Tom Freund

Tom Freund
Tom performing in 2010
Background information
Birth name	Thomas Hagström Freund
Born	(1968-08-28) August 28, 1968 (age 48) New York City United States
Genres	Folk rock, alternative rock, surf rock, jam rock, americana
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Guitar, ukulele, piano, double bass, mandolin
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Cardas, Red Ant, Surf Road Records
Associated acts	Ben Harper The Silos
Website	Official web site

Tom Freund is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Freund's music consists of elements of folk rock, americana and alternative rock. Freund met Ben Harper when he was attending Pitzer College in Claremont, California. In 1992 the duo released an album, Pleasure and Pain. Not long after, he joined the alternative country group The Silos as their bassist, and moved to Austin, Texas. He released his debut solo album, North American Long Weekend, in 1998 and has released albums on his own Surf Road Records since 2000. While releasing his own music, Tom has also contributed to albums by artists including Graham Parker, Mandy Moore, and Josh Kelley. Some of his work, including "Copper Moon", appeared on the TV program One Tree Hill, while other songs have appeared on Dawson's Creek and Parenthood.

Tom attended Horace Mann School, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School and Greenwich High School. During high school, Tom was a member of the jazz ensemble as an upright bass player. He was also a member of the prestigious Tri-State McDonald's High School Jazz Ensemble, which landed him an audition with Elizabeth Swados. Swados was impressed by his musical talents and cast Tom in her 1987 production of Swing as a part of the Next Wave festival at BAM. In the production, Tom played guitar, upright bass and sang both a solo number and as a member of the ensemble. After graduating high school, Freund immediately became involved in the Off Broadway theater scene while taking classes at Columbia University. During this time, Tom was also playing clubs in New York City and doing some TV music work. In 1991, Tom enrolled at Pitzer College. Through a mutual friend, Freund met Ben Harper. The two formed a duo and in 1992 released a record on Cardas Records entitled Pleasure and Pain.