Tom Waits Recent News

Tom Waits On-Sale Information

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:05:00 -0700

"GLITTER AND DOOM" THE TOM WAITS TOUR:

HITTING CITIES HE'S RARELY OR NEVER PLAYED IN HIS FOUR DECADE CAREER, BEGINNING JUNE 17 IN PHOENIX, ENDING IN ATLANTA ON JULY 5

Eccentric musical shaman and rara avis TOM WAITS has decided to take his show to some of the summer's hottest regions. The Grammy-winning artist will begin his "Glitter and Doom" tour in Phoenix at the Orpheum Theatre on June 17 and finish in Atlanta on July 5 at the Fox Theatre. Tickets for his previous "Orphans" tour in 2006 sold out in minutes.

When questioned about the summer inferno choice, Waits responded, "We're going to the deep south where they still love a man who wears red pants and they make him feel welcome."

Waits will be touring with longtime musical ally Larry Taylor (bass), Omar Torrez (guitar), Patrick Warren (keyboards), Casey Waits (drums and percussion) and as yet named reed player; performing hollers, mambos and rhumbas.

Of his last tour, critics were unanimous: The Chicago Tribune, "After two hours, Waits' reprised 'Time,' a beautiful song, even in a land where it's raining hammers and nails. Waits' voice sounded like that hard rain. Even at its most tender, it was a gruff, unrelenting force of nature." The Flint Journal (MI), "Waits took the eager capacity crowd on a journey of Wagnerian proportions... I hope we don't have to wait another 19 years to sip from that cup again." The Tennessean, "(Ryman Auditorium) Even back in the ancient, pre-country days when the holy structure was an actual church, it's hard to imagine a more passionate sermonizer gracing the boards than Waits."

Anti Records recently launched tomwaits.com with the release of the press conference clip for the "Glitter and Doom" tour. The site will have all tour info, news, photos and updates with a detailed explanation of the ticket policy. Waits' press conference is currently the #1 featured video on YouTube.com with over 90,000 views in less than 72 hours.

As on his last tour, Waits' U.S. booking agent and longtime tour director, Stuart Ross, has spent a great deal of effort to fight ticket scalpers. Along with Ticketmaster, he has worked out a plan he believes will make sure every fan pays face value (plus normal service and handling fees) for the tickets purchased for the "Glitter and Doom" tour.

Tickets for all markets are due to go on sale Friday, May 16th. Check local venues and Ticketmaster for specific start times. Tickets will be available via the internet and by phone.

In other Waits news, unrelated to the tour, WAITS has finished filming The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, a romantic fantasy adventure starring Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Jude Law, Vern Troyer and Lily Cole with renowned director Terry Gilliam (Time Bandits, Brazil, Twelve Monkeys, Brothers Grimm).

US tour dates are as follows:
DATE - CITY - VENUE - ON-SALE TIME
6/17 Phoenix, AZ - Orpheum - NOON Pacific
6/18 Phoenix, AZ - Orpheum - NOON Pacific
6/20 El Paso, TX - Plaza Theatre - 1pm Mountain
6/22 Houston, TX - Jones Hall - 10am Central
6/23 Dallas, TX - Palladium - 11am Central
6/25 Tulsa, OK - Brady Theatre - Noon Central
6/26 St. Louis, MO - Fox Theatre - 10am Central
6/28 Columbus, OH - Ohio Theatre - 10am Eastern
6/29 Knoxville, TN - Civic Auditorium - 9am Eastern
7/01 Jacksonville, FL - Times Union Center Moran Theater - 10am Eastern
7/02 Mobile, AL - Saenger Theatre - 10am Central
7/03 Birmingham, AL - Alabama Theatre - 11am Central
7/05 Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre - 10am Eastern
European dates to be announced shortly.

Check out www.tomwaits.com for all the latest info.

Tom Waits Press Conference video has been posted at tomwaits.com

Mon, 05 May 2008 00:05:00 -0700

Tom has just one word for you to know about his upcoming Glitter and Doom summer tour: “PEHDTSCHJMBA.”

