A Singers Diary

F.M. Kirby

2008-11-16T10:17:00.001-08:00

F.M. Kirby

Wilkes-Barre PA.

“Ah caught you smiling at me,
That's the way it should be,
Like a leaf is to a tree, so fine.”

Hello -

Thanks to all that attended the concert! what a great time we had in your city. You guy’s filled the room with your tremendous energy, and made a memorable night for us.

It’s been a while since we have included any acoustic songs into our set, and I have missed performing them. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp is one of our favorites and is a track that is almost never heard on the airwaves. And it was certainly a pleasure to bring back to the show.

Ironically enough, The lemon song was not included in our set list but was added later into the concert…after someone drew a most colorful lemon on a piece of paper and promptly laid it onto the stage! By the way if anyone has a picture of that please send it to me.

Hope to see all of you when we return to PA. Until then, be well…

Thomas.

Capitol One Theater / Westbury NY

2008-04-21T14:39:00.000-07:00

Westbury N.Y.

April 18^th 2008

What a great time we had at this show! It was our first time playing in the round which actually spins around while we were playing the show .(That did take a little getting used to!)The crowd was one of the best ever, pure electricity from the first song.

See you guy’s soon-

Thomas.

2008-01-27T18:22:00.001-08:00

January 19^th 2008

Bayshore NY Boulton center

What a fantastic night- It was great to see all of you once again.

As some of you know this was the first Hammer Of The Gods concert of the new year!

The Boulton center is a great intimate room and the acoustics are second to none.

We were a few songs into our sound check before we started grooving with four sticks, a song we were playing that evening and I stepped off the stage to listen ….

Wow the room sounded so bright and clear, I could not wait to get on the stage for the show.

Back stage was a good vibe- some old friends I have not seen in a while, some good food and the usual crazy banter from our sound technicians who are more like family than employees.

I have to say this set list was so different than anything in the past shows; the opening song “In the evening” gave me so much energy! It really set the tone for the evening.

Just when I think it can’t get better the audience brings it to another level!

I thank you for being a part of a special show for me,

Best wishes to all of you.

Thomas.

11/03/2007 Wilkes-Barre PA

2007-11-04T17:31:00.000-08:00

What a fantastic time last night in Wilkes-Barre PA!
A beautiful city with great fans, and a fantastic venue for live music.there is already talk about dates for next year ,and that would be great.See you all soon, Stay well.
Thomas.

Boulton Center Bayshore N.Y.

2007-06-24T18:08:00.000-07:00

What a great night at the Boulton! I mean talk about a lively crowd...Wow!
And on top of everything I was celebrating my birthday, and as some of my friends can attest that party can last up to 10 days!

Well it was an absolutely beautiful night out,(You can't beat summertime on the south shore) the band was charged up, and I was in a great mood!
As I was checking out the set list back stage, I was already feeling good about some new material that we have not played in sometime. In particular "What is and what should never be" and "Immigrant song"

As a vocalist , a song can move me in ways that can be tremendously emotional. A performance is a living thing, and brings with it it's own vibration. I am happy to have shared these songs with all of you, And that memory will always live with me.
Thank You

Count Basie April 21st 2007

2007-04-23T16:58:00.000-07:00

Red Bank / Count Basie Theatre!

As many of you probably already know, I love this little town. I love the food, the people, and performing at the count Basie Theatre. There is just a great energy here that is hard to describe. Not to mention the fact that we had a beautiful spring day that really brought my sprits so high.

A lot of people have been requesting the acoustic songs, and it just felt so right to include them in this concert. They are simple and heartfelt and need to be heard.

This concert was so full of positive energy that it was only natural that it would transcend to a higher place! And that it did. By the end of the show, the stage area was united with the band and audience performing as one, A tremendous experience musically and emotionally that I will never forget.

I left only days ago, and I miss it already. But one thing is for sure….When we return we will make it the biggest, baddest concert ever. Until we meet again, best of luck to all of you.

Peace,

Thomas.

New Tour!

2006-12-27T09:41:00.000-08:00

Hello Again!

After a much needed rest from the road & last year’s tour, I am rejuvenated and so excited about this coming year. We have already scheduled some very intimate venues, and I look forward to being closer to the audience and connecting on a level that only a smaller concert hall can offer.

Right now the band is peaked with energy, and getting anxious to hit the road with our new set and some creative arrangements. While this years tour is still being mapped out there are some nice shows already in place… The Count Basie Theatre is always a great time, And The Starland Ballroom should be tremendous fun as well!

As always check Hammer of the Gods Schedule page for exact dates and times.

Well it’s time for me to get some cardio training in , Hope to see all of you out on the concert trail,

Until Then, Take care.

Thomas.

Oct 21-2006 Patchogue Theatre NY

2006-10-29T18:16:00.000-08:00

Oct 21-2006
Patchogue Theatre

Things have been busy for the Hammer of the God’s this year! This show was a lot of fun, and it was great to see all of you who attended this show. This past summer the band had been reviewing a lot of new material for the 2007 schedule and we thought it would be great to preview it for this show in Patchogue .The Rain Song was certainly a song we had been working towards bringing into the set list for a while, so it felt great to perform it live.

