EMQ’s with TDW
Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Amersfoort, The Netherlands based Progressive Symphonic Metal Project TDW. Huge thanks to songwriter, producer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, Tom de Wit, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
My name is Tom de Wit, I am a songwriter/producer, lead singer, and multi-instrumentalist. I create my own records under the name of TDW.
I have been doing that for 19 years now, and have released multiple solo albums over my career. The music can be described as Progressive Metal with symphonic influences in the broadest sense.
Everything can, and will, happen in my music, and I like taking people on an adventure inside their mind, and emotions, with my music.
Aside from that, I am the lead singer, and main songwriter, for Progressive Metal band, Dreamwalkers Inc. This band originally started as the live band to perform the TDW music in 2016, but has now evolved into its own band, and is now writing its own music. With Dreamwalkers Inc, we try to tell engaging and intense stories through our music, with many twists and turns.
How did you come up with your band name?
The TDW name was something I came up with when I started out, at 14 years old, because I didn’t just want to put my name on the albums. The name, ‘Tom de Wit’, is very… well, boring in The Netherlands, haha!
So, I felt that I needed to abbreviate it, to make it a bit more artistic and open for interpretation. Yes, it’s still my name abbreviated, as it’s my project, in which I write, record, and perform my own music, but it had an extra ring to it.
Also, as time went on, I started thinking about the concept of people who follow, and live, their dreams, and I called those “dreamwalkers”. The TDW abbreviation could also stand for “The Dream Walker”. That solidified the connection for me, as I try to live my life chasing my passions, and dreams as much as I can, in the music that I make.
This also connects to the fact that I call my fans and followers “dreamwalkers” as well. It’s become a term for those that support my creative endeavours, which I use lovingly.
And finally, in 2016, when I formed the live band to play the TDW music, I felt that it needed a specific name as well. So that’s when I came up with Dreamwalkers Inc.
I see a live band as an extension of the music you write and create. Like it’s a machine that performs the music you put inside of it. That is where the “inc” part came from. Almost like it’s an industry of dreams of sorts. I liked that the name, in a way, has many layers and contrasts. Also, the band name Dreamwalkers Inc can be its own thing besides TDW (as it now is becoming), but I like the fact that the fans of both the band, and my music, are connected by the Dreamwalker name.
What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
I am from The Netherlands, and I live in a city called Amersfoort. It’s a mid-sized city where I was born, and raised, and lived all my life. I love this place because it has all the good city stuff and resources, but it’s not as massive as some other cities are. I like the pleasant calmness that this place has. Regarding the metal scene, we used to have a pretty active hardcore punk and death metal scene, but these days, it’s really just bands doing their separate things. There’s not really an active scene here, and especially in my genre (the weirder and more proggy stuff). I am basically the only one doing it in this place. I am cool with it though.
I think that because I had to get out online, and in the press, etc, to find my fans and promote my stuff, I found a far more dedicated fanbase worldwide then I would find here in the local area. So, in a way, maybe I should be grateful to live in a city that has no scene, haha!
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
The newest TDW album is called “The Days The Clock Stopped” and was released digitally on 4th of December 2020, through Layered Reality Productions, with the physical copy to be released on 15th January 2021. This is my most personal album yet, and it has become a very intense musical journey of sorts.
It tells about the medical experiences I went through 11 years ago, when I was in and out of hospitals, due to a near-fatal bowel disease. This album explores what it feels like to have your body fail on you, and what that does to your psyche.
It is a very dark and intense album that will leave an impression to those who are willing to open themselves up to it, because it’s real. This is a complete work of nonfiction, in which I lay my mind, soul, and heart, bare for the world to see.
I have a special pre-order for this album, with all sorts of cool stuff like an exclusive t-shirt, hand-written lyric sheets, and even a custom-made song if fans donate enough! Pre-order link: www.tdwmusic.com/shop/
The final goal is to get this record out on vinyl! Right now, we are promoting this record, and the first music video has been released (link below) and more videos are coming.
Video link:
Who have been your greatest influences?
I notice that my music taste evolves over time, so the list gets broader and broader, but some names I will always return to like:
Frank Zappa, Pink Floyd, Toto, X Japan, Between The Buried And Me, Queen, Protest The Hero, Porcupine Tree, Genesis, Pain of Salvation, Threshold, Tool, Symphony X, Ark, Dream Theater, Metallica, Napalm Death, Rachmaninov and basically much more.
What first got you into music?
Apparently, as a kid, I was always making stuff, and was always creative. And I also sang a lot when I was younger. But I think the moment I consciously chose to become a musician was when I was 13 years old, and I was following my ambitions to become a videogame creator.
At the same time, I discovered Progressive Metal bands like Dream Theater, Symphony X and Pain of Salvation, and that sound, that musical freedom, opened a whole world to me.
