The artistry of Zack Thomas begins with the songs: lyrical narratives suspended on insistent hooks and memorable melodies. It's an accessible and economical sound, strung between tight, rocking rhythms and taut chords, fully charged with the undeniable power of commitment. Zack states simply, "I write songs that come out of who I am." Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, he knew by age ten that music was his calling. With a converted record player as an amplifier, he and his fledgling band made their debut performing at backyard parties and dances. It was enough to start the fire. After high school Zack relocated to Dallas, Texas. Sharing management with T-Bone Burnett's Alpha Band, success across the Southwest--opening shows and packing clubs soon followed. "It got real big, real fast," Zack recalls. But success had a darker side. He remembers thinking "this is taking control of my life." Inevitably, the band broke up. Fortunately travel, relocation and real-life experience followed. A road map of Zack's adopted hometowns includes Houston, Washington D.C. and Atlanta. When he returned full cycle to Cincinnati, it was with a renewed devotion to the art of song writing. "I was thinking about my life," says Zack, "and what is really important. It never stopped being music. I never stopped playing." It was only a short drive southward--so Zack moved to Nashville. "It was great to be in a town where song writing is king," recalls Zack, "and I got serious." He co-wrote, performed at writer's nights at the Boardwalk and The Bluebird, got married...but the road was still calling. "I was more pop-oriented," he explains, "and I started thinking California." On his self-titled debut CD/EP Zack's Nashville friends, including some of the most noted session players in town are very much in evidence. From demos of twenty-five songs, he selected four to record for a fully-mastered radio-ready release. These tracks, cut live in a studio near downtown Nashville, possesses the vibrant energy made only by live musicians in total touch with the music. A two-year adventure in southern California followed Nashville. Zack focused on live performance and marketing his music. A chance introduction to a radio promoter spawned the mass production of the self-titled CD/EP, "Zack Thomas," and pursuing radio promotion through another venue yielded the release of the first single, "Isn't It True?," which went nationwide to A/C, Hot A/C and Adult Top 40 Stations. The song climbed the Gavin Up & Coming chart and landed in the Gavin Top 40 as well as going to #7 on the New Music Weekly chart. Distribution through California-based Quicksilver put the Zack Thomas CD/EP within reach of people all over the US at major chains and online sources. Zack moved to Cincinnati in late 1999, where his current efforts include ongoing promotion of the CD, regional band and solo acoustic gigs and a national media campaign. Plans include recording a new batch of songs and keeping close tabs on a new artist in Spain who is recording several of Zack's songs for an upcoming album. Zack concludes. "People try to categorize writers and artists. I struggled with that a long time. Then I said 'why not just be me?' Everything that comes out is a product of everything I've heard or played in my life." Dan Kimpel/Music Connection/Los Angeles