Tom Schafer<

BIOGRAPHY

Tom’s history with music

Got my first acoustic guitar at 14 years old, electric guitar at 17, as mother’s gifts. Started playing around with music in my teens. Didn’t get serious until I got older. Took some classes at MCDD (Miami Dade Community College - Florida), classes such as Classical Guitar, Jazz Guitar, and Music Theory, Spent a lot f time listening records and copying music, I loved it! Experience came by playing and practicing in cover bands first in garage band and later around South Florida, such as Bayside, The Pub in Coral Gables, Pen Rods, Bars in Key East, Brickel Tavern.

So about 10 years ago I finally realized I need more. Sold my Electric Guitar, the P.A. System and bought an acoustic guitar and started to write and write. I have really worked on my original songwriting since them and I will always be working on this craft. So here we are, the journey never ends.

Biography

I was born in Manhattan, New York, June 16, 1964. I was named Thomas Schafer after my father. Moved to Miami, FL with my parents when I was 4 years old and later had a brother and sister. I lived in Miami Beach most of my years and went to Miami Beach Senior High School and Miami Dade Community College. That was then…

Now… I am a father of two, have a son and a daughter, and married to a Brazilian rose. I do the best to raise a family and make the most honest heartfelt music I can create. In my younger years, while doing cover music, on the back of my mind I have always wanted to write music indirectly, but I didn’t know it how, I guess too much distractions. I believe that those distractions were “Things” that one must go through, to finally mature and start to create. Those creations are nothing more than projections of my own soul. I guess music was and it is that vehicle.

So after deciding between getting down to business of forget about it all, I crafted my first CD, which is named “CRADLE”.

CRADLE is my “getting down to business”. There is a lot of truth, faith, beautiful moments, and dedicated songs for my daughter, my son, my wife and mom. There r anger, depression, love and relief, The CRADLE is pure joy of making theses songs come to life.

Recording and difficulties

Recording took a long time because the songwriting took a long time. I write and rewrite until I finally fell good about an idea. Them I take that idea, image and go with it till that felling of the song is right.

Once I am in the studio, I try to get to the first takes and as a result there are flaws in my playing, but this is how I like it, that certain mood for each song instead of perfection.

The sound of the CD was supposed to make the guitar and voice bigger than their really are and with Julio Lopes (Recording Engineer) help, we came damn close. I have always wanted it to sound like I was playing in a big hall! I feel very proud of this CD. Hopefully the folks out there will give a listen.

Influences

Springsteen, SRV, Santana, Stax Sound, Allman Brothers, All the Blues Artists, Mr. John Coltrane, Marvin Gaye, Rockabilly Cats from the 50’s. Dylan and the list goes on and on, really so many more.

Styles

My style is mostly rooted in Blues, Folk and Rock. Anything that is heartfelt!