Every Guitar Has a Story: Tom River on Music, Life and Creativity

What happens when a love of music becomes stronger than the career you thought you were meant to have? Australian indie-folk singer-songwriter and producer Tom River, from Margaret River, Western Australia, began his working life in engineering. But music was always there. He started by singing quietly in his room before taking the leap to perform in bars and smaller venues and eventually finding his voice as a songwriter and musician. Best known as one half of the duo Salt Tree, Tom’s solo work is intimate and atmospheric, combining acoustic guitar, airy harmonies and melodic storytelling. Tom has a particular love for guitars and believes that every guitar has its own story. But his curiosity doesn't stop there. He also plays the banjo — simply because he loves the sound of it. He began recording with the banjo and taking it onto the stage, while joking that the instrument can be rather temperamental and has a tendency to go out of tune at exactly the wrong moment. In our conversation, Tom also reflects on the music industry, which he describes as being a little like the Wild West. For an independent artist, there are so many different paths to explore and so many ways to be creative beyond simply writing and performing music. There is the business and financial side, producing and recording, sound engineering, video and photography, social media, visual storytelling and the many other skills that have become part of the modern musician’s world. For Tom, this freedom to explore different creative domains is part of what makes being an artist so exciting. We talk about following your curiosity, finding your own musical voice, and having the courage to build a creative life that doesn't necessarily follow a conventional path. Every artist has a story worth hearing. https://linktr.ee/tomrivermusic If you've enjoyed The Artist's Voice, you're invited to support the project through https://buymeacoffee.com/petrasittig Every coffee helps keep meaningful conversations with artists brewing. Thanks for listening, watching, and cheering on the arts! The Inspiration by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ #indimusic #singersongwriters #petrasittigtheartistsvoice