Tom Hipps: News

Please be advised that the FROM ORDINARY band appearance at the HOPE Festival in Rochester on Sunday, August 15 has been cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control. The festival is still being held, although live music performance times have been changed... check their Facebook site for details. Sorry for any inconvenience!

I'm excited and honored to have been invited to lead the music worship for 3 Sundays in a row at the church I grew up in, Pleasant Valley Church in Winona, MN. It is a wonderful place where I have many treasured memories since I began attending in about 7th grade, along with my mom, sisters, cousins and friends. Even though I moved to the Minneapolis area several years ago, I have returned to Winona and spent every Christmas Eve with my family and the fine folks at PV, as we call it. Pastor Rick Iglesias is an engaging teacher/preacher who challenges and inspires. I will be appearing with the worship band August 1, 8 and 15. Services are at 9am and 10:45am each Sunday.

After all the preperation and anticipation, Crossfest 2010 is wrapped up. I had a wonderful time playing a 45-minute set on Saturday with my band, From Ordinary. Also enjoyed hanging out with other musicians and the hardworking staff of this great event. If you missed it, mark your calendar for next year! Check out some photos on the "Photo Gallery" page.

Today marks the release of my brand new digital single, "Waiting For You". It is currently available exclusively through CD Baby, the best source of great indie music, for only 99 cents per download. (It will also soon be available on iTunes and most other major online music retailers.)

"Waiting For You" is possibly the most emotional song I have written. It is a power ballad tinged with shades of Coldplay and/or Queen. Writing it was a deeply satisfying experience and I had a great time recording it with my longtime producer, Michael Nelson. I sincerely hope you like it and may even relate to the honest, soul-baring lyrics.

http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/TomHipps

From Ordinary. The new name of the Tom Hipps Band is taken from our song, "From Ordinary", written by me and my longtime drummer and best pal, Gordy Overing. He and I, along with Kevin, Phil and TJ have been in rehearsals and are pumped for our June 26, 1pm Crossfest appearance. Make this show if you can... it will be our first with this lineup, and we want you to share the experience with us. See the "calendar" page on this site for more details, and go to the "photos" page/Photo of the Week and click on the thumbnail to see the new logo. Also watch for our exclusive band website coming soon!

My father, Mark C. Hipps, passed away April 26, 2010 at 6:15pm. He wasn't a perfect dad by any means, but we had many good times and in the past couple of years, he began to say "I love you" to those close to him. He also had made his peace with God, and I know for a fact he's in heaven. I had no idea I would miss him this much, this soon. Please see his photo in the Photo of the Week section on this site (click on it to enlarge).

I'm excited to announce that the Tom Hipps Band reformation is COMPLETE! After weeks of searching for the right players, I've discovered that old friends can never be replaced... in other words, all the "new" members are friends of mine that I have played with at different times in my career, and I couldn't be happier. The stars aligned... or more accurately, God had a good plan! They are an extremely talented bunch of guys and you may recognize some names. My bandmates are: Gordy Overing (drums & vocals); Kevin Schuyler (bass guitar & vocals); TJ Cornish (keyboards & vocals); and Phil "Flip Stout" Rundle (guitar & vocals).

And... the Tom Hipps Band will be RENAMED! We decided that it would be cool to come up with a new name that doesn't focus on one individual. That worked ok in the past because I wrote all the songs and the lineup changed frequently. But we want this to be fresh and new. We'll all be contributing to the creative process, and will debut lots of new songs on the coming months, which will eventually lead to a new record.

Stay tuned!!!

UPDATE: Through this promotion (see below), CD Baby and its artists raised $24,000 toward earthquake relief for Haiti!

* * *

Starting on Monday, January 25th and continuing for two weeks, the online independent music outlet CD Baby (my favorite!) will donate $1 from every CD sale, and $1 from every download sale over $8.99, to the American Red Cross and to Mercy Corps, a Portland-based relief organization with a large presence in Haiti. With your help, we hope to raise tens of thousands of dollars.

I will also match their $1 donation for every sale of my CD's or downloads. That's $2 per CD or minimum $8.99 download that goes to the relief effort in Haiti.

There's no better time to both support independent artists AND help out some people in desperate need. Please go to the "Buy" page of this website and click on the "Buy this CD at CD Baby" link to be routed to the CD Baby website. Thanks and God Bless!

I''m excited the Tom Hipps Band has been asked to appear at Crossfest USA again this summer! This year's festival (held in Lewiston, MN) promises to be even bigger than ever, and will feature some of the finest acts in Christian music today, including Mark Schultz, Rush of Fools, Chris and Conrad, Everyday Sunday and Sarah Reeves. There will also be Minnesota Vikings coaches and players hanging out on Saturday, and stay tuned for an announcement regarding a surprise guest speaker (it's not official yet, but we're crossing our fingers:) Mark your calendar for the weekend of June 25-27 and plan to join us. I'll be updating info on this site as it develops, and visit www.crossfestusa.com for all the details.

