Thomas Hagström Freund (born August 28, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Freund's music consists of elements of

folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...

americana Americana may refer to: *Americana music, a genre or style of American music * Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1981 film), an American drama film * ''Americana'' (20 ...

and

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

. Freund met

Ben Harper Benjamin Charles Harper (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae, and rock music, and he is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, liv ...

when he was attending

Pitzer College Pitzer College is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was founded in 1963 as a women's college in the Claremont Colleges consortium and became coeducational in 1970. Pitzer enrolls approximately 1000 students. Pitzer off ...

Claremont Claremont may refer to: Places Australia *Claremont, Ipswich, a heritage-listed house in Queensland * Claremont, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart * Claremont, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth * Town of Claremont, Perth * Claremont Airbase, an ...

, California. In 1992 the duo released an album, ''Pleasure and Pain''. Not long after, he joined the alternative country group

The Silos The Silos is an American rock band formed by Walter Salas-Humara and Bob Rupe in New York City, United States in 1985. History Prior to starting the Silos, Salas-Humara had been a member of The Vulgar Boatmen, and Bob Rupe was in Florida band ...

as their bassist, and moved to

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

. He released his debut solo album, ''North American Long Weekend'', in 1998 and has released albums on his own Surf Road Records since 2000. While releasing his own music, Tom has also contributed to albums by artists including

Graham Parker Graham Thomas Parker (born 18 November 1950) is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead singer of the British band Graham Parker & the Rumour. Life and career Early career (1960s–1976) Parker was born in Hackney, East L ...

Mandy Moore Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her 1999 debut single "Candy (Mandy Moore song), Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot ...

, and

Josh Kelley Joshua Bishop Kelley (born January 30, 1980) is an American musician and singer-songwriter. Kelley has recorded for Hollywood Records, Threshold Records and DNK Records as a pop rock artist. His songs "Amazing" and "Only You" reached the top t ...

. Some of his work, including "Copper Moon", appeared on the TV program '' One Tree Hill'', while other songs have appeared on

Dawson's Creek ''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college. It aired from January 20, 19 ...

and Parenthood.

Early life

Tom attended

Horace Mann School Horace Mann School (also known as Horace Mann or HM) is an American private, independent college-preparatory school in the Bronx, founded in 1887. Horace Mann is a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League, educating students from the New Yo ...

Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, often referred to simply as LaGuardia or "LaG", is a public High school (North America), high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, near Lincoln ...

and

Greenwich High School Greenwich High School is a four-year public high school in Greenwich, Connecticut, United States. The school is part of the Greenwich Public Schools system and serves roughly 2,700 students. It offers over 295 courses and a wide variety of co-cu ...

. During high school, Tom was a member of the jazz ensemble as an upright bass player. He was also a member of the prestigious Tri-State McDonald's High School Jazz Ensemble, which landed him an audition with

Elizabeth Swados Elizabeth Swados (February 5, 1951 – January 5, 2016) was an American writer, composer, musician, choreographer, and theatre director. Swados received Tony Award nominations for Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Book of a Music ...

. Swados was impressed by his musical talents and cast Tom in her 1987 production of ''Swing'' as a part of the Next Wave festival at BAM. In the production, Tom played guitar, upright bass and sang both a solo number and as a member of the ensemble. After graduating high school, Freund immediately became involved in the Off Broadway theater scene while taking classes at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. During this time, Tom was also playing clubs in New York City and doing some TV music work. In 1991, Tom enrolled at

. Through a mutual friend, Freund met

. The two formed a duo and in 1992 released a record on Cardas Records entitled ''Pleasure and Pain''.

Career

The limited-release of ''Pleasure And Pain'' in 1992 helped launch both Freund and Harper's careers. Harper signed a record deal with

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...

while Freund spent several years playing bass with acclaimed roots-rock band

. In 1998, Freund released his solo debut, ''North American Long Weekend'', on the Mercury subsidiary Red Ant Records. The record received an avalanche of critical accolades, most notably in

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

in which

Ann Powers Ann K. Powers (born February 4, 1964) is an American writer and popular music critic. She is a music critic for NPR and a contributor at the ''Los Angeles Times'', where she was previously chief pop critic. She has also written for other publicat ...

called it an "unexpected gem" and ranked it #3 in her year-end best-of poll. Following the release of ''North American Long Weekend'', Freund alternated between recording and touring behind his own discs, playing upright bass, electric bass guitar, and mandolin with the likes of British pub-rock great

and rising groove-soul sensation

Brett Dennen Brett Michael Dennen (born October 28, 1979) is an American folk/pop singer-songwriter from Central California. His seventh studio album, ''See the World'' was released in July 2021. Early life Dennen grew up in Central Valley, California in a s ...

. During this time, Freund became a favorite of

NPR's Weekend Edition ''Weekend Edition'' is a set of American radio news magazine programs produced and distributed by National Public Radio (NPR). It is the weekend counterpart to the NPR radio program ''Morning Edition''. It consists of ''Weekend Edition Saturday' ...

and performed live on

Morning Becomes Eclectic ''Morning Becomes Eclectic'' (MBE) is an American three-hour adult album alternative radio program first aired in 1977 and broadcast live every weekday from KCRW in Santa Monica, California. The show's name is a play on the Eugene O'Neill t ...

in 2000. In 2007, Freund released ''Hug Trees'', a children's record, "born out of a father finding himself composing songs for and with his daughter." The album consists of 11 tracks and featured collaborations with

Abra Moore Abra Moore (born June 8, 1969) is an American folk-styled rock singer-songwriter. Moore was a founding member of the Hawaiian rock band Poi Dog Pondering, but left to pursue a solo career after the group's move to Texas in the late 1980s. Her 19 ...

and

Victoria Williams Victoria Williams (born December 23, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter and musician, originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, although she has resided in Southern California throughout her musical career. Diagnosed with multi ...

