Browse by Artist: TUMA, SCOTT

Artist:	TUMA, SCOTT
Title:	Not For Nobody
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	ACE 010CD

"To me, Scott Tuma is a bit of a legend. From his days with the seminal Souled American to performing with Boxhead Ensemble, his two incredible solo records, Hard Again and The River 1 2 3 4, there are few musicians with such a quality discography. I kept waiting for him to drop another solo record, but it never came. So when I learned that he'd been working with members of Zelienople under the moniker Good Stuff House, I jumped at the chance to make contact. A few emails were exchanged, and 18 months later after the birth of Tuma's second child, Not For Nobody was finally ready. It's been nearly five years, but the wait has definitely been worth it. Not For Nobody hits you hard, straight in the throat. These mostly-acoustic compositions, recorded with guitar, banjo, harmonium, and percussion among other instruments, are steeped in an elegance that few artists can master. Not For Nobody marks the triumphant return of a musician sorely missed. It is dripping with beauty and melancholy and hope for something better. This is an album for the ages. Housed in a silkscreened gatefold jacket."

Artist:	TUMA, SCOTT
Title:	Dandelion
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$14.50
Catalog #:	DIGI 061CD

Extended CD version. This is Scott Tuma's third release on the Digitalis label. After a five-year hiatus, 2008's Not For Nobody reminded everyone of the subtle force that was lurking in Chicago. He followed that up with an epic collaborative LP with Zelienople's Mike Weis and an underrated gem as part of the Good Stuff House trio. Those ideas and manifestations present on all three albums come to a head with Dandelion. This is Scott Tuma at his most definitive, most vocal, and most devastating. His acoustic vignettes flicker in and out like the specters of long-forgotten greats, showing up just long enough to remind you that once upon a time, they ruled the land of kings. Sparse guitar plucks and banjo strums ache in the thin air. "Red Roses For Me" puts all the pieces in place with hollow, reverberating drones piercing the grey skies in the first half of the song. Quiet recordings of birdsong echo in the background, bouncing off minimally shifting banjo and chimes. But this is when Tuma really starts to mess with you, this is when Dandelion takes one of many unexpected turns. As a siren wails in the background, he is almost playful in the last half of the piece with a chord organ and gently strummed guitar bleeding nostalgia into the streets. It's a sinister joke in the middle of the flood. Dandelion is a hymn to loves won, then lost. Dying on the vine, he bellows "you are so pretty," yearning for something simpler and easier to navigate. "You're always on my mind" reminds us that things come to an end, that even the best things have a shelf-life. It runs head first into the megalith that is "Free Dirt." Mike Weis makes his presence felt as the duo navigates the darkest moments Tuma's ever put to tape. This is "Taradiddle" drowned in the mud. Hope is lost to the darkness as denial turns to acceptance. Winding down into a wall of cymbals and heavy-handed acoustic guitar, it's total catharsis. Eventually this ride, this testament comes to an end. The mournful longing of the final two pieces wraps Dandelion up into a perfect, graceful package. Scott Tuma shows one more time why there's nobody else like him around. This may be an album that asks a lot of questions, but it also answers every single one. Extended CD edition, including 20 minutes of bonus material not available on the vinyl edition. Featuring custom artwork by award-winning artist, Christopher Koelle.

Artist:	TUMA, SCOTT
Title:	Not For Nobody
Label:	IMMUNE
Format:	LP
Price:	$16.00
Catalog #:	IMMUNE 013LP

"Not For Nobody is the third solo album from Chicago's Scott Tuma. Originally released on CD in 2008 by the Digitalis label, Immune is happy to present a first time vinyl edition of this essential work featuring new artwork by Chris Koelle. Not For Nobody was greeted with critical acclaim upon it's release in 2008 and was the much needed follow up to Tuma's solo albums Hard Again (2001, Truckstop) and The River 1 2 3 4 (2003, Truckstop). Since the release of Not For Nobody, Tuma has released the collaborative album Taradiddle (2009, Digitalis) with Mike Weis (Zelienople) and his fourth solo album Dandelion (2010, Digitalis). Tuma is a luminary of the Chicago musical environment from his days as guitarist in pioneering Chicago alt-country band Souled American to his work in the Boxhead Ensemble and Good Stuff House (with Matt Christensen and Mike Weis of Zelienople)."

Previous Page Index of Artists Next Page