The Holly Days say ‘Happy Birthday’ to Buddy Holly with new single, Words of Love

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Updated: September 7, 2019

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Buffalo, N.Y. September 7, 2019. The Holly Days paid the ultimate tribute to their inspiration, Buddy Holly, by releasing their second single on the rock and roll founding father’s birthday, September 7. “Words of Love” was originally released on the Coral Records label in 1957 and has been covered extensively since, including a notable version by the Beatles on their 1964 album, Beatles for Sale. The Holly Days’ version combines elements of both.

“We love both Buddy’s original version and the Beatles’ cover, so we incorporated parts of each of them,” said lead singer and guitarist Tom Mullen. “I played the guitar intro more like George Harrison but the rest of the song more like Buddy. Of course, George and I both played Buddy’s original guitar solo note for note – you don’t mess with perfection!”

Bassist Gregg Deinhart found inspiration in Paul McCartney’s 1964 bass line. “Words of Love’ is a perfect song for my 1967 Hofner Beatle bass, said Deinhart. “The Beatles did a great cover of this beautiful song and the McCartney bass line creates a nice pulse under the rich harmony and bright guitars of the song.”

However, drummer Dan Komanski found the Latin rhythm of the original more to his liking. “I wanted to capture the spirit of the original, which was inspired by all the Latin rhythms popular at the time, said Komanski. “To get a warmer, unique sound, I played with a pair of Hot Rods and made sure the snares were off.”

While Mullen and Deinhart have been singing this beautiful duet together for decades, Mullen overdubbed the harmony part with his own lead vocal, as Holly did on the original, which was an innovation in rock music at the time.

“We’re very pleased with the way the track came out,” added Mullen. “Getting Buddy’s rhythm guitar part up front, which is buried in the original mix, together with Dan’s work on percussion and Gregg’s bass line produced something that really swings more than any recording of the song I’m familiar with. We hope the fans find it faithful yet fresh and original.”

Sound samples and downloads are available at the most popular distribution sites (iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, etc.) here.

More information can be found at the Skepticsongs website.

The Skeptics Win Silver Medal in Global Music Awards for Woodmancy Road

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Updated: June 18, 2019

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Buffalo-based rock/power pop band The Skeptics won a Silver Medal in the Global Music Awards for the song, “Woodmancy Road,” off their four-song  EP, Reloaded, released March 30, 2019. A sound sample and links to downloads on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and other platforms can be found here.

The folk-rock, acoustic-electric track features songwriter Tom Mullen’s lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Dave Levin’s jangly lead lines and vocal harmonies, Mark Buckley’s melodic bass and Dan Komanski’s rock steady drumming and tasty fills.

“I think everyone has a place that has a special magic for them, especially if it’s somewhere they’ve gone since childhood,” said Mullen. “My great-uncle’s cabin in the foothills of New York’s southern tier is that place for me. There never has been a phone there – although now you can be reached on cell phone. It was kind of an escape into the wilderness for hiking, fishing and snake-catching – one of our favorite pastimes when we were kids.”

The Silver Medal is the band’s second Global Music Award. They previously won a Bronze Medal for “South Beach,” off the same EP.

Woodmancy Road was recorded at Loft Studio in Cheektowaga, N.Y. and produced by Jim Sommer. More information can be found on the Skepticsongs website at www.skepticsongs.com.

Buffalo, NY Buddy Holly Tribute Band The Holly Days Releases “That’ll Be the Day”

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Updated: June 5, 2019

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Western New York Buddy Holly tribute band, The Holly Days, released their first single, “That’ll Be the Day,” on May 27, 2019, the 62nd anniversary of the original single’s release.

The Holly Days is a tribute to Buddy Holly and the Crickets formed by Buffalo natives and longtime band mates Tom Mullen, Gregg Deinhart and Dan Komanski. The three musicians have played together in numerous bands, including Her Majesty’s Secret Service, The Relative Four, The Incidentals and The Skeptics. When Mullen asked Komanski and Deinhart to play on his latest solo effort, Unfamiliar Ground, an impromptu jam session became a labor of love to recreate the magic of their myopic idol.

“This is something I’ve always wanted to do,” said Mullen. “Just like Buddy and drummer Jerry Allison, Dan and I have been playing together since high school, so we have that connection in addition to our love for the man!”

“Buddy Holly has always been an influence on The Skeptics’ music and the opportunity to record this tribute made so much sense to us,” observed Komanski.

“Without the incredible influence of Buddy Holly, rock and roll would have looked a lot different from the 1960s through today,” added Deinhart.

The single was recorded at Loft Studio in Cheektowaga, N.Y. and produced by Jim Sommer. Steve Macdonald of Sommer’s band, Cock Robin, provided background vocals, along with Mullen.

“We wanted to do something very faithful to the original but still fresh and new,” said Mullen. “Our arrangement is based on listening to both the original single and the live performance by the Crickets on the Ed Sullivan Show. There are elements of both in our version.”

A sound sample and links to download the single from iTunes, Amazon and other download platforms can be found here.

The Holly Days will release a second single on Buddy Holly’s birthday, September 7. More information can be found at skepticsongs.com.

Western New York Buddy Holly tribute band, The Holly Days, release That’ll Be the Day

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Updated: May 3, 2019

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Western New York Buddy Holly tribute band, The Holly Days, will release their first single, “That’ll Be the Day,” on May 27, 2019, the 62nd anniversary of the original single’s release.

