TOM NEILSON
The Bard Insurgent
| Tom Neilson, a classical vocal soloist since childhood, has four folk albums to his
credit, with a fifth (a children's album) scheduled to be released later this year.
He has performed at Boston's Symphony Hall and The New England Conservatory of
Music with tenor solos on two classical albums. An anti-war organizer in the sixties, Tom left the country (Dancin' Shoes) in 1970 and spent a dozen years working and traveling around the world, mostly in Africa and South America. These travels are reflected in his songs about Central America (Freedom From Fear) and the beginning of World War II in Spain (From Spanish Trenches). Known locally as "the Bard Insurgent," Tom is a veteran of stage and street theater, having worked as a writer, director and actor. His music reflects his involvement with heroin addicts, the poor, safe energy, econoomic conversion, and liberation movements from Nicaragua to Eritrea. Whether set in Westover Air Force Base, union lines, or the bus to Barnwell, S.C., his music tells the stories of people's struggles against greed and violence. His third album, Swords Into Plowshares, chronicles the War Tax Refusers' action Colrain, MA. Woman of Sumpul River, Man on the Stairs, and Sallie, tragic songs about women surviving violence, are rich in artistic images. Says Tom Paxton, "This is very good politics. And very good music." Tom's levity surfaces with A Public Place, Death Rowe, 101 Indictments, and Affirmative Action Man. The Lewiston Tribune writes, "Nielsen brings together some of the finest elements of song and comedy." Tom's accoustic activism is evident in his songs for children, as well. Roadkill, Boogers, and Canoein', songs written for and performed with his 6-year-old son, Jacob, teach safety, using humor and a child's view of the world. Tom works for AIDS Services in Greenfield. He has facilitated numerous non-violence and civil disobedience trainings. His upstate New York dairy farm roots are now planted in Leverett, Mass.
RECORDINGS In a Public Place (with Mark Lynd) ORDERING AND BOOKING INFORMATION Tom Neilson |