. The record also contains an eco-friendly motif and encourages kids to go outside and enjoy nature. Freund found influence for the funky "Freezedance" in the work of

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

. In regards to the album, Freund said, "I've been writing and making music for a long time. Becoming a father just added a beautiful new layer to the whole experience for me. On ''Hug Trees'', my daughter Delilah is my co-producer, my audience, my muse. We created these songs together over the last couple of years. It was very natural to just go ahead and make a record." A summer tour with Ben Harper helped rekindle the old friends' collaborative spirits, which led to Harper getting involved as producer of ''Collapsible Plans'', Freund's fifth full-length album. The album, released in 2008, also featured piano and vocal contributions from

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American rock musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 30 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he had his ...

on two tracks. In regards to the record, Freund has commented, "I wanted to make a record for a long time that really felt like 'a time and a place,' the way records used to be made." The song "Collapsible Plans (Sugar)" was performed live on

Last Call With Carson Daly ''Last Call with Carson Daly'' is an American late-night television series that was broadcast by NBC from 2002 to 2019. Hosted by former MTV personality Carson Daly, the series was initially formatted as a late-night talk show in line with '' ...

in January 2009. In 2011, Tom released ''The Edge of Venice'' via Surf Road Records. The album was produced by

John Alagia John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

(who had previously worked with the likes of

John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but he left for Atlanta in 1997 with fellow guitarist Clay Cook, with whom he formed the short-liv ...

Jason Mraz Jason Thomas Mraz ( ; born June 23, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' (2002), which spawned the single "The Remedy (I Won't Wo ...

, and

Dave Matthews Band Dave Matthews Band (also known as DMB) is an American rock band from Charlottesville, Virginia. The band's lineup consists of Dave Matthews (lead vocals, guitar), Stefan Lessard (bass), Carter Beauford (drums), Tim Reynolds (lead guitar), R ...

) and featured nine new songs. ''The Edge of Venice'' was released in the wake of Freund's ''Fit To Screen'' EP, whose songs were featured on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

's Parenthood. In 2012, Freund appeared in

Judd Apatow Judd Apatow (; born December 6, 1967) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and comedian known for his work in comedy films. Apatow is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he wrote, produced, and directed his films ''The 4 ...

's film,

This Is 40 ''This Is 40'' is a 2012 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Judd Apatow and starring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann. A "sort-of sequel" to Apatow's film ''Knocked Up'', its plot centers on married couple Pete and Debbie, ...

. ''Two Moons'', Tom's seventh studio record, was released in June 2014. In producing and co-engineering the album, Freund drew upon folk, rock, jazz and other roots sources for an urbane Americana sound. The 11 track album includes collaborations with

and

Serena Ryder Serena Lauren Ryder (born December 8, 1982) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Born in Toronto, she grew up in Millbrook, Ontario. Ryder first gained national recognition with her ballad "Weak in the Knees" in 2007 and has released eight studio ...

.The record was successfully funded through a

PledgeMusic PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects, such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist pa ...

campaign. Although admitting to having some trepidations about going the crowd-sourcing route, Freund wound up a believer. "I'm very endeared by the Pledge experience," he confesses. "It showed me that people wanted to engage in it. That was moving for me and got me excited." To promote his album "Two Moons" Tom Freund toured in October and November 2014 in Europe as solo headliner (Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Czech Republic and The Netherlands) and then subsequently opened for Brett Dennen in London, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Madrid In 2015 Tom Freund opened three dates in the UK (London, Manchester, Birmingham) for Ben Harper.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Pleasure and Pain'' (as Ben Harper and Tom Freund) (1992, Cardas) * ''North American Long Weekend'' (1998, Red Ant) * ''Sympatico'' (1999, Freund) * ''Copper Moon'' (2004, Surf Road) * ''Hug Trees'' (as Tom Freund and His Friends) (2007, Tom Freund) * ''Collapsible Plans'' (2008, Surf Road) * ''The Edge of Venice'' (2011, Surf Road) * ''Two Moons'' (2014, Surf Road)

EPs

* ''L.A. Fundamentalist Music'' (2000, Surf Road) * ''Sweet Affection'' (2005, Surf Road) * ''Xmas in Texas'' (2008, Surf Road) * ''Fit To Screen'' (2009, Surf Road)

Live albums

* ''Stronghold Tapes: Live In Venica, CA'' (2013, Surf Road)

Compilation appearances

* ''A Fair Forgery of Pink Floyd'' (2003, Stanley) (song: " Fearless") * ''I. C. Independent Celebration, Vol. 1'' (2015, Birdstone Records) (songs: "Collapsible Plans (Sugar)" and "Summer Of '92")

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Freund, Tom American male singer-songwriters American rock songwriters American rock singers American rock guitarists American male guitarists Living people Pitzer College alumni 1968 births 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians The Silos members Greenwich High School alumni Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni Horace Mann School alumni Singer-songwriters from New York (state)