Dear Grammy® voters please find "Advocate" for your kind consideration... in the Grammy® award category
"Best Spoken Word Poetry Album"
ADVOCATE ALBUM THEMES
Being human - we all face suffering. This, Tom Van Can's first spoken word album is a response to suffernig and healing through connecting with nature and passion through action and creativity.
Over the last few years. Tom Van Can has had cancer and various other serious illnesses over the last few years.
Creativity has kept him alive, as has a new found joy in restoring an overgrown garden and growing food and edible flowers and making up new recipes for bread and adult alcoholic ice-cream. Feeding his friends with home-grown and hand-made food allows him to forget physical pain.
Writing and producing songs and poetry has helped his path to recovery as has the physical strength, as a rower and boxer, he had just a few years ago.
Recently he has lost 55% of his body mass and was in ICU just a short while ago. But those frightening experiences - he was assaulted by an armed psychotic guy whilst on a drip on a hospital ward, for example, have both been wounding and strangely strengthening.
The poetic performances on Advocate aim to convey a three act structure - challenge, struggle and redemption, or, recovery. The album as a whole develops from pain and challenge towards a joyful note that looks towards a better future.
ADVOCATE
Artist: Tom Van Can / BirdSMITH
Album Length: 34 mins
TRACK LIST
-
Flying Fish And Diving Bird - length: 6:57
-
Magic - length: 1:29
-
Every Seven Years - length: 3:51
-
Too Many Love Songs - length: 1:31
-
Spring Will - length: 3:13
-
Bad Faith - length: 1:32
-
Cook’s Creed - length: 4:46
-
Dirty Sparkle - length: 1:29
-
La Magia - length: 1:34
-
Bread and Salt - length: 2:15
-
Verse For A Singer - length: 2:04
-
Looking Forward - length: 1:52
-
Song and Jubilation - length: 2:15
​
Recording Date: 2024 - 2025
Release Date: 08-28-2025​
ALBUM CREDITS
Producers: Tom Van Can
Liza Brown
Rachel Walker Mason
Vocal Producer/Director: Tom Van Can
Additional Vocal Producer: Guy Garvey - Too Many Love Songs, Dirty Sparkle
​
Executive Producer: David Westhead
Author of Spoken Word Poetry: Tom Van Can
Mixers: Tom Van Can, Liza Brown
Additional Mixer: Rich Aitken
Creative Consultant: Kitt Wakeley
Composer: Tom Van Can - all tracks
Co-Composer: Graham Kearns - Every Seven Years, Song and Jubilation
Co-Composer: Christian Drew - Flying Fish and Diving Bird
Mastering Engineer: Dick Beetham at 360 Mastering - album
Performer: Tom Van Can
Keys - Magic, Every Seven Years, Bad Faith, La Magia, Dirty Sparkle, Cook’s Creed, Looking Forward, Bread and Salt, Too Many Love Songs
Flute - Song and Jubilation
Additional and guest contributing performers:
Graham Kearns - Guitar ( Every Seven Years, Song and Jubilation )
Darren Becket - Drums ( Cooks' Creed )
Frank Hawkes - Marimba ( Song and Jubilation )
Jim Watson - Keys ( Cook’s Creed, Too Many Love Songs, Dirty Sparkle )
Antonia Pagulatos - Violin ( Spring Will )
Stella Page - Violin - ( Spring Will )
Phil Donnelly - Bas - ( Bread and Salt )
Tom Van Can wishes to the following guest performers for their contribution in support of his chosen charitable organations:
Adjoa Andoh - Flying Fish and Diving Bird
Hugh Bonneville - Magic
Stockard Channing - Every Seven Years
Racheal Stirling - Too Many Love Songs, Dirty Sparkle
Nimmy March - Spring Will
Sarah Parish - Bad Faith
David Westhead - Cook’s Creed
Jenice Lilo Thunderface Holguin - La Magia
Julie Graham - Bread and Salt
Layla Mason - Looking Forward
Celia Imrie - Song and Jubilation
​
​Charity and Campaigning
​
The Advocate album supports the Wembley To Soweto Foundation - an arts charity for vulnerable young adults globally focussing on photography and other arts to provide opportunity, training and education.
The Advocate Album also supports and will help to raise awareness of AYAC - Acting Your Age Campaign set up to “highlight and challenge the lack of meaningful representation of women over the age of 45 in the entertainment industry and to drive meaningful change for all women”
ADVOCATE ALBUM THEMES
Being human - we all face suffering.