Snow, snow, and more snow! But you know, I really don't mind it. Oh sure, I hate getting stuck in my driveway as much as anyone... that just happened a couple of days ago... but for some reason, the older I get, the more I enjoy winter. Having a good snowblower, a good heater in the car and a warm house with two fireplaces sure helps! And, I'm happy for the folks who run ski resorts or make/sell snowmobiles and other winter gear... not to mention the snowplow drivers... anything that helps people keep working in this bleak economy should be welcomed. Next Saturday, me and my Little Brother (BBBS) are going snowshoeing for the first time. It's a half-hour lesson, then a one-hour hike... hope I can keep up!

Had a great time at the Cup A Joe's gig Friday night. This weekend, it's off to Rochester for a Friday evening Costello & Hipps show at the Canadian Honker, then to Wellington's in Winona for a Tom Hipps Trio performance Saturday night.

And... I was rooting for the Colts, but who can be upset about the New Orleans Saints bringing some Super Bowl joy to that city? Next year, Vikings! Come back, Brett Favre!!!

Hey everyone... I hope you had a thankful Thanksgiving, a Christ-centered Christmas, and an enjoyable New Year's Eve, however you chose to spend it (check "past dates" on the calendar page for a brief recap of our show at the Gold Nugget). Although it was a busy and somewhat stressful time, overall I really enjoyed the Season... performing Christmas music at our shows, shopping for loved ones, listening to the beautiful carols and especially being "home" at mom's in Winona surrounded by family (and dogs!). My annual Christmas Singles Party was a blast, and my "Little Brother" and I (we're in the BBBS Program) shared a really special evening at my house, having dinner and exchanging gifts. He gave me a great book about the history of the MN music scene. I haven't started it yet, but I'm looking forward to reading it. I gave him a remote controlled car, and we had a fun time playing with it in my kitchen.

Now, we head into a new year, 2010. It's easy to think, "Geez, another year passed and I'm not getting any younger... what have I really accomplished..." BUT, it's better to think, "Wow, another year of possibilities lies ahead! What can I do to make this a special year?"

One thing I am going to work more sincerely at is SONGWRITING. In the past year, I've come up with some really fine song ideas... I think my best ever... but most are not completed. My goal is to finish up and demo at LEAST a full album's worth of material, and then some. My plan is to record the album in my home studio first. What I don't want to do this time around is quickly breeze through the writing and recording process. That's why I'm going to record the songs at home, then spend as much time as needed listening and re-listening and fine tuning them gradually. When they're as ready as I feel they're going to be, only then will I have them professionally recorded. I'm pumped, and can't wait to (eventually) share these songs with you!

My brother, Dr. Richard S. Hipps, has just released his latest book, "The Focused Life". I'm anxious to read it, and I hope you will consider picking up a copy as well. He is a gifted speaker and writer, and a heck of a guy!

Here is a link where the book can be purchased:
http://www.iuniverse.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?Book=154791
It's also available on Amazon.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.

Just want to take a moment and wish you all a Merry Christmas. I love this time of year... the music, the decorations, the goodies, the parties, the presents (receiving is nice but I truly enjoy giving even more), Christmas trees, and LIGHTS! I think I love the lights best of all. Someone once said that if you find yourself getting jaded by all the hubbub and commercialism that takes place this time of year, imagine that every single light you see on a Christmas tree or display represents a soul who has found Heaven. Ever since I heard that, I look at Christmas lights in a new, more meaningful way. The other thing is to remember why we celebrate... the birth of Jesus Christ, the gift of God who is equally available to all.

God Bless each and every one of you this Christmas, and through the New Year. Thank you for being loyal fans and friends!

Finally made it to Graceland recently. Memphis, Tennessee. Birthplace of Rock n' roll, cradle of the blues, and home of my brother Richard, who preaches at Trinity Baptist. The Civil Rights Museum, Sun Studios, Beale Street, damn good barbeque at Marlowe's, warm southern hospitality, Gus's Fried Chicken... and perhaps most famously known for Graceland, the home (and final resting place) of Elvis Presley, purchased in 1957 for $100,000. The tour winds through the various rooms of the downstairs of the house (the upstairs, Elvis' private quarters, are roped off). If you care at all about Elvis, there's an odd mix of emotion... but mostly I felt a warmth, easily imagining the Presley family having many good times there, and almost feeling at moments like I was eavesdropping.

The tour concludes in the Meditation Gardens, where the Presleys are buried. I got All Shook Up and couldn't speak.

(See the "Graceland" group in the Photo Gallery for pics... click on thumbnail to enlarge photos and read captions)

On the PHOTOS page, click on a given photo to enlarge it and read the caption.

On the CALENDAR page, to read the "gig diary" (recaps of recent shows played) click on "show past dates". To go to the website of the listed Venues, click on their name.

On the MUSIC page, click on the song title to see the lyrics and short stories behind the songs.

To purchase TOM HIPPS music, click on the "Buy this CD at CD Baby" link. Whole CD's and individual songs are available.

Both Tom Hipps albums, Everybody & Their Brother and Then Went the Demons are now available for sale digitally at about 370 Christian retail locations across the U.S. via in-store kiosks!