring with the group in 2000.
* Bazan played keys for Many's band Velour 100 while they were on tour with Pedro the Lion.

### LP1 era

Although the members of Lo Tom have all each known and worked with each other for at least 15 years, The idea for a collaboration came shortly after the recording of *IAMACEO*, which features contributions from Walsh. The four members started a text thread which eventually resulted in plans to create music together. The band traded demos for song ideas and eventually convened in southern California over two separate weekends in 2014 and 2016 to record the music for what would become *Lo Tom**.*

During this time, members of the band spoke publicly about the possibility of collaboration, including tentative names for the collaboration, which included Beach Bomber, Bomb Beach, and Broken Arm. Photos from the recording sessions were posted online and the band established a mysterious social media presence.

The band finally confirmed its existence and released their first single, "Overboard" on May 11, 2017. Lo Tom announced a five-show tour on May 16, with shows near each member's home city as well as Los Angeles and New York City:

* 08/11 Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
* 08/12 Brooklyn, NY – Rough Trade
* 08/17 Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room
* 08/18 Los Angeles, CA – Bootleg Theater
* 08/19 Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern

The band played an in-studio session for Seattle radio station KEXP on August 19th. The performance was filmed and can be viewed on YouTube.

### LP2 era

On March 30, 2019, Bazan posted a picture of a drum kit with the Lo Tom logo setup in a studio, leading to speculation that recording of the second album is underway.

On August 10, 2020, Lo Tom announced the second album had been recorded, in conjunction with the launch of a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for production and manufacturing costs associated with the album.

*LP2* was officially released September 11, 2020, following the completion of a successful Kickstarter campaign.

## References

1. ↑ Members of Pedro the Lion, Starflyer 59, & His Name is Alive on New Project Lo Tom « Bandcamp Daily
2. ↑ Lo Tom - Full Performance (Live on KEXP) - YouTube
3. ↑ Beach Bomber - Starflyer 59 - Starflyer 59 Fans
4. ↑ @davidbazan on Instagram: "wut the"
5. ↑ Lo Tom on Twitter: "The record's done."
6. ↑ Paste Magazine - "Exclusive: Hear Lo Tom's Expertly Crafted Debut, 'Overboard'"
7. ↑ Brooklyn Vegan: David Bazan’s new band Lo Tom announce first-ever tour
8. ↑ David Bazan on Twitter
9. ↑ LP2 by Lo Tom — Kickstarter