Tommy Carns was reared by folksingers on Cape Cod and weaned on a steady diet of folk songs from blues to spirituals in the southern U.S. and work songs, ballads from Ireland and Britain, and sea songs from New England.
He formed The Hitchhikers in 1978 at age 12 with Aaron Spade and a few years late recorded with producer Chandler Travis playing an original sound— rootsy rock and roll sporting Everly-Brothers-style duet vocalizing over catchy upbeat songs. The band ventured West to the Bay Are touring throughout the West Coast and were regulars in San Francisco’s legendary venues like The Mabuhay Gardens, On Broadway, Hotel Utah etc.
In 1989 Carns moved to Amsterdam to hone the songwriting skills. Sequestered in an attic room, he filled notebooks by day and played in cafes and restaurants for the next year and a half with Algerian double bass player, Lyes Geyes performing around Northern Europe including Berlin during the months before and after the fall of the Berlin wall.
Carns eventually made it back to the Bay Area and over the next years toured and recorded with bands— The Violets, and The Mums, and Chicken on a Raft.
He joined Billy Talbot (of Neil Young and Crazy Horse fame) in 1997 contributing songwriting, bass, vocals, guitars, banjo and accordion with The Billy Talbot Band on dozens of recordings including albums On the Road to Spearfish and Alive in the Spirit World.
Today he lives in the town of Silverado California homebase to the band The Brother Jonathan together with bassist Hide Nakanishi, guitarist Michael Hamilton and drummer Ryan Fawley. Their debut album Silver Sound is available in digital realms everywhere.
