Toronto, Canada (Top40 Charts/ Independent Records) - Toronto based singer-songwriter
Peter Bloom has the perfect gift for all those people who let fear prevent them from breaking free and reaching their potential. Drawing emotional strength and wisdom from his own powerful personal life experiences, Bloom offers
Random Thoughts (from a paralyzed mind), his insightful, musically and lyrically compelling debut that chronicles his dramatic shift from years of self-doubt (and physical problems with his voice) to his current emergence as a critically acclaimed, award winning artist and performer.
His newly assembled band's first gig in December 2007 at The Cameron House-one of the city's hip musical venues-saw many fans lining up after the show to buy CDs and get autographs. Leading up to Random Thoughts' official national March 2008 release, The Peter Bloom Band is also set to play Toronto hotspot The Horseshoe and headline for over 1,000 people at a benefit show for DANI (Developing and Nurturing Individuals), a local organization that raises money to help special needs people become more independent. One review described his live performance as "pure heart and raw energy." People everywhere are finding themselves inspired by Bloom's heartfelt reflections on breaking through the "Walls"-one of the more poignant tracks on the album-that prevent us from living fully until it's too late.
Individual tracks from Random Thoughts have already dominated a handful of high profile competitions in his home base of Ontario and beyond. The opening track "Let It Go" was chosen last August as "Song of the Month" in the pop category for the international Song Of The Year competition, automatically entering it in the running for Song of the Year. Bloom won two 2007 Toronto Exclusive Music Awards, for Best Rock Song ("Helping Hand") and Best Rock Group; was nominated for a 2007 Ontario Independent Music Award for Best Rock Song ("Walls"); and was runner-up in both the regional Radio Star 2007 (99.9 Mix FM) and the Toronto Indie Week 2006 singer/songwriter competitions. That same year, he also won Honorable Mention in the Billboard World Song Contest.
Bloom's life as a professional musician reaches back to the 90s, when in his native Montreal he was lead singer and drummer for The Elementals, an alt rock band that morphed into the more traditional rock band Furious Styles; he was drummer and backup singer for this group. Furious Styles had a local radio hit, sold out local pubs and major Montreal club venues, such as Club Soda and The Spectrum, and performed at local colleges and universities including McGill and Concordia. After moving to Toronto, he pursued voice work and landed on two popular Toronto rock station morning shows; he did comic characters on 102.1 The Edge and briefly hosted for Y-108. Meanwhile, his musical pursuits were sidelined for a time by a voice disorder called Muscle Tension Dysphonia (MTD), which took several years to overcome.
Though Random Thoughts is best enjoyed as a full length collection that uses dramatic swings of musical and lyrical highs and lows to convey the rich textures of Bloom's life story, there are a few standout tracks. The Five For Fighting-like "Let It Go" is about leaving the heavy emotional baggage of life behind in order to discover joyful, optimistic future; Bloom was letting go of his fears and vocal troubles, but it could just as easily apply to toxic relationships or addictions. "Walls" is about the meaning of life as seen through the eyes of a soldier who, we learn at the end, is about to die; it's an emotional tale of marveling at life while wondering about unfinished business. "I Haven't Hit The Floor Yet" is another hard hitting, thought provoking track and was inspired by the father of Bloom's best friend who has shown remarkable courage in living with Alzheimer's Disease.
