Tommy Guerrero
Good morning.
Today we’re listening to Tommy Guerrero, a guitarist and producer based in Oakland, CA. We first recommended him back in 2019. Since then he’s come out with two fantastic albums which we’re playing today. Thank you Rob for directing our attention to the most recent one, Amber of Memory, which is a 12-track LP of wistful guitar meditations just out a few weeks ago. With its almost post-rock style, it’s a departure from his usual guitar-and-drums approach, to which you’ll hear something closer on 2021’s Sunshine Radio. That record features subdued surf rock and mellow bassy instrumentals.
Amber of Memory - Tommy Guerrero (40m, basically no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal
Sunshine Radio - Tommy Guerrero (40m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal
Have a wonderful Thursday.
Growing up in San Francisco, there were skater kids like you and me, and then there was... Tommy G. As we saw it right there with our own eyes on repeated 9th Ave skate runs, Tommy was the skinny little gumby who figured out how, somehow, impossibly-how, to ollie OVER things that were previously just part of the immobile landscape. Bushes, fire hydrants, mailboxes, stairways all flew beneath his feet, and his eyes shone with amused disbelief and wonder at his own newfound ability of flight. I was fairly proud of my Ty-slide skills, front- and—far more rare—backside, but Tommy was the man who showed us what was possible with a set of Rat Bones and a pair of Indys.
Years later, after I'd come across his first album, I ran into him at a bar on his namesake Guerrero Street and was able to congratulate him in person on his sweet, slow tunes. His music feels like coming into a lighter, happier and much more relaxed and groovier place.
Great pick!
Love all of Tommy's music, especially as those who rode the 43 bus line in San Francisco. What an awesome sound.