With his evocative baritone and twang-soaked, nocturnal yarns,
Tom Heyman, onetime guitarist for acclaimed Philly roots rockers
Go to Blazes, released his debut album, Boarding House Rules, in the fall of 2000. Helping out on the effort were such roots rock notables as
Chuck Prophet (
Green on Red), who plays bass and guitar on the album, and
Eric "Roscoe" Ambel (
the Del Lords,
the Yayhoos), who mastered the effort.
Heyman first arrived on the music scene with
Go to Blazes, which was formed in the D.C. area in the late '80s by a quartet of college buddies. The group released its debut in 1988, and shortly after relocated to Philadelphia.
Heyman's blistering guitar attack was a central component of the band's sound. Under the tutelage of producer
Eric Ambel and with a deal from the record label ESD, the group released its strongest albums in the mid-'90s, receiving acclaim in alt-country and roots rock circles. In the late '90s, with their label dividing,
Go to Blazes petered out. Besides moving on to do solo work,
Heyman has been a member of
Map of Wyoming, who released their debut, Round Trip, in 1998. (That group consists of former members of Flying Color and ex-
Translator Larry Dekker.)
Heyman was also brought on board -- along with former
Flying Burrito Brother and late-period
Byrd Gene Parsons -- for
the Court & Spark's 2001 album
Bless You. ~ Erik Hage