Italy digs on the music of local singer-songwriter Thom Chacon. He’s one of many roots/folk/Americana musicians who sells just as many, if not more, records outside America.
Chatham County Line, Otis Gibbs, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club and a handful of punk rockers who cross the ocean only with an acoustic guitar have all found success in various corners of Europe. For Chacon, it’s Italy, his success coming from organic, word-of-mouth hype that landed him on the cover of Italian music magazine Buscadero in 2018.
“I have what I would say is a very modest fan base; nonetheless, some people are listening, so that’s where I go,” said the gruff-voiced Chacon, who, too, is slightly surprised yet appreciative of his overseas success. “One of my records made it to Italy, somebody gave it to somebody and it made its way to this fellow by the name of Paolo Caru, who owns Buscadero magazine. And Paulo really liked the album and gave it a great review in his publication. Next thing I knew, I had a booking agent and some offers from a couple different labels, and directly after that I was over there trying to facilitate whatever I could in terms of getting my albums to as many people as I could.”
Italy and the rest of Europe is where Chacon was going to release his next record and kick off his next tour, ahead of the American release date. That release and tour is now on hold, leaving Chacon plenty of time to investigate and participate in other ventures of the music and family variety. Married and raising two kids, Chacon has recently appeared on a couple compilations; one to support a festival put on by Buscadero, where was joined by folkie Mary Gauthier for a cover of John Prine’s “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness,” the other for a Townes Van Zandt tribute, a compilation that places Chacon alongside some great company.
“I always liked ‘Still Lookin’ For You,’ so that’s the one I covered on that album,” he said. “It’s a fun project to be involved in. Joe Ely, Terry Allen, Slaid Cleaves, there’s some really great artists on that record.”
While also playing the waiting game, Chacon has continued to write, as he admits he’s “always working on a record in one way or another.” Writing is one thing in the music business that COVID-19 has not interrupted, and as the parent of young children and a writer with the mindset of “write what you know,” the world is providing plenty of fodder for Chacon to get onto paper and into song.
“I do find myself being inspired to write about not only my kids but the world, in a much bigger picture than I ever saw it,” he said. “I look at them, it’s a big motivator to write songs, work harder and be better.”
One place Chacon would like his music to land would be in the hands of other artists, or in the television and film industry. That’s a road that can take your career to a new, household level.
“I finally pulled the trigger and signed a publishing deal with a company called Big Deal Music. It’s a new muscle I’m trying to exercise, writing for different things and thinking outside of my wheelhouse. It’s been a lot of fun; we haven’t landed any jobs, but its pretty cool, they’re super-nice people, so we’re just exploring that,” he said. “With COVID, it’s a great time to be working on things like that because I can do it from home. I’m not so freaked out about not touring like I would have been because I can still focus and try to write a song for a movie or TV show. So I’m working on that as hard as I can. It’s a new thing, but it could be a good thing.”
Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager. Reach him at liggett_b@fortlewis.edu.
