Music
Read this feature profile on Tommy’s work by Alex Hanson in the Valley News (April 2023)
“Crawford is an engaging songwriter and a talented multi-instrumentalist, and both are evident in abundance on Athena and the Moon.” — Chris Farnsworth, Seven Days VT
“Composer Tommy Crawford supplies arresting music, as moody and unpredictable as the story.” (Heisenberg at Northern Stage)
— Seven Days VT
“An original score by Tommy Crawford, a composer new to the area, imaginatively and successfully underscored the play.” (Heisenberg at Northern Stage)
— Eagle Times
“…the best staging of William Shakespeare’s delightful comedy that I’ve ever seen…The cast of 12 includes the band/theater collective The Lobbyists that provides original music via violin, electric guitars, ukulele, piano, drums and percussion, from Elizabethan tunes to a touch of heavy metal. Yes, really, and it works! It’s pure gold when everything comes together so impressively well – cast, creative team, musicians, crew – that the audience bestowed five rounds of applause in the first act alone…Don’t miss it. It’s flawless.” (Twelfth Night at Two River Theater)
— Two River Times
“Director Sara Holdren delivers the fun in her dynamic production. Her decision to team up with the theater collective and band The Lobbyists is ambitious and rewarding. Tommy Crawford, music director and member of The Lobbyists, stars as Feste the wise fool. His ballads string together the play's events; we follow the notes of irony and sadness throughout this story of mistaken identities, intended schemes, and pure loneliness. Crawford is joined on stage by fellow members Tony Aidan Vo and Will Turner, who also play various roles in the cast. They entertain the audience with bursts of punk, folk, and rock music -- a blast to watch. With a full range of instruments -- acoustic and electric guitars, ukulele, piano, and drums -- they create a live concert wrapped within the story of the play.” (Twelfth Night at Two River Theater)
— New Jersey Stage
"The song that soon follows, 'Sing Me Silence, SeaWife,' is the most haunting of the show. Starting with a simple, lovely melody, it moves through rich chord changes and swells with stunning harmonies. This piece reflects the aesthetics of The Lobbyists at their very best, and I know of few other groups today who can match their range of expression.' (SeaWife at the White Heron Theater)
— Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror
The songs are “marvelous,” the musicianship “impressive,” and the performances “alluring.” (SeaWife at South Street Seaport)
— The New York Times
“This Naked Angels ‘concert play’ stars the undeniably talented musicians of the indie–folk rock group the Lobbyists, who sail through a musical tempest of rousing drinking songs, mournful ballads, and rock anthems with brio” (SeaWife at South Street Seaport)
– Village Voice
“[SeaWife is] rocking the house down at the South Street Seaport Museum with absolutely gorgeous music and an insanely talented young cast that all play their own instruments. Imagine a nautical Once but without all the Czech baggage.” (SeaWife at South Street Seaport)
– Broadway Box
"The music directed by Tommy Crawford is especially forceful and resonant throughout, with haunting, propulsive renditions of spirituals and other folk songs performed a cappella by the ensemble, with plenty of stomping and lurching -- work songs for those who want more than anything to find steady work. It's a powerful portrayal of an awfully dark time in our nation's history that can't help but bring to mind how many of its ills aren't over yet." (The Grapes of Wrath with Ubuntu)
— Oakland Tribune / Bay Area News Group
“The arrangements and musicianship [are] beyond impressive.” (SeaWife at South Street Seaport)
— Times Square Chronicle
”And speaking of singing, a top-notch quartet (let’s call them the Fab Four for fun), with music director Tommy Crawford on lead guitar, provides rollicking musical interludes. The musicians bust out Beatles-like favorites using a mixture of traditional instruments (banjo and upright bass), and household items (washboards and spoons). They capture the period’s skiffle sound, a fusion of jazz, blues and American folk, and lend spontaneity and joy to the production.” (One Man, Two Guvnors at Chautauqua Theater Co.)
- The Chautauquan Daily
“...like a Greek chorus of one, Tommy Crawford strolled through the rubble, strumming a guitar and singing tough commentaries on the events — music, by the way, that deserves a life after this well-done show.” (The Burial at Thebes)
- San Diego Reader
Tommy and fellow Lobbyists featured on Pix 11's Backstage on Broadway with SeaWife at the South Street Seaport: