Terry Gomes
Terry Gomes is a published songwriter/guitarist living in Ottawa, Ontario. He was raised in a cultural heritage of calypso and Latin music, and when he took up guitar in his teens, he developed a passion for rock and roll. Later, he studied classical guitar with Steve Rollins and then with Ray Sealey at the University of Ottawa. He also studied modern composition with Canadian composer Steven Gellman, and had several of his pieces performed at student concerts. Terry graduated with an Honours degree in Music. He also taught guitar for 10 years, performed in two rock bands and played many weddings and private functions in a flute/classical guitar duo and later in a trio including flute, classical guitar and folk harp.
Since then he has moved away from previous musical endeavours to focus on writing songs in a variety of styles from rock, folk, ballads and country to latin and calypso-inspired pop. This includes songs for male and female singers. He has written many songs and has recorded more than fifty at his home studio. He considers himself to be a CD performer, preferring to focus his time and energy on his true musical passion--writing and recording his own music.
In his lyrics, Terry likes to explore a variety of moods and topics. Many of the songs are humourous and upbeat; many are introspective and thoughtful. Some of them twist and turn in unexpected ways and often involve some sort of social commentary. Yet no matter how many different approaches he takes in his words and music, he always sounds like himself.
Terry is a registered member of SOCAN
(The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada).
Terry cites major influences to be Kate Bush, Stravinsky, Alice Cooper, Mozart, Paul Simon, Bartok, Lennon & McCartney, Gordon Lightfoot, Mark Knopfler, Frank Zappa, Randy Travis and many others.
Terry Gomes
FAQs
Q: Why no live shows?
A: I played live quite a bit in the past. As mentioned above, my real passion is for writing and recording my own music. The time I would have to spend rehearsing, gigging, playing covers, etc...I can spend crafting new songs. That's the way I look at it--at least for now. I work alone most of the time which makes songwriting and recording an extremely time consuming process. It is also very rewarding, especially at the beginning and the ending stages of a song. For me, everything is about the song--not so much the artist, the musicians, or the production quality. These things are important but for me the song is what it is all about. When I hear a song that moves me in some way, I don't instinctively think about the musicianship, or how beautiful the singer's voice is. Instead I think, "I wish I had written that". I'm impressed with the craft of the song itself. This is also why I don't do much improvising in my songs. I prefer to build houses and leave the decorating to others.
Another important reason for me is that this approach allows me to write in a variety of styles and not be tied to any one. Those who have heard my music will hear many influences and will acknowledge that I do jump around from genre to genre, with some common elements that I suppose define "me".
Q: Why are you releasing compilations?
A: I originally began writing songs with the sole purpose of pitching them to publishers. That was my focus for quite awhile. During a 5 year span, I worked methodically and wrote many songs. I was successful in this approach in that I had several songs picked up by American publishers. After a time, I found that this method wasn’t getting my music as much exposure as I would have liked. I subsequently decided to use some of that material to make my own CDs and market them. I chose what I considered to be the best songs from that period. I based my decisions on the impressions of my listeners, my publishers and the songs that I was personally fond of. Those songs became the material for Gomesongs Side A & B. I also felt that releasing two compilations would give new listeners a variety of my material to explore and it would display the range and style(s) of my songwriting.
Q: Why do you not sing most of your own songs?
A: Since these songs were being sent to publishers, each one was being geared towards their needs and the genres they accepted for consideration. Because it is so rare to find a singer who can CONVINCINGLY sing in multiple genres such as folk, rock, country, Latin, etc...I hired a variety of terrific local talent such as Tammy McCrae and Terry Tufts whom I felt could bring the songs across to prospective publishers. I sang the songs that I felt I could do justice to. Another consideration for me was that I also wanted to write songs for women. Several years ago there was a great demand for “female” songs, especially in the country genre. I found this challenge very intriguing and I dabbled in it from time to time. When my second compilation, (Gomesongs Side B) is completed, I will be releasing a third CD of new songs in which I sing most of the material. It will be my first personal “album” in that sense.
Q: Why the pink guitar?
A: I was looking for a versatile instrument and colour was not really an issue for me. However, I did have my doubts about the pink paisley pattern at first! I found out that this guitar was a 2002 reissue of a 1968 Fender Telecaster that James Burton used to play to back up Elvis. I enjoyed the way it played and the fact that it had noiseless pickups that were factory installed--at no extra charge! (For those that don't know, Fender electric guitars can be on the noisy side). Anyway, I bought it primarily for the sound, the versatility and how it felt when I played it. After awhile the colour began to grow on me (although not in the form of clothing), and I am now identified with this axe known as "Pinky". I also believe that it ties in nicely with the humorous side of my songwriting. I use this guitar for most of my recordings.