This year has seen a lot of great times on the road….and behind the scenes at a Hammer of the Gods concert there are a lot of unsung heroes that work relentlessly before and after the show! I would like to thank all of you for the great talent and dedication that you bring to our shows.

Roy, Alan, Diane and Ryan from Sound Moves studios, Pat McCoughlin, Jeffery Avedon, Carl, and James(BB Kings) and Anthony from Jett Productions you guy’s are the best!
Thanks for everything.

Sherman Theater, Stroudsburg PA

2006-08-27T07:53:00.000-07:00

The drive thru Pennsylvania was breathtaking! with all of the beautiful mountains and rivers that surround the Stroudsburg area. It was certainly a diversion from the usual big city tours and bustling traffic jams.I especially enjoyed a nice quiet lunch in an authentic old fashion ice cream shop!
The Sherman theater is a beautiful historic venue that dates back to 1928, and still has many of the original architectural pieces in tact.

Our late soundcheck included "Rock & Roll" and a thundering version of "Misty Mountain Hop"
Yes, The Hammer Of The Gods were ready to perform an explosive set that would include a double encore performed to an incredible audience!
I would like to thank all of you fans that made this such a pleasnt memory,It is an honor to be able to connect with you, thru music and spirit on this level.
Peace...
Thomas.

Shubert Theatre

2006-07-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

To Everyone that came out to the show at The Shubert Theatre , Thank You!
The audience participation was exhilarating. The crowd sang jubilantly on many songs including “Black Dog” and “The Ocean”.
It was great to see so many young people up by the stage enjoying themselves. After the first encore I had already stepped into the elevator to return to my dressing room when I realized we had been called out for another encore. It certainly gave me a warm feeling inside to share that moment with all of you.
There are many dates left on this tour, and I hope to see all of you soon,
Peace,Thomas.

Red Bank N.J.

2006-06-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

The only way to describe June 10th at The Count Basie Theatre would be to say... the Vibe in that room was completely electric! It was a long trip, so I flew in on Friday evening and was prepared to take in some of the beautiful sights in the area. I had some great meals including some world class shepherds Pie in a quaint lovely pub just a small distance from the theatre.
(ironically called the Dublin....)

Earlier in the day, there was already a great positive vibe in the theatre for the start of the sound check, which included a crunchy version of Achilles last stand and a surreal moment of NO Quarter. Yes indeed The Hammer Of The God's were ready to Rock Red Bank!

You Guy's were a fantastic audience, And had so much energy even into the second encore...
which included Song Remains The Same, And Good Time Bad Times.
I am already circling my calendar for next spring when Hammer Of The God's returns to The Count Basie!
Peace.

TILLES CENTER

2006-02-28T14:30:00.000-08:00

WOW! Tilles was a blast...It was great to play for all of you. It was a very enthusiatic crowd that night, and the band was psyched to get things moving very quickly! as you can tell from the opening song "Were gonna groove"
As some of you know, playing these songs can be a very emotional experience That we all share at that moment together. all live music has a pulse and it lives for that single moment in time, Where the audience and musicians become one with the song. Music has the ability to bring us together from all walks of life and cultural divides, a sense of brotherhood and humanity is there in it's purest form.
I can tell you that is a wonderful experience performing for all of you, and somthing I will never forget. As always, many thanks to the fine people that surround this project. lights, Sound, all of the roadies and techs and back stage personnel , Jett Productions and of course my wonderful bandmates for making all of this look so damn easy!!
kind regards,Thomas.

Interview week

2006-02-16T21:05:00.000-08:00

Well this week has been a whirlwind of activities, NEWS 12 came down to do some interviews with the band for the upcoming tour that kicks off February 24th at TILLES CENTER.
That segment will air Tues the 21st between 6:00 AM and 12:00PM, Many thanks to Roy & Diane at Sound Moves Studio’s for your courteous hospitality, and technical expertise! (Finally a studio that gets it right)

Next up were the radio interviews on the C.W. Post Campus with Jonathon AKA DJ Folkadelic. There were some very interesting topics discussed during the interview and I will be posting the audio file here for download when it becomes available. As many of you know there is a tremendous resurgence of classic rock among the college campuses these day’s and we are very happy to be bringing our show to that area.
I can tell you that the band is brimming with excitement and rehearsals have been extremely energetic and fun, And that’s what music is all about!

2006-01-24T16:48:00.000-08:00

Well first let me say, That Saturday's show at Berkner Hall / Brookhaven labs was an absolute fantastic time! I would like to thank everyone for coming down.

The staff at Berkner Hall are a class act and have always treated us very well, Many thanks to Toni, Joe V, And the great sound tech Ray. Also many Thanks To John Who did a great job mixing on The sound Board, And Mike The Guitar Tech.

I got a chance to meet some great fans back stage and talk about music for a little while. You know I am so amazed at the level of musical ability in some of the younger kids coming out to see the shows. You are all an inspiration to me!
Drop me a line if if you want to talk about music, singing, zeppelin , ect....

As Some of you know The band is gearing up for a busy year of touring.... The next stop will be Friday February 24th 8:00 PM- 2006 at the Tilles Center on the (CW POST CAMPUS) 516-299-3100
The Show will consist of a new set list and many surprises... Long time Hammer of the Gods fans know exactly what that means!!