Thom LaFond

Interview by David R. Navarro

In a Hurry

David R. Navarro: Tell us a little bit about yourself?

Thom LaFond: My name is Thom LaFond, I’m a multi-instrumentalist & song-writer from upstate NY. I’m Living in Boulder, CO Currently I am trying to finish 4 albums at once. I’m working on 2 Solo Records, and albums with Rose Room & Banshee Tree.

Photo by Mila Kapustina

DN: How long have you been writing music?

TL: Since, I was 9 years old.

DN: What made you decide to be serious about music?

TL: I never made that decision, it was always what mattered most to me.

DN: Tell us about your latest single, “In a Hurry”.

TL: I took a retreat down in Crestone, CO to write music before a recording session. On the morning of the session, I hated my new material, so I wrote something as fast as possible. We went into the studio and tracked the drums and bass live. I layered in instruments & recorded the vocals of Daniel Rodriguez (Elephant Revival) Carolyn Hunter, & Katie Mintle. The production style was influenced by the music of Brian Wilson, Mac Miller, & MGMT(David Friddman).

DN: Which people or books have had the most influence on your music career and why?

TL: Tom Waits & Sirens Of Titan. Tom is my favorite storyteller, but Vonnegut tells my favorite stories.

DN: What would you say is the #1 key to success in the music industry?

TL: The alchemy of passion & being relaxed. The second one is hard for me sometimes, on account of the first.

DN: Can you give us some examples of things you are doing or have done to expand your fanbase?

TL: Before debuting my first single, I became interested in videography. I released 100 videos within the last year on my youtube channel.

DN: Talk about the biggest failure you’ve had. What did you learn from it?

TL: Learning to read music in music school. I learned how to practice effectively, but my reading skills did not develop well under pressure. I approached the whole idea with a lot of fear back then. I retaliated against my failure by becoming a song-writer and focusing on words. Now I’m back to making arrangements, and I can appreciate writing things down for later reading.

DN: What advice can you give other individuals who want to follow in your footsteps?

TL: Make things quickly, so then you won’t have time to hesitate on your intention. Throw away things you thought were good at one point. If you don’t like it anymore, it’s not worth recycling. You may have been just practicing for a better song to come through later.

DN: What does a typical day in your week look like?

TL: Wake up>espresso> entire mason jar of water> improvise at the piano> studio time> cook something fancy >film something candid out in my yard as the sun goes down> studio computer work until 3am.

DN: What keeps you going when things get tough in the business?

The business end of music was never friendly. You basically pay to be heard these days. Improvising and live performance is all the reassurance I ever need. Live perfomance general pays well enough to cover my survival (2020 aside)

DN: Please list your website and/or your social media platforms.

TL: Follow me on: IG/TOK/TWITTER @thomlafond YT: https://www.youtube.com/user/ThomLaFond FB: https://www.facebook.com/thomlafondmusic

“In a Hurry” Is out now on all streaming platforms: http://hyperurl.co/inahurry

Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you?

I was born with three nipples, and the drums were my first instrument.