Click here for more information

Tom Waits Press Conference announcement

Fri, 02 May 2008 00:05:00 -0700

Tune in and view highlights from the press conference held by musician and iconoclast Tom Waits on Monday, May 5 at www.tomwaits.com beginning at 9am EST.

TOM WAITS PERFORMED 4 SONGS AT BENEFIT FOR BET TZEDEK

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:01:00 -0800

LEGAL SERVICES-THE HOUSE OF JUSTICE-
JANUARY 22 IN LOS ANGELES
EVENT RAISED NEARLY $2.3 MILLION

In a rare Los Angels appearance, TOM WAITS performed four songs last week at the 20th Annual Gala for Bet Tzedek Legal Services. Waits entertained the crowd of 1,325 with songs including "Come On Up To The House" and "On The Nickel," along with trademark tall tales and dubious facts. The evening helped the esteemed poverty law firm to raise nearly $2.3 million.

This prestigious event honored attorney Kevin Marks with the Luis Lainer Founder's Award, O'Melveny & Meyers LLP with the Rose L. Schiff Commitment to Justice Award and Anna Burns with the Jack H. Skirball Community Justice Award. Waits became aware of this organization through his longtime attorney Kevin Marks.

Founded in 1974, Bet Tzedek Legal Services today is one of the nation's most respected poverty law firms, with a stated mission of ensuring "equal justice for all." Each year the organization serves more than 10,000 elderly, indigent and disabled Los Angeles-area residents of all racial and religious backgrounds with critical legal needs, who otherwise would be without access to representation. Clients are represented by a dedicated staff of 62 and more than 600 active volunteers, who last year committed 40,000-plus hours of service.

Bet Tzedek (which means "The House of Justice" in Hebrew) practices principally in the areas of elder law, housing law, employment rights, public benefits and Holocaust reparations. The organization serves clients from its headquarters in the Fairfax district, at its second office in North Hollywood and at more than 30 senior centers throughout Los Angeles County.

TOM WAITS TO PERFORM 3 SONGS AT BENEFIT FOR BET TZEDEK LEGAL SERVICES-THE HOUSE OF JUSTICE-

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:12:00 -0800

TOUR PLANS?

Grammy Award winner and current nominee, TOM WAITS, will be making a rare Los Angeles appearance when he takes the stage to perform a few songs at a benefit for the Bet Tzedek Legal Services-House of Justice on January 22 at the Century Plaza Hotel. This prestigious event is honoring attorney Kevin Marks with the Luis Lainer Founderâ��s Award, Oâ��Melveny & Meyers LLP with the Rose L. Schiff Commitment to Justice Award and Anna Burns with the Jack H. Skirball Community Justice Award.

When asked of how he became aware of Bet Tzedek, Waits replied, "Kevin Marks is a longtime friend and ally. A champion of artist and human rights. He has pulled my goyim tuchas out of many a fire."

Founded in 1974, Bet Tzedek Legal Services today is one of the nationâ��s most respected poverty law firms, with a stated mission of ensuring "equal justice for all." Each year the organization serves more than 10,000 elderly, indigent and disabled Los Angeles-area residents of all racial and religious backgrounds with critical legal needs, who otherwise would be without access to representation. Clients are represented by a dedicated staff of 62 and more than 600 active volunteers, who last year committed 40,000-plus hours of service.

Bet Tzedek (which means "The House of Justice" in Hebrew) practices principally in the areas of elder law, housing law, employment rights, public benefits and Holocaust reparations. The organization serves clients from its headquarters in the Fairfax district, at its second office in North Hollywood and at more than 30 senior centers throughout Los Angeles County.

Tom Waits, who seldom tours, last performed in LA at a benefit for Music Cares in 2006. Will this upcoming date sway him to get back on the road? Waits responded, "Somehow we return like the salmon to perform in important towns like Nimrod, Minnesota; Square Butt, Montana; Peculiar, Missouri; or Diagonal, Iowa. We just may be coming to a theatre near you."

Tickets for the benefit are $400 and may be purchased at www.bettzedek.org. Cocktails are at 9:30pm and dinner at 6:45pm.

