Stringing and Singing

A NEW MUSICAL DUO, The Blocked Toms is taking over the Mountain Lakes music scene.

Except neither one of them is actually named Tom.

Brian Savage works in law and Andrew Armani works with paws. The two Mountain Lakes dads crossed paths by way of their children and the simple sighting of a guitar at a party.

So, one string led to another, and in late 2020, the two dads started collaborating and took their show on the road, making their debut appearance at a Fourth of July

house party in Mountain Lakes.

The duo identifies as “plugged-in acoustic,” and their genres run the gamut from classic to ’90s rock, folk, and pop as well as current hits—think Chappell Roan and Taylor Swift.

“We try to play songs that—if we heard some band covering at a party or a bar—we’d think ‘wow, I love that song, and I can’t believe they’re playing it,’” Savage says. “That may include older songs that you don’t hear every day, but you remember them well, even well enough to sing along, and maybe they bring back some cool memories from years ago.”

A sample from a playlist hits all the notes from:“You’re So Bad” (Tom Petty), “Anti-Hero” (Taylor Swift), “Everywhere” (Fleetwood Mac), “I Wanna Get Better” (Bleachers), “Blister in the Sun” (Violent Femmes), “Dial Drunk Duet” (Noah Kahn and Post Malone), and “Don’t Look Back in Anger” (Oasis), to name a handful.

This past summer, they performed at Island Beach as part of the borough’s summer concert series, and they recently raised the roof at Herdtemberfest, the annual high school football fundraiser, which is held at a private residence. The pair also takes the stage for charitable causes such as Taste of Chatham.

BEHIND THE NAME

The Blocked Toms pays homage to Armani’s veterinary background and refers to a condition in a male cat. “It’s not a good condition,” he says. “Basically, the cat can’t go to the bathroom (number one).”

There’s also the reference to foolery as in tomfoolery, Armani adds. The Blocked Toms put themselves on the map mostly via the house party circuit, and word of mouth travels fast. To date, they have amassed 4.5 hours of songs. The two of them have drawn their inspirations from The Band, Grateful Dead, Bleachers, and David Grey.

The musicians are self-taught with Savage picking up the guitar in his teens and Armani in his 20s. They jammed their way through college right up until graduate school when the guitars took a backseat to books.

ONTO MOUNTAIN LAKES

So, how did two out-of-state guitarists wind their way into Mountain Lakes?

Savage made his way here in 2019 following a job relocation from Philadelphia to Parsippany. Shortly after, he and his wife Julie landed a blurb in a local newspaper for purchasing a home that dates back to 1915. In addition to music, the two men also discovered and share a passion for old houses, and Mountain Lakes is full of them.

Armani, a Maryland native, found his way here in 2018, but only after taking Florida for a test drive first.

“We moved here for the schools,” Armani says. “But we love it here. It’s such a strong

community.” In juggling work, family, and pets, they’re taking their side hustle in stride. “It’s just a lot of fun and a great outlet,” Armani says.

It also helps to have supportive spouses as well as musically-inclined children, who occasionally like to share the spotlight with their dads on stage. The up-and-coming

Armani kids include Annalise (15), Stella (13), and Martin (10), while the Savage kiddos are Bernie (12), Rudy (8), and Uzi (6).

And for the record, both musicians are also proud pet parents; Armani is owned by two dogs, Louis and Giorgi, and the Savages are owned by one of each, a dog Jenny and a cat Richard—but he is not a Blocked Tom.

BY ELLEN S. WILKOWE