Croatia-born Tomislav “Little Pigeon” Goluban (Tomi) says he owes his passion for the blues harp to the likes of Sonny Terry and Slim Harpo, which gives him a fine head start on the blues. (“Little Pigeon” just happens to be a translation of his last name.) Crooked Eye Tommy (Tommy Marsh) roars out of Ventura, CA, with fierce blues-rock intentions. Together, they create a masterful blend, pulsating with music from both their worlds, driving hard on Nashville Road.

The album is filled with original material by Tomi, with an assist from Crooked Eye Tommy on “There Is A Train,” and lyrics by Anamarija Nekić on “Life Is Good.” They share the vocals, while Tommy adds guitar to the mix, with Tomi’s blues-inspired harp. The smartly crisp backers are Eric Robert on keys, Jasco Duende on guitar, Doug Seibert on bass, Alphonso Wesby on drums, Bill Gilliam on upright bass and Grady Clark on slide guitar.

The opening instrumental, “Hard Run,” lives up to its title, offering a taste of what’s to come with Tomi’s soaring harp runs kicked along by the crackling band. Tommy opens the vocal duties on “Rock Dog,” chugging along over a percussive beat and wicked harp with an optimistic message: “When the world is dark as night, I’ll be your light / When everything is wrong, I’ll sing this rockin’ song.”

“Up Is Down” opens with a delicious pairing of harp and roadhouse piano before giving Tomi a gritty vocal turn to explain how “You can knock me down, but I’ll get back up / I been through it all, you know I’ve had enough.” An elegant, jazzy blend of harp and guitar opens “Bad Choices Make Good Stories,” handing the vocals back to Tommy for a philosophical turn: “Sometimes when I’m feeling down / I think about the road I’ve run / I been bad and I been good / But now I’m doing just what I should.”

“Hip Hop Shake” is a throbbing instrumental blues-rock that gives the band a chance to cook up something tasty as an ensemble, featuring a delicious piano break and searing harp lines. “Hard Candy” continues rocking with Tommy letting his sweet tooth do the talking: “Hard drivin’ and heavy drinkin’ / Hard candy, she’s a hard candy / Hard candy from the candy store.” Tomi returns to the mic for the bluesy “Keep On Moving On,” with sensuous harp: “I hope one day I’ll be far away / I don’t care what the people say / Cause I’m moving on, I’m moving on.”

Tommy offers a relaxed, easy-swinging vocal on “Life Is Good,” with a lyrical piano accent and some liquid guitar phrasing: “My days are beautiful, ’cause I’m not alone / And the nights are incredible when you love someone / Yeah life is good.” The closer is the ethereal “There Is A Train” with Tommy’s haunting vocals accented by his lap steel, Grady Clark’s slide guitar, and Bill Gilliam’s upright bass. The finale of this musical journey raises a fitting existential question: “Are you gonna live a life of love and spread good cheer? / Or will you choose the road of desolation? / This train gonna take you to heaven or to damnation.”

It’s most likely musical heaven, as Tomislav Goluban joins Crooked Eye Tommy with straight-ahead, hard-rocking blues on their international journey to Nashville Road. You’ll want to make sure you’re along for this joyous ride.

Jim White (a former music writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette & now writes the Blues Roadhouse)

BIOGRAPHY

Tomislav Goluban (Toh-mee-sla:v Go-loo-ba:n) is an Croatian blues singer and harmonica player, leader of his own band, blues educator, radio DJ, festival organizer and record artist. He has released 15 studio albums with Nashville Road his 16th. Performing solo/duo and with a band, Goluban has played in the U.S. and across many European countries at festivals and events such as the Notodden Blues Festival (Norway), Amal’s Blues Festival (Sweden), Blues sur Seine (France), Kuhstall Tanna (Germany) and International Blues Challenge (USA). He has won two Porins, Croatia’s most prestigious national music awards. He is the founder of the etno blues festival in his hometown region and hosts a radio show specialized in blues on Croatian national radio station and was one of the founders and the first president of the Croatian Blues Forces association (national blues society), which won a Keeping the Blues Alive award in 2019. Tomi also received two Josie Music Awards nominations in 2023.

Crooked Eye Tommy (Thomas Marsh) is a blues guitarist & vocal powerhouse. It has been said that he sings like his life depends on getting the next note out. Tommy played guitar and sang off and on all his life but it wasn’t until his mid 40’s that he actually became a lead singer quite by accident when the singer in the band he was playing in left the band. A late bloomer for sure but Tommy has wasted no time since then and has become extremely successful on the American Blues Music scene. Crooked Eye Tommy was a finalist at the 2020 International Blues Challenge in Memphis competing for the Santa Clarita Blues Society. He has been honored with many awards over the last 15 years including a Hollywood Music in Media Award in 2021, a 2022 Josie Award for Best Blues Duo/Group, 5-time best blues artist and a Hall of Fame Inductee in the Ventura County Music Awards. Tommy has released two studio albums – Butterflies & Snakes (2015) and Hot Coffee and Pain (2020). Crooked Eye performs around 100 shows a year all across America and Europe.