After he left the world of accounting and decided to devote his life to music, Tom Sless went all-in on the troubadour’s life.
For years, singer-songwriter Sless, 33, who was raised in Margate and Ventnor but is now Dallas-based, traveled the country in his van, booking gigs not only in major cities, but in such off-the-beaten-track locales as McCall, Idaho; Slidell, La.; and Gardner, Mont.
“Obviously the bigger cities were kind of the signposts along the way if I was building the spine of a tour,” offered Sless during a recent phone call in advance of his July 1 (5 to 8 p.m.) solo-acoustic performance at Betty’s Seafood Shack in Margate.
“Like in Florida, I would look at Orlando and Tampa and Miami — the big cities, but there are so many miles in-between. I wanted to experience it from the driving perspective. I was a bi-coastal kid, grew up mostly on the East Coast and I would fly over the ‘flyover’ states. And I just felt like this was an opportunity to explore parts of the country I’d heard about.
“I only knew stories of all these states and just didn’t know anything about them, didn’t know what was there. And I figured if there was a bar to play at, well, at least there’s something there for me to hold onto and then see what else was out there.”
Introducing Tommy Turbo
To this point, Sless’ sonic blueprint has comfortably fit into the singer-songwriter/ country-rock/Americana side of things. His 2020 debut album, “California Dream,” and 2024’s sophomore effort, “Heartland Ballerina,” are comprised of tracks that would not be out of place on a playlist focusing on artists like Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne and Bruce Springsteen in his quieter, more introspective mode. But these days, he’s taking a different route by getting inspiration from more theatrical rockers.
“I was always really drawn to someone like a [Jimi] Hendrix, a Jim Morrison, Freddie Mercury, Roger Daltry from the Who — front people who had all eyes on them. And some of that was because when I was in high school, I would be nervous playing the trumpet. But whenever I was on stage with my guitar and just being the front man, it never felt scary,” he explained.
“And it just made me see myself in those shoes. And as I started getting into it, I just felt really comfortable being the leader of a group. I kind of always have leaned into some heightened theatricality.”
Taking a cue from Bowie
As such, he continued, he has created a character who will, if all goes according to plan, be introduced on his third LP which he plans to release later this year.
“‘Tommy Turbo’ is the name for the alter ego that essentially emerges when I’m on stage,” he offered. “Performing has always been my first love. When we started working on this new record and thinking about it, I [realized] after all these shows how much I enjoyed performing, how much I now have lived life as a performing artist. And that persona onstage felt more real than ever.
“And so, we built a bit of lore and a story around a character called ‘Tommy Turbo,’ who is, of course, loosely based on my persona on stage.
“The album is a bit of a concept album with its own kind of ‘Ziggy Stardust’ vibe to it,” he added, referring to David Bowie’s legendary 1972 record that tells the story of a messiah-like extraterrestrial rock star who comes to Earth only to wind up being murdered by his fans.
According to Sless, who recently released the LP’s first single, “Don’t Save My Soul” (available on all streaming platforms) the “Turbo” concept is a direct result of his previous experiences.
“I don’t think Turbo emerges without giving the persona the chance to emerge over the course of those years on the road,” he reasoned.
For Sless, the forthcoming “Tommy Turbo” album will be the perfect capstone on a trilogy that documents his career to this point.
“It’s almost like the first album, ‘California Dream,’ represents my diving into music. ‘Heartland Ballerina’ represents the ‘van journey.’ And now, ‘Tommy Turbo’ is the next era culminating from all of that.”
Betty’s Seafood Shack is located at9315 Amherst Ave. Admission is free.
Chuck Darrow has spent more than 40 years writing about Atlantic City casinos.
