Here Comes Tommy Conwell, Red Hot and Ready for SuccessBy Carrie Stetler and The Morning Call
April 24, 1987
By next year, Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers should be famous. "And if there's any justice in this world, it won't be a miserable, heartbreaking experience," says Conwell, lead singer of the Philadelphia-based band, which performs tomorrow night at Kutztown University.
Although he jokes about the psychological ravages of success, Conwell knows that, at least, he's got no reason to worry about his climb to the top. Since January, when Conwell and the Young Rumblers released their debut LP, "Walkin' On The Water," every major record label in the county has offered them a contract. As yet, the band is still deciding who to sign with.
Big-time producer Rick Chertoff (who produced hit debut albums for Cyndi Lauper and The Hooters) wants to produce Conwell's next album and recently helped him get a guitar-playing spot on one track of singer Patty Smyth's latest LP, "Never Enough." Through it all, major Philadelphia radio stations continue to give Young Rumblers singles like "Walkin' on the Water" and "Here I Come" heavy airplay.
As if that's not enough, Conwell has become an object of adoration. After the bands' live shows, people routinely come up to Conwell and tell him how much they love him. Because he's so good-looking, teen-age girls scream when Conwell and the Young Rumblers (who are also good-looking) play high school gigs. Throngs of teen-agers line up at record stores just to get his autograph. It's no wonder that Conwell, 25, occasionally worries if he's becoming conceited. " . . . Sometimes it's confusing, like 'Oh jeez, people are telling me I'm great and I don't want to get a big head . . . ' " he confessed during a recent telephone interview.
Stardom, possible stardom, even local stardom, can make some people selfish and amoral. Conwell, however, has adjusted to it well enough to remain a nice, slightly introspective guy. This not only makes him a pleasantly honest telephone interviewee; it makes him the kind of of rock star women like for being "sensitive."
The lyrics to Conwell's love songs are tenderly direct and sincere; so is his aching, throaty delivery. "Take my hand/ Take your turn/ Love's on fire/ But it won't burn," he sings reassuringly during the chorus to "Love's on Fire." On another song, Conwell insecurely asks a girl he's broken up with: "Do you still believe in me?" Add to these sentiments catchy melodies and plaintive guitar hooks and you have the stuff romantic bubblegum music is made of. "I write best when I'm in love," Conwell admits. " . . . I need someone to write to. I'm not an angry writer; I'm not an angry person. I think I stuff my anger somewhere so I don't have to deal with it."
Don't be misled by such gentleness, however. Conwell doesn't consider himself a future centerfold for Tigerbeat, the teen fanzine. He wants to appeal to both sexes and all age groups, and believes that so far he's pretty much succeeded.
"I don't think our band would ever woo kiddie magazines," Conwell says, reflecting upon the nature of upcoming Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers publicity.
". . . I don't want people (at our live shows) to scream because I'm wearing tight pants; I don't necessarily want them to scream. They can do what they want, as long as they like the music, that's alright with me . . . I wouldn't want to be like Bruce Hornsby and have all my fans over 30, but I wouldn't want to be like a-ha or Duran Duran either."
Although they're certainly cuter and dreamier than Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon (though perhaps not as cute as Nick Rhodes), Conwell and the Young Rumblers are diverse and skillful rockers, too. Their live cover versions include everything from 1960s acid rock hits to Roger Miller's country and western crossover classic, "King of the Road." Most of Conwell's fast songs have a blues-rock edge, and he's no slouch on the guitar. He is, in fact, a serious musician. As a University of Delaware student he performed in a punk band, a pop combo, a jazz quartet, and a blues band, all at the same time. "Needless to say, I wasn't on the dean's list, but I had hell of a lot of fun," Conwell recalls fondly.
A native of Bala Cynwyd, Montgomery County, Conwell founded the Young Rumblers "on Feb. 24, 1984." The present lineup is composed of members that Conwell met in and around the Philadelphia area: bassist Paul Slivka, drummer Jim Hannum, guitarist Chris Day and keyboardist Rob Miller (a former Hooters member). Despite an awkward beginning ("Plenty of people are surprised that we lasted for even a year," Conwell says), the band quickly became The Next Big Thing.
In the last few months, people have been telling them that any day now, they will be famous rock stars. Conwell thinks he can handle it when and if the time comes because he and the band have worked hard for their success: playing six nights a week, driving themselves to obscure venues in small Pennsylvania towns, taking performance classes and singing lessons, and constantly trying to improve their songwriting and musicianship.
"Now if we do have whatever success we're gonna have in the future, I'm not going to feel guilty." Conwell says evenly. "I'm not going to feel confused about it and I'm not going to feel uncomfortable. And when someone comes up and tells me 'Hey, we love you,' which they do sometimes, I don't have to say 'Aw schucks, get out of here.' I can just say thank you and not get weird about it. I can just take it for what it is."
Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers perform at 8 p.m. tomorrow at Keystone Hall, Kutztown University, Kutztown. Tickets are available at Ticketron, the usual area ticket outlets and are expected to be available at the door. The concert is presented by Makoul Productions. For information, call 821-0906.
Carrie Stetler is a free-lance writer on entertainment for The Morning Call.