I was working on an RPG videogame and needed a soundtrack. And it was when I had to think about that, that I dove into making music with the computer myself. I was just not able to play any instruments, or write music myself, but I figured I could just learn by doing it. So, in a weird way, I worked my way up from being someone who used samples to create orchestral sounding stuff, into the prog metal musician I am now. I walked the weirdest road ever in that regard. But I always had the drive to make the kind of music that inspired me. The videogame creation was then parked to the side, and I started focussing on music fully.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
I have been lucky to have had many great musicians guesting on my albums so far, so I actually already had some star struck moments here and there. But the first one that pops into my mind would be Paul Waggoner from Between The Buried And Me. I would love to have him guest on a song, or maybe write something together with him.
Also, I would love to work with someone like Melissa Auf Der Maur. She made some amazingly artistic and creative works in the past that I admire. Tori Amos comes to mind as well, in that same category.
And finally, working with Yoshiki from X Japan would basically be a dream come true. I will never be a star as big as he is, in his regard, but I would love to sing a song with him playing piano, or actually write like a full-on symphonic metal track with him!
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Loud Park in Japan. No contest. That is apparently one of the biggest fests, and I know that there is a strong following for progressive and melodic metal acts there. I think my music would fit right in there!
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Do unsolicited nude images count? Haha! No seriously, I don’t get gifts from fans. And that’s fine. They don’t owe me anything. 😊 I actually think it’s already a gift to me that so many people want to hear what I have to sing and play.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
No matter how hopeless things sometimes look, there’s always a moment that things get better. And don’t be afraid to search for help if you need it.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
That would be a tie between Frank Zappa or Freddy Mercury. Both had so much more to give to this world.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
For me, the creative part is the most important thing of being a musician. Writing music is really like conjuring magic in a way. You start with nothing, and then, as you start piecing notes together, something comes into being. That is a magical experience I will never get enough of. That’s why I want to spend my life writing as much music as I can.
The least fun part would be the promoting, and the continuous selling, and the rejection that comes with it. Like, I don’t mind promoting my music of course, but it sometimes feels like you give 3000 percent in everything you do, and still there will be press people out there who just don’t care, or don’t WANT to see it, even if you dangle it in front of their faces. That gets frustrating at times yes. But at the same time, for every person that doesn’t care, I see more and more people discovering my music and actually caring. So, I prefer to focus on the positive. If a bunch of journalists don’t see my music for what it is, but I do get messages from people saying that my music changed something in their lives, or gave them comfort, I think I know what I prefer to focus on. 😉
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
The way “becoming famous” works, I guess. Often, in the industry and business side, it is not about your music, or who you are. Instead, it’s all about who you know, and if someone higher up than you is willing to even acknowledge your existence. I know way too many musicians whose music is amazing, but they are just not heard, because that one promoter or agency is not interested in them. To me that feels unfair. This is partially why I started my own label and try to promote other bands as much as I can as well. If the big names don’t care enough, then I will. 😊
I think the music industry could be more friendly to new sounds and ideas, and also to bands that don’t just fill out the standard genre-formulas. Because now I just feel that a lot of great stuff ends up not being heard.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
“Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence” by Dream Theater.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
I like all media and collect all of these. So, I am not going to choose :P. Every media type has it’s uses. Sometimes I want to sit down and play some vinyl, sometimes I stream music from YouTube or Spotify, and sometimes I have a stack of CD’s next to me for when I am working on stuff. Every medium has its place, I think.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
I think that would be the show we played with Dreamwalkers Inc, on the 31st of August 2019, that became our live album, which we released earlier this year. It was a show in a wonderful theatre setting, that really just clicked, and worked. The show is on youtube for everyone to see.
Link here:
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
My day job next to being a musician is actually being an audio/video and web design technician in my own studio. So, if I was ever to stop making music, I would still be making things here in my own studio, I think.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Robin Williams, Frank Zappa, Freddy Mercury, Jim Carrey, John Oliver
I know most of them are dead, but this would be the best night EVER!
What’s next for the band?
For TDW, the next step is to work on the next batch of songs, that will be based on the prompts that I got from the pre-orders. So, in a way, the next album will already happen in 2021! This will be a digital only release though, but it’s gonna be fun to see what I can come up with, based on the input from those that pre-ordered.
For Dreamwalkers Inc, we are now already working on our new album, and that is going to be a concept record, which we will release in late 2021/early 2022. This is still in the writing stage though, so we are taking our time to make it really good.
There is enough going on, that’s for sure!
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
You can find TDW at:
www.tdwmusic.com
www.facebook.com/tdwmusic
www.instagram.com/tdwprog
www.twitter.com/tdwprog
You can find Dreamwalkers Inc at:
www.dreamwalkersinc.com
www.facebook.com/dreamwalkersinc
www.instagram.com/dreamwalkers_inc
Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?
I never had these things as we Dutch philistines don’t have Jaffa Cakes. However, judging on what I found on google, I would say CAKE. But that could also be because I like cake?! I AM HORRIBLY UNEQUIPPED TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION, HAHA!
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