TOM WAITS RECEIVES GRAMMY NOMINATION

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:12:00 -0800

Two-time Grammy winner TOM WAITS has earned his seventh nomination for his critically acclaimed 3-CD set ORPHANS: BRAWLERS, BAWLERS AND BASTARDS in the Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album category.

Upon its release ORPHANS received tall praise from a wide vista of media outlets across the board (and oceans). Highlights include Rolling Stone: “a definitive album,” Mojo: “Masterpiece isn’t the right word for such a profusion of profound delights” and The Boston Globe: “…some of the best and most vital work of Waits’ long career.” Waits also received accolades from The Los Angeles Times: “a fulfillment of the ideal Waits,” Pitchfork.com: “…another layer of invulnerability to the already untouchable critical status of Tom Waits,” Village Voice: “Tom Waits…remains our preeminent iconoclast,” as well as CBS This Morning: “…in the first rank of American songwriters,” just to cite a select few.

WAITS won his first Grammy in 1992 for Best Alternative Music Album for Bone Machine and another in 1999 for Best Contemporary Folk Album for Mule Variations—his first CD on Anti- Records. ORPHANS marks his fifth release for the pioneering indie label.

In February, WAITS will start filming The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, a romantic fantasy adventure starring Christopher Plummer and Heath Ledger with renowned director Terry Gilliam (Time Bandits, Brazil, Twelve Monkeys).

When asked if he might be touring in 2008, WAITS replied, “I keep hearing rumors…”

New Tom Waits MP3 for "Bottom Of The World" is now up!

Fri, 22 Sep 2006 00:09:00 -0700

We have just posted the first MP3 from the new Tom Waits three-disc set, Orphans. It's for the song "Bottom Of The World" and this track is from disc one of the set that is titled, Brawlers.

Hit the link below and enjoy!

Tom Waits - "Bottom Of The World" MP3

Tom Waits gives the world Orphans!

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 00:08:00 -0700

Published by www.pitchforkmedia.com 08/18/06:

What do Tom Waits fans have in common with Daddy Warbucks? Both love to bring home orphans! Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards, a three-CD set of new and rare Waits material is due out November 21 on Anti.

The 54-track release includes a 94-page booklet and over three hours of music, ranging from waltzes to blues and Celtic ballads to lullabies. According to Waits, "Orphans [contains] rough and tender tunes. Rumbas about mermaids, shuffles about train wrecks, tarantellas about insects, madrigals about drowning. Scared, mean, orphaned songs of rapture and melancholy. Songs that grew up hard. Songs of dubious origin rescued from cruel fate and now left wanting only to be cared for. Show that you are not afraid and take them home. They don't bite, they just need attention."

(Hmm, perhaps Waits thought similar things about the fish he stuck down his pants in that memorable episode of Fishing With John?)

A number of tracks on Orphans were originally recorded for film and theatre, and some are reworkings of songs by other artists, including the Ramones, Daniel Johnston, Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, Leadbelly, Jack Kerouac, and Charles Bukowski. Waits produced the epic album along with his wife and long-time collaborator Kathleen Brennan.

www.pitchforkmedia.com

Akron live review

Thu, 17 Aug 2006 00:08:00 -0700

Akron prizes golden ticket to rare show
By David Giffels

One of the things I like about Akron is that we don't take our privileges for granted. We are good children when invited to fortune's table.

So the lobby conversations preceding Tom Waits' Akron Civic Theatre concert Sunday evening generally began with statements of surprise and gratitude that the revered American songwriter had chosen Akron for one of his rare and fabled shows, and how lucky each of us was to have scored a ticket.

A Tom Waits show is not simply a concert. It is an event celebrating a particular kind of cult figure. Waits (recently ranked No. 4 on Paste magazine's listof the 100 best living songwriters) might not be able to fill Quicken Loans Arena, but he will always be able to draw people from all over the country, willing to pay any price to see him. When he feels like playing, that is. Which isn't all that often.

So in the lobby Sunday, there were wide-eyed tales of pounding away at the Ticketmaster Web site on the morning that tickets went on sale, and suddenly being transported into a Wonka-like fourth dimension.

The golden ticket!

There was a realization that virtually all of the 2,500 in attendance had obtained this privilege within seconds of one another -- the show sold out in 10 minutes -- and that people had come from all over the country for this, one of only eight concerts on this tour.

