Long Live The Queen By Bill Gruber Program Director for WAPS 91.3/90.7 The Summit - Akron, OH Moving to the Akron area circa 1985 as a student at Kent State University, I had already missed the first phase of the musical career of Tracey Thomas, the years with bands Unit 5 and Gone to Egypt, dating back to her teenage days. After college, and early in my career at radio station WAPS in Akron, I became aware of the voice and music of Tracey Thomas during her early '90s tenure with the band Persona 74. The local Akron music scene then was ripe with musicians earnestly pursuing that era's alterna-rock style and stardom, with low studio budgets and perhaps a bit too much infatuation with bands like Depeche Mode. One day, along comes some big old open reel tapes with nicely produced material, sung with heart, played with Polish, and boasting lyrics of a more adult, reflective nature. The band was Persona 74, the vocalist was Tracey Thomas, and I was hooked. One of these demos included a charming, hand-written note from Tracey, a note that could go down as the most self-deprecating, low self-esteem missive in the history of music. For whatever the reason, those lovely Persona 74 demos never saw the light of day as a finished album release. On many levels, perhaps sharing a band name with a brand of razor blades wasn't such a good idea. Tracey went through some hellish personal moments during these years. Personal trauma has proven to be one of music's greatest muses. In Tracey's case, she channeled life's challenges - and later victories - into her solo debut album, the magnificent and often grandiose Standing Alone. It was around this time I got to know Tracey as a person, not just a voice on record, only growing my respect and appreciation for who she is and what she does. For the first time in years, she began a regular live performance schedule, further cementing my appreciation. Standing Alone was followed by the more acoustic and restrained Poet Tree CD. It was with this album Tracey seemed to gain the self-confidence worthy of her musical and lyrical accomplishments. Around this time, I humorously confronted Tracey with that rambling note she had written almost a decade earlier, asking her what advice she could pass on to the insecure young singer-songwriter who penned it. As she began reading her hand-written own words from what seemed a lifetime ago, her eyes widened and she began repeating, on my god this was me, this was me!! At that moment, it was obvious that Tracey Thomas had arrived, both professionally and personally. While fame and fortune officially eluded her, Tracey was at peace with herself, her life, her family, and her friends. In recent years, Tracey has continued to release albums when the time felt right, whether the glossy and ambitious Lights (2001), the stripped down and rootsy Dancing In Cairo (2003), or the confident and genuine Ghost Town (2007). Tracey has performed locally in the corner of her husband's Time Traveler record store, in dozens of smoky music venues that have mostly come and gone, to the 3,000 seat majesty of the historic Akron Civic Theatre, as well as travelling to Big Apple showcases at Danceteria and CBGB's. Tracey has shared the stage with six decades of musical greats, ranging from pop traditionalists like Judy Collins and Melanie, to rocked out moments with punk/new wave legends Tin Huey, Black Flag, and The Dead Boys, to the 21st century blues-rock phenomenon, The Black Keys. It is 2012 now; time for both the next phase of the recorded life of Tracey Thomas, her Queen of Nothing album of all new material, and, the first-ever Best of collection of her recorded material going back to the Unit 5 days and covering over 30 years of her career. If this is all new to you, welcome to the music of Tracey Thomas. Spend some time and hear what you've been missing. If Tracey Thomas has been a part of your life, congratulations and welcome to the latest chapter in the words and music of Tracey Thomas. Queen of Nothing has arrived; long live The Queen. Queen of Not
