When asked what it felt like to move from New Jersey to Nashville, Tennessee, Sean Tobin had words that describe what we see in this picture — he said something like what this picture shows — it was exciting, frightening and something different every day. Using the movie “Groundhog Day” as a reference, he said his life is so different from that film. Everything is so different every day, like jumping off a cliff with only a big rubber band around your waste. For Sean Tobin, it was time to make that jump.
At TikiKiti we have become inundated with music videos of all sorts. The search engine we use to scour YouTube works overtime trying to find us the videos of artists. It’s easy to see how very different the world is today compared to a couple decades ago when musicians would be recognized by an industry representative. This often resulted in the musicians getting that much sought after record deal. Then, as the band is driving a beat up old van to their next gig, they hear their song on the radio. And everything changes.
Does anyone else remember those days?
Listening to new music was so simple. The FM station (remember those) would play the new band’s song and then the royalty checks started rolling in.
Not so these days. Bands and musicians realized long ago they needed to take control of the promotion of their music—and their careers. The big record labels barely exist anymore—unless you have proved yourself. YouTube seems to always the first step. And that means making a music video. And even that doesn’t come with any guarantees. Hell, we see new bands all the time and the styles range from rockabilly to death metal. We see musicians who look to be in their 50s playing punk that wouldn't be out of place 30 years ago.
And why not! What does age matter anymore. Especially if the music is good—or not. Bands can upload their music to Apple Music or Spotify and start to earn a quarter of a cent when someone across the world listens to it once or twice.
This new world belongs to those who have the stamina to keep going, month after month, performing live and spitting out videos when they can. Because there is one thing that has never changed — getting noticed. It is all about finding someone who will notice you and your work.
Motivation is different for everyone. It’s a mix of events that add up to a decision in your life: a life-changing decision.
We first noticed Sean Tobin four years ago when he did a video for his song “Freedom Feels.” What got our attention was his energy, and how he unabashedly announced his New Jersey routes with his sound. Sean produced this video himself. (That was the only thing we required at the time to take notice of an artist.) Opening with him working on his truck he then goes on a cross-country trip to the Pacific Ocean. This video reflected so much about him, his do-it-yourself attitude, and his taking a chance with the open road. We call the style of this video veríté. A journalistic style that we have interpreted as a slice of life. (In fact, we wrote an article about this and highlighted this video. You can read it here.)
We used an image from his video to open the article — a long expanse of open road against a prairie with a blue cloud-studded sky meeting at the horizon. Little did we know then how this image would also reflect his career.
Two years ago, Sean moved to Nashville, Tennessee. The music scene called to him. When I asked him about the changes in his life, and if Nashville has been the impetus for these changes, he says, “It absolutely did. I've undergone a lot of change—massive change, really, both on a personal and professional level. I think the adversity I've faced recently has forced my creativity to grow in a way it wouldn't have in the comforts of home—that is, the comforts of New Jersey.”
Also, his band, The Boardwalk Fire, started to go their own way and spread out over the world. He now works with a new incarnation of this band, he says “The original Boardwalk Fire will always be Jack Breslin on Bass, David Patiño on drums, Jake Garbe on guitar and Sean-David Cunningham on fiddle. That said, those guys and I are spread out across the world these days, so the current Boardwalk Fire is a constantly changing configuration of musicians I feel will be a good fit to the stage.”
When listening to his recent music it is easy to see that his this music is the best he has done. Moving to Nashville allowed him to find that inspirational potion that let loose a wave of creativity. When reflecting on the reasons why he moved he says,
“I needed to be a small fish in a massive pond, and I wanted to do it before the weight of any possible familial responsibilities found their way into my life. I've always grown the most when I challenge myself, and Nashville seemed like the biggest challenge for an aspiring musician. I was right.”
He has been touring non-stop with bands such as Chace Rice, “mostly as a roady, selling merch, stuff like that. And getting paid to do it!” He adds. He calls this “Weekend Warrior” touring — leaving on Wednesday and returning on Sunday. Because of this he has managed to see most of the lower 48 and some of Canada in the last six months. And, he adds, “Touring is one of the best ways to see the country.”
Working with mostly country the music people that go to these shows, he has honed his ear for this audience wants to hear. Being one himself, “I always had a sense of what the working man wants to hear.” It is here he gets his inspiration for the music he writes.
And, his calendar is full. Non-stop touring is not for everyone — but is loving it. It suits his lifestyle. There’s no such thing as “Groundhog Day.” Everyday is different and he has to be able to adapt to each day quickly and effectively.
This is one of the most significant milestones in anyones life. People look at this age and really start to put their lives into perspective — for what they have accomplished, and for what they have not accomplished. For Sean that means slowing down just enough to allow him the time to keep this perspective. He says he has been living fast. To know where he's headed it helps to understand where he has been.
Coming up he will be part of a tour of the southeast states. This tour starts in November just after he publishs his new album, “Seasick.” You can see the video of the title song here:
What really got our attention was his new song “Party of One.” It was here we found where his new direction and inspiration is taking him. After one listen I knew I wanted to interview him. The song just stuck with me. All of his new music has this ability to stay in the back of your mind. Listening just once is not an option.
The new album is set to be released at the end of October.
Sean says he writes for himself. This means he will work on a song until he is happy with it. That’s when he knows others will like it. And his writing has a very personal approach to it. Sometimes the lyrics just come to him. As with “Party of One” — he says, one night he, “…was drunk on the back porch and watching the skyline eat the horizon.” This then became a signature line for this song.
Sean admits to writing about what is really going on in his life. Obscure lyrics but that does not seem to be his style, but poetic lyrics are. The style he has developed is a more modernized version of what we think of as “The New Jersey Sound.” New Jersey has a long history of popular musicians who shaped modern music. Sean is on the path to becoming the next representative of this signature sound.
Here he is with a studio video of one of his new songs, “Nightswimming.”
Keep an eye out for Sean Tobin. His music will be everywhere soon enough.
