Here is the next installment of historic Tom pictures. A very important year in my growth and establishment of my musical “tribe.”

As promised, here is the earliest photo of my first band, M.Cotu, with Daniel Lambert on the left playing Bass and Tin Whistle. January 1997.

Another Student Center Talent Show. As you can see it was a nautical theme. Eschewing any Margaritaville-like excess, Daniel and I were serious folk-poets with a social-spiritual consciousness. Our entry was a song we co-wrote and co-fronted called “Cold.” It was a minor-key exploration of homelessness; how easy it is to look the other way, and our own guilt of apathy. We didn’t steal the show, but a few people were paying attention.

Later in the program, I had entered as a solo act. I played a song called “Earth,” which would later become a staple of M.Cotu shows and both LPs. It too was a kind of “angry young man” folk protest song. Delivered in a put-on baritone (at that point I hadn’t found my “real” singing voice yet) the target this time was wealthy Christians who would rather inhabit pristine sanctuaries and flashy stages than engage the messy, earthy, world Jesus was born into as a commoner.

In 1997, Daniel and I were devout in our Christian faith. But we felt compelled, like many of our contemporaries, to represent an expression of Christian art that sought to shock the church out of complacency. But I’d like to set the record straight, though we had this goal, we never claimed to have all the answers. We wanted the church to get comfortable with mystery, the functions of doubt and questions. We believed in Jesus, not in fundamental-ism.

As we played out more in the coming years, this nuance was always difficult to maintain. Church venues and promoters wanted energetic young bands (and we had youthful energy to spare!) to promote a very specific set of “talking points” as it were, repeating what was expected of them, by those who expected it. We met other bands our age who were happy to do this. We met others, who were more kindred spirits, like us, who wanted to break molds.

IWU in the late 90s had both these currents within the student body – and within that relatively tiny microcosm of the wider church and or world – two distinct music venues. The Philippe Performing Arts Center (PPAC) or (“2Pac” as Peter like to jest) was the host of church-approved, major CCM label artists – the big industry Daniel and I wanted to subvert. It was a controled environment. (stay tuned, 6 years later, with a different band with some of the same passions, I did play on that stage.)

On the far side of the campus, was an old church building owned by the college. In it was a student-run coffee house “Common Grounds.” This was the music venue for independant artists, edgy small time bands, poetry recitals, late night debates. I’ll never forget seeing Exit59 from Taylor and Whipple Tree Band from Wheaton there. It was here M.Cotu had our first real gig. An audio tape of this show exists as well. It was well recieved by the embryonic auidence in attendance.

Two of the attendees were Mike Bruneau and Heather McKeehan. Mike would offer to play drums for us later in the semester, over dinner at the dining hall. All year, Mike and Daniel had a student radio show on WIWU called “Cheeto and Neutrino Boy.” It debuted our first studio demo of “Mountainous Molehills.” Made with an 8 track tape, drum machine, and the super patient Dave Osborne producing. He taught Daniel and I how to play our instruments better while engineering the session. That snowy night in Feb. of ’97 was super formative to my understanding of creative processes. Thanks Dave!

Heather liked to tease us about how we revered Dave. She to this day has a super dry and fast wit. She became our best supporter and cheerleader. She would coach me in lyric writing through our shared love of poetry. She helped us by talking to audience members at gigs and share their reactions with us which helped us shape our craft. She was also at our “last” show in Sturgis, Michigan, 2001.

“I’ll play drums for you guys,” interjected Mike one night when Daniel and I were discussing singing up for “Band Jam,” a year end student rock band showcase. “You play drums?” He had grown up playing drums through high school, and had loved music. His Quaker Pastor Dad, Bill, was a CCM radio DJ and concert promoter in the 80s. Yet for whatever reason he didn’t lead with this as we were becoming friends.

The first time we gatered around a borrowed drum set in Bill Hall, it was, as they say, “magic!” The three of us had automatic chemistry. We debuted the trio at Band Jam in the student center, and this time we did steal the show!

Check out that overhead projection! I was as excited about that media as I was about the debut of U2’s Popmart tour which kicked off that spring. I’m in shorts because our set started right after track practice, I literally ran to it! Mike used tubular bells on “Cold,” and I used cello on Daniel’s powerful dream-love poem “To the Future One.” There is a VHS video of this performance.

In my personal life, Elizabeth and I were becoming a serious couple. My brother asked me early on, “What’s it gonna be? Date for three years and get married?” “No,” I protested, “we’ll probably break up before too long.” It still hasn’t hapened. In my heart, I knew he was right. She has always believed in my musical talent and endevours – “for better or for worse.”

After a summer alone in South Bend, painting my Grandma Adamson’s house and working at Steak n Shake at night, the next school year was different. Mike, having graduated, lived in New Castle. So the focus of the band really was the song writing team of Daniel and I. He and I were roommates on the first floor of Bill Hall and this improved the speed of our songwriting. Mike came around from time to time to jam, but we didn’t have any off campus gigs…yet…

God was planting seeds, as they say. Especially in a few other guys I met in the fall of ’97.

That year, my dorm RA was Dave Mason. Dave and I, a year later would dream up and start IWU’s Spotted Cow music festival. (see 1999 and 2018)

Dave introduced me to two eager, local freshman: Troy Yeager and Todd Bushong. Dave, Troy, and Todd were part of a short lived student group called DUSC, prnounced “dusk.” “Disciples until the second coming.” They were from area Wesleyan youth groups and they had shared charismatic experiences in worship and summer camps that year. They and others wanted to spark a revival on the Marion campus. They had matching T-shirts during freshman orientation. It was interesting to befriend them while not being able to fully relate to their zeal. They loved great music, each of them: punk, pop, jazz, respectively. It was also my privilge over the next two years to accompany them as each of their faith journeys re-incorporated into what Benedictines call “the ordinary.”

Dave and I worked campus jobs together – in ’97 Student Activities Council. We planned freshman orientation that year. We played guitar and wrote fun songs for the freshman, at the closing ceremony, infront of about 600 students, we played our “Freshman Blues” song, with Peter Khosla playing drums. We got a standing ovation. No photos exist. But in that fleeting moment, I felt like I was a million miles away from 18 months earlier in high school, alone, in my upstairs bedroom, trying to teach myself chords and dreaming about some audience, somewhere, someday loving what I did with a band.

Peter was the student concert promoter. He’d later go on to live Valpo and manage bands and organize festivals. His agency hired Troy Yeager in 2003 as an agent. The agency would go on to represent the band Troy and I formed in Valpo in ’03, Bottle Rocket (Blue.) Troy was a friendly aquaintence in college, but through BRB became a life long friend.

Todd Bushong (see above) after a post-grad experience managing a band in New York city “The Fashion,” would come to live in Valpo as well and work as A&R for Peter et al. Todd to this day is one of my best friends and creative collaborators – providing direction for A Song & A Friend podcast.