Singer/Songwriter Tom McCormack stops in Durham on nationwide tourSome questions just don't go away. Singer/songwriter Tom McCormack had a good, challenging job producing HBO and other major cable television programs, but one question kept nagging him. Every day, after a long day of work, a little voice at the back of his head would ask, "You know what you want to do, why aren't you doing it?"
One day, he had the courage to answer his own question.
"I don't know if I ever gave myself permission to even consider a performing career," he said.
Though he had been playing piano since he was 5, and writing his own music at age 12, it took him many years to decide to chuck his fat paycheck and do what he always wanted -- tour the United States playing his own songs.
Three albums and many road trips later, he is still criss-crossing the country with no regrets.
"I miss the steady paycheck," he said, "but performing my own music and producing my own albums has been a reward in itself."
McCormack's tour will bring him to the Strafford Room of the MUB tonight at 8:00, for one of many college dates.
"I love playing for colleges because they provide such an interesting audience," McCormack said. "College students are very aware and are actively pursuing thinking."
As a piano-playing songwriter, McCormack is often compared to artists such as Tori Amos, Billy Joel, and early Elton John, but his fans say he has a style and intensity that is all his own. His music is "personal, unrelenting, yet fun," according to MUSO Music Director Dan Cheever.
MUB Program Advisor Jenn Woodside agreed, calling his style "captivating, entertaining, and fun."
McCormack said he enjoys using his music to share stories about his life, including his experience as an openly gay man in the '90's.
"Music has a power that words alone don't have," he said. "You can access minds and hearts in a way that isn't possible by just talking."
He's quick to explain, however, "you don't have to be gay to enjoy my music."
McCormack said one of the most satisfying aspects of performing is his interaction with the audience, whether keeping in touch with listeners by e-mail or staying late after a concert to talk.
"After some shows, I'm up half the night talking," he said, "but that's what I love about this job; music making a difference."
-- Alex Henkel
May 9, 1997
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