A pair of $65 tickets for Sunday's concert sold for $911 on eBay, after drawing 49 bids.

We met fans who'd flown in from Las Vegas. We learned that Square Records in Highland Square was overrun with out-of-town record hounds killing time Sunday afternoon before the doors opened. We encountered strangers who had no idea such a glorious place as the Akron Civic Theatre existed -- or even Akron, for that matter.

``It's gaudy,'' I overheard someone say as he took in the ornate interior, ``but it works.''

So it was an event, and it was an event within an event.

There is a Tom Waits ``type,'' a sort of carefully outfitted midcareer beatnik drawn to the gravelly, cinematic, bordello-troubadour character Waits embodies. (There haven't been this many porkpie hats in downtown Akron since the Hatterie up and moved.)

And so, for us natives who commiserated in the lobby, the question was inevitable: Why Akron?

We do this. It's our nature.

When people say they chose Akron of their own free will, especially for such a special event, we stop to ask why.

I had speculated about this myself in the weeks since I scored my golden ticket and had come up with a pretty decent body of evidence. For years, one of Waits' main sidemen was horn player Ralph Carney, who grew up here and began his career playing with Akron New Wave oddballs Tin Huey. And Waits has a long association with Jim Jarmusch, the iconoclastic Akron-born filmmaker. (Both artists wear their Akron-ness with pride.)

He also worked with the late Robert Quine, a relentlessly inventive guitarist and yet another Akron native.

But those are literal connections. I like to believe Waits chose Akron for stylistic reasons, the very same reasons that prompt this question in the first place. The idea that it is a place with shaky confidence, gritty and beat-down, but doggedly optimistic. These could well be the adjectives describing a character in one of Waits' songs.

But just to keep us honest, we learned last week that Waits had added a surprise midnight show in Cleveland on Sunday. So even as we reveled in our privilege, we could not avoid the realization that he was gracing us with his presence while a limousine idled at the backstage door, ready to whisk our hero out of town before his boot heels had cooled.

We realized that Cleveland, once again, would manage to stick its fingers into our cake.

And, yeah, it seems as though Tom Waits understood us so well that he chose us on purpose just so he could write that bittersweet ending.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Live Review

Thu, 17 Aug 2006 00:08:00 -0700

Tom Waits looks like a scarecrow and sings like a monster. He growls and howls, he whispers, he wheezes like a muted trumpet.

Needless to say, his voice isn�t for everyone. But its grainy texture and peculiar expressiveness, along with Waits� mysterious persona and nourish songwriting, have made this avant-garde crooner one of popular music�s most adored cult figures.

Enough people know and care about Tom Waits that his tour-opening show Tuesday night at the Tabernacle sold out in less than half an hour. He has no new record to promote, which hardly mattered. Waits rarely tours � this was his first Atlanta performance in about 30 years � and you never know when the 56-year-old artist is going to hang up his performing career and devote his life to some marginal pursuit, like junk collecting or knife throwing.

And so the Tabernacle was clogged with hard-core fans. The hard-core Waits fan demographic seems to be hipster adults � in the audience was everyone from Criminal Records boss Eric Levin to Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers.

The show lasted almost two hours and covered a huge range of material. Waits played with a crack band that included his son, Casey, on the drums and bluesman Duke Robillard on guitar. The prevailing sound was a minimal, almost tribal of the show standing on a riser at center stage, where he strangled his microphone and stomped to the downbeat. He played some guitar on �Blue Valentines� and did a mini-set on piano (accompanied by Larry Taylor on upright bass), but for most of the show, his voice was his only instrument.

A typical Waits song is rich in detail and haunting in delivery � over the course of Tuesday�s show, his songs mentioned a mule and a pile of dead leaves and a murder on a farm. There was also a barn you�re not supposed to enter. And a chest of drawers in the �House Where Nobody Lives.�

Waits performed �9th and Hennepin,� about a place where people behave like dogs and �all the doughnuts have names like prostitutes.� The song was inspired, Waits swore to the audience, by a night he got caught between two fighting 11-year-old pimps who threw utensils because �they couldn�t afford firearms.