One of my old buddies from freshman year, a kid named Daniel who lived on the first floor and was generally awesome (and is still awesome), is in a band that recently signed with Ramseur Records in Concord, North Carolina. The band's name? Bombadil. Yes, they took the name from Tolkien.
Daniel and I don't hang out as much as we used to, but two of his bandmates are actually my neighbours, and I got the chance to finally see Bombadil live at a mutual friend's backyard fiesta this past Thursday. They. Are. Amazing. They're weird and kooky, and there's something so playful and odd about them that immediately channels the Tom Bombadil character, though their songs, I'm happy to report, are a notch above "Hey dol! merry dol!"
The official website for the band is
here, and I would also recommend checking them out on MySpace if you get the chance. They've been touring extensively over North Carolina recently, and if they ever come to wherever it is that you are, I recommend going to see them.
What a great tribute to one of my favourite Tolkien characters, honestly (well, minus all the "merry dols").