Gordon Lightfoot Forums - Gord gives group a thumbs up

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Gord's golden praise lifts Bloomers
Local News
Posted By Brian Kelly, The Sault Star
Posted 1 day ago

Recording in homey confines is just fine with Lowell Sostomi.

Even if it means repeatedly lugging band and recording equipment in a "tiny little boat" to get to his guitarist's camp in Bobcaygeon.

The Great Bloomers recorded a new single, Small Town Love, in early June at said location. Their EP, released in 2007, was recorded in Sostomi's basement. Notice a trend here?

"The vibe of recording up north and everything was amazing," said the band's lead vocalist in a recent interview from Toronto.

"(Working at home) was something I could spend a lot of time doing. I could just go down at any point in time during the day and track, which was great. It's really interesting, when you're playing your song, to be able to look out and see a lake (in Bobcaygeon). That was quite the experience."

Small Town Love is the Fort Erie native's first song to be recorded on vinyl. The group's first album, Speak of Trouble, should also be out on LP in time for a western Canadian tour that kicks off tonight at Loplops.

Consider the 45 to be a small, but important notch, in the early stages of Sostomi's musical career.

"That's always been a small goal of mine," he said.

"I can't wait to have this out there."

Sostomi began buying vinyl when he was 13. He paid five dollars at a garage sale for his first record player. Sostomi estimates he now has about 100 records in his collection.

"There's just something more substantial about buying vinyl and having that whole experience," he said.

"You listen to the whole thing, at least one side usually. You get a big piece of art in front of you. You get the full experience."

His friend, who goes by the moniker Thursday Friday, supplied the sleeve art for Small Town Love. It's a photograph of a bunched up blanket in tall grass.

"I think it's a beautiful photo," said Sostomi.

"I think that says a lot about what the A side is about."

His band received a rare plug from a Canadian musical icon who sold plenty of vinyl in his day, folk singer Gordon Lightfoot. Sostomi works at a Toronto music shop that cares for Lightfoot's guitars. The pair started talking one day. It ended with the singer of hits such as Sundown, Rainy Day People and The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, asking to listen to Speak of Trouble.

"He had something to say about every single song and had so much feedback for me," said Sostomi.

"I was floored when he called me. I was really, really excited. The support of Gord, it's been pretty amazing."

Lightfoot was so impressed he volunteered to offer a quote to plug the disc with these two sentences of praise.

"Speak of Trouble highlights the abilities of Lowell Sostomi as a singer/songwriter and brings together a talented band of musicians with amazing dexterity, loads of energy and very original arrangements. I'm impressed."

The two singers keep in touch. Lightfoot is reviewing Sostomi's demos. The younger artist is "bouncing song titles" off the veteran singer who turns 72 in November.

Great Bloomers is expected to release a second full-length effort in 2011. But Sostomi is doubtful Lightfoot, who rarely guests on other projects, will join him and his band in the studio.

"He's a songwriter and a singer. It's kind of difficult to incorporate that into another songwriter's music," he said.

"That would be the problem there. How do you collaborate with him? Maybe singing, but I'm not sure."

Sostomi is trying to recruit another major, veteran Canadian talent, who he won't name, for his next disc.

On the web: www.greatbloomers.com
http://greatbloomers.com/?page_id=8