The Holly Days is a tribute to Buddy Holly and the Crickets formed by Buffalo natives and longtime band mates Tom Mullen, Gregg Deinhart and Dan Komanski. The three musicians have played together in numerous bands, including Her Majesty’s Secret Service, The Relative Four, The Incidentals and The Skeptics. When Mullen asked Komanski and Deinhart to play on his latest solo effort, Unfamiliar Ground, an impromptu jam session became a labor of love to recreate the magic of their myopic idol.

“This is something I’ve always wanted to do,” said Mullen. “Just like Buddy and drummer Jerry Allison, Dan and I have been playing together since high school, so we have that connection in addition to our love for the man!”

“Buddy Holly has always been an influence on The Skeptics’ music and the opportunity to record this tribute made so much sense to us,” observed Komanski.

“Without the incredible influence of Buddy Holly, rock and roll would have looked a lot different from the 1960s through today,” added Deinhart.

The single was recorded at Loft Studio in Cheektowaga, N.Y. and produced by Jim Sommer.

A sneak preview of the single can be heard here.

The Holly Days will release a second single on Buddy Holly’s birthday, September 7. More information can be found at skepticsongs.com.

The Skeptics Release new EP, Reloaded

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Updated: October 31, 2021

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Buffalo, NY. March 28, 2019. Buffalo-based The Skeptics released a new, four-song EP titled, Reloaded on Thursday. The veteran Western New York power pop quartet took a break from individual projects to recapture the magic that put them on college radio charts all over the country.

Tom and Dave each penned two songs for this tight little EP. The disc gets off to a rousing start with Tom’s fun-in-the-sun, “South Beach,” which grabbed a Bronze Medal at the Global Music Awards. Next up is Dave’s “Flat,” which will leave you anything but. The band continues with an acoustic trip down “Woodmancy Road” and finishes strong with the multi-textured “Bittersweet and Cold.”

Mark’s melodic bass playing adds something special to each track, while Danny K holds it all down with rock steady drumming and tasty fills.

Catchy hooks, compelling melodies, rich harmonies and a variety of styles – It’s incredible what these guys accomplish in such a short space of time. Load up The Skeptics Reloaded – you’ll be glad you did.

Download from iTunes here.

Download from Amazon here.

Listen on Spotify here.

The Skeptics Win Bronze Medal in Global Music Awards for “South Beach”

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Updated: March 13, 2019

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Buffalo-based rock/power pop band The Skeptics won a Bronze Medal in the Global Music Awards for the song, “South Beach,” off their four-song  EP, Reloaded, scheduled for release March 30, 2019. A sneak preview can be heard here.

The fun-in-the-sun track features songwriter Tom Mullen’s lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Dave Levin’s surf rock lead lines and vocal harmonies, Mark Buckley’s emphatic bass and Dan Komanski’s rock steady drumming and tasty fills.

“It’s an ode to sun, fun and exotic, beautiful women,” says Mullen, “as all odes should be!”

South Beach was recorded at Loft Studio in Cheektowaga, N.Y. and produced by Jim Sommer. It is the band’s first release since the 1990s. More information can be found on the Skepticsongs website at www.skepticsongs.com.

Tom Mullen Releases 2nd Solo CD, Unfamiliar Ground

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Updated: April 19, 2018

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Includes Global Music Awards Bronze Medal Winners

“You Were Right, Mr. Spock” and “Not in Love!”

Tom Mullen continues to grow as a singer/songwriter. His latest solo effort, Unfamiliar Ground, features five new, original songs covering a range of styles, including alternative, modern rock, rockabilly, and power pop.

Get it on iTunes!

Get it on Amazon!

Get it on Spotify!

Get a Physical CD!

 

Tom Mullen Wins 2nd Bronze Medal in Global Music Awards

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Updated: April 19, 2018

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The Global Music Awards announced its latest winners on Friday and Buffalo, N.Y. native Tom Mullen’s upcoming CD, Unfamiliar Ground,  yielded a 2nd Bronze Medal. This time it was the upbeat, power pop “Not in Love” that captured the honors. Mullen previously won Bronze for “You Were Right, Mr. Spock,” off the same CD.

“Established in 2011, the Global Music Awards is a well-known international music competition which celebrates independent musicians. Global Music Awards is widely recognized by industry insiders as giving legitimacy to highly talented artists. ‘Global Music Awards is recognized as music’s golden seal of approval,” says the official website for the awards.

“That’s an old tune I wrote when much younger and not in a band at the time,” said Mullen. “So, it never got recorded. It always reminded me of something Paul McCartney might have written during the Beatles’ heyday, around the time of Rubber Soul or Beatles for Sale, maybe. So, when I decided to resurrect it and couldn’t remember all the original lyrics, I worked in some references to Sir Macca and the Fabs. See if you can find them.”

Mullen sings lead vocals and plays acoustic guitar on “Not in Love.” He is joined by Gregg Deinhart (bass) of the Alexandria, Va. band Nowhere Men, Dan Komanski (drums) of The Skeptics, Doug Yeomans (lead guitar) of the Twang Gang and Steve Macdonald (background vocals) of Cock Robin. The track was recorded at Loft Studio in Cheektowaga, N.Y. and produced by Jim Sommer, also a member of Cock Robin.

Tom Mullen has been making music for over 30 years.  During the 1990’s, he was lead singer, guitarist, and principle songwriter for The Skeptics, an alternative power pop band that enjoyed regional acclaim and CMJ charting.  Tom has opened shows for national acts The Tubes and 10,000 Maniacs and appeared twice on A.M. Buffalo with The Skeptics, as well as Nickel City Scene.  He released his 2nd solo CD, Unfamiliar Ground, in 2017. More info can be found at www.skepticsongs.com.

Tom is originally a native of Buffalo, NY and graduate of Canisius College.  He earned a Master’s Degree in English from Buffalo State College.