Advocate, Tom Van Can's first spoken word poetry album is a response to suffering and healing through connecting with nature and passion through action and creativity.
Over the last few years. Tom Van Can has had cancer and various other serious illnesses over the last few years.
Creativity has kept him alive, as has a new found joy in restoring an overgrown garden and growing food and edible flowers and making up new recipes for bread and adult alcoholic ice-cream. Feeding his friends with home-grown and hand-made food allows him to forget physical pain.
Writing and producing songs and poetry has helped his path to recovery as has the physical strength, as a rower and boxer, he had just a few years ago.
Recently he has lost 55% of his body mass and was in ICU just a short while ago. But those frightening experiences - he was assaulted by an armed psychotic guy whilst on a drip on a hospital ward, for example, have both been wounding and strangely strengthening.
The poetic performances on Advocate aim to convey a three act structure - challenge, struggle and redemption, or, recovery. The album as a whole develops from pain and challenge towards a joyful note that looks towards a better future.
CHARITY AND CAMPAIGNING
​
Proceeds from Advocate support the Wembley To Soweto Foundation - an arts charity for vulnerable young adults globally focussing on photography and other arts to provide opportunity, training and education. It ains to give life-skills to disadvantaged young people, enabling them to move their lives forward and, ultimately, make a positive contribution to the society in which they live.
​
​
The Advocate Album also supports and will help to raise awareness of AYAC - Acting Your Age Campaign set up to “highlight and challenge the lack of meaningful representation of women over the age of 45 in the entertainment industry and to drive meaningful change for all women”
ADVOCATE ALBUM CREDITS
Artist: Tom Van Can / BirdSMITH
Album Length: 34 mins
​
TRACK LIST
-
Flying Fish And Diving Bird - length: 6:57
-
Magic - length: 1:29
-
Every Seven Years - length: 3:51
-
Too Many Love Songs - length: 1:31
-
Spring Will - length: 3:13
-
Bad Faith - length: 1:32
-
Cook’s Creed - length: 4:46
-
Dirty Sparkle - length: 1:29
-
La Magia - length: 1:34
-
Bread and Salt - length: 2:15
-
Verse For A Singer - length: 2:04
-
Looking Forward - length: 1:52
-
Song and Jubilation - length: 2:15
​
​
​
ALBUM CREDITS
Producers: Tom Van Can
Liza Brown
Rachel Walker Mason
Vocal Producer/Director: Tom Van Can
Additional Vocal Producer: Guy Garvey - Too Many Love Songs, Dirty Sparkle
​
Executive Producer: David Westhead
Author of Spoken Word Poetry: Tom Van Can
Mixers: Tom Van Can, Liza Brown
Additional Mixer: Rich Aitken
Creative Consultant: Kitt Wakeley
Composer: Tom Van Can - all tracks
Co-Composer: Graham Kearns - Every Seven Years, Song and Jubilation
Co-Composer: Christian Drew - Flying Fish and Diving Bird
Mastering Engineer: Dick Beetham at 360 Mastering - album
Performer: Tom Van Can
Keys - Magic, Every Seven Years, Bad Faith, La Magia, Dirty Sparkle, Cook’s Creed, Looking Forward, Bread and Salt, Too Many Love Songs
Flute - Song and Jubilation
Additional and guest contributing performers:
Graham Kearns - Guitar ( Every Seven Years, Song and Jubilation )
Darren Becket - Drums ( Cooks' Creed )
Frank Hawkes - Marimba ( Song and Jubilation )
Jim Watson - Keys ( Cook’s Creed, Too Many Love Songs, Dirty Sparkle )
Antonia Pagulatos - Violin ( Spring Will )
Stella Page - Violin - ( Spring Will )
Phil Donnelly - Bas - ( Bread and Salt )
Tom Van Can wishes to the following guest performers for their contribution in support of his chosen charitable organations:
Adjoa Andoh - Flying Fish and Diving Bird
Hugh Bonneville - Magic
Stockard Channing - Every Seven Years
Racheal Stirling - Too Many Love Songs, Dirty Sparkle
Nimmy March - Spring Will
Sarah Parish - Bad Faith
David Westhead - Cook’s Creed
Jenice Lilo Thunderface Holguin - La Magia
Julie Graham - Bread and Salt
Layla Walker Mason - Looking Forward
Celia Imrie - Song and Jubilation
​
​
Recording Date: 2024 - 2025
Release Date: 08-28-2025​
Copyright: Tom Van Can
