Highly acclaimed singer-songwriter Tom Baxter has announced a forthcoming tour which includes a show at Alexander’s in Chester on June 19.
Tom will also be releasing a new single called The Arc, which will be free to download from his website from June 14.
He wrote The Arc for the wedding of his friend, the actor and director David Schwimmer. The two have been close ever since the former Friends star included Tom’s now classic song Better in the hit film Run, Fatboy, Run.
“When David called to let me know he was getting married he asked me if I could write a song for his wedding ceremony – he had a poem in mind called The Arc Of Your Mallet from a 13th century Persian poet called Rumi,” explained Tom.
“By complete chance I happened to be reading a book of Rumi’s poetry at the time and neither of us could quite believe the serendipity of the moment. I used three or four lines from the poem, but really it was the title that got me inspired.”
The poem considers mankind’s connection to all things divine that we never see and so many of us struggle to grasp.
“Perhaps it is an analogy for that which is so hard to explain, like the mystery of love,” wonders Tom.
“When I read the poem I had the image of a 13th century woman working in the fields cutting the golden barley and then another image of her lover drenched in sweat in a blacksmith’s workshop beating the metal into shape.
“It’s this combined struggle for life and their hard graft that is where the song breathes. I eventually sent the song over to David and Zoe, his wife to be, absolutely loved it and asked if I would sing it as they stood at the altar to take their vows.
“It was one of the most special moments for me and as I sang them the song I watched two great people unite, beaming from ear to ear!”
Tom will be showcasing The Arc, which features backing vocals by Judie Tzuke and was mixed by Rupert Christie (Bellowhead/Lou Reed), alongside songs destined for his eagerly anticipated new album on tour this spring when he’ll be performing solo using his six favourite guitars and a piano.
Incredibly it’s more than a decade since Tom’s self-titled debut EP. He followed that with the acclaimed first album Feather and Stone and its follow up, Skybound, which was accompanied by pieces of art he made for each track.
Tom’s songs have since been covered by artists as diverse as Boyzone, Shirley Bassey and Engelbert Humperdinck and his track Miracle was memorably used by the BBC to soundtrack its final montage of the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.
Call 01244 340005 or visit www.alexanderslive.com .
