Check Out Girl Named Tom’s story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caleb (with Josh And Bekah) Liechty

Hi Caleb (with Josh and Bekah), we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
It’s Always Been About Family. Our mom actually had the idea for the genesis of Girl Named Tom in 2019. Caleb and Josh had recently graduated from college with biochemistry degrees and Bekah had just been accepted to the same college to follow the same path. Ever since our dad discouraged Caleb from pursuing a music degree, all three of us gradually accepted medicine as a valiant and courageous dream. Then, just as Caleb got accepted into med school, our dad’s battle with an ultra-rare spinal cancer went south quickly. Mom called Caleb and asked if we kids would ever consider taking a collective “gap-year” to focus on the family. We all moved back home to Pettisville, Ohio (a town of 500) and started a family band. And the gap year continues.

Once Covid ended, we knew we wanted to keep this band thing going as a career – we moved into a band house in the nearby city of South Bend. We auditioned for The Voice on a whim, never expecting to even make the show. As we won the season, our dad’s health continued to fail. We returned from LA in December and Dad died a month later.

Even before the TV show we had our eyes set on Nashville as the future home base for GNT. Our success on the show increased our small business’ ability to connect with folks in the industry, and we quickly surrounded ourselves with agents, managers and bandmates who wholly believed in us, as young and unrefined as we were. Being a “Nashville band” has meant great things for our growth. Our musicianship, songwriting, networking and touring chops have all flourished here in Music City. We are so grateful.

As is true with all winners of The Voice, we were thrown into an arranged marriage with Republic Records, NYC. While such relationships have not historically been lasting or fruitful in any significant way, we are confidently hopeful that Girl Named Tom’s story will be different. We feel respected and believed-in by the industry titan, even as we have felt impatient and frustrated at times. The time is paying off, though, – as it almost always does – and we are more excited than ever to release the new records we’ve been making here in Nashville. Producing a project in Nashville has been our dream since arriving in 2022. It still feels surreal to carry a guitar into Soundstage Studios on Music Row and walk out with a live-band record. We CAN’T WAIT for you to hear them!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We don’t believe smooth roads exist, especially for artists, and especially in Nashville, right? #potholecity

Our first year as a band – self managed, self booked, just the three of us and our gear/tent in a minivan – was dreamy in every way. Friends, cousins, then strangers kept us fed, kept gas in our tank, and gave us couches to sleep on as we played all over the country in backyards, bars, basements, schools, nursing homes, etc. There were bumps, of course. Actually, now that I think of it, our “tour” was brilliantly book-ended by our two biggest bumps. Day one, we got in an accident on a bridge in Buffalo, NY. Our minivan was a crumbling vessel held up by bungee ropes and duct tape, but we were grateful for its pitiful appearance because it got us extra tips. On the final week of tour, hours before Covid hit the west coast and shut down all hospitality and travel plans, we were robbed in San Fransisco. We didn’t appreciate it then, but those kind of obstacles are what we now hold dear; those memories let us know we’ve truly cut our teeth just as our role models have before us.

A challenge since The Voice has been rediscovering our identity as songwriters. We’ve been constantly learning and adapting to this new world we’ve found ourselves in, while processing some of the biggest highs and lows life has to offer. We’ve spent the last 3 years growing so much as songwriters and learning about the artists we were always meant to be. The path has certainly not been straight, which has made us stronger, teaching us even more about who we are and who we aren’t.

Recently, our newfound platform on social media has also provided a challenge. We are constantly challenging ourselves to be true to our personal selves, our beliefs, our code of ethics, while also being a place of harmony, refuge and peace. On social media, this kind of subtlety and nuance is not easy and is often intimidating.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We are known for our incredibly tight harmonies, first and foremost. A sibling blend you really can’t get anywhere else. Our fans always say we’re much better live than online and that means a lot.

We are most proud of our ability to connect with a live audience. Whether we’re singing in a bar, on a street, in a hospital, theatre, or arena, our voices move people. Perhaps our voices can even heal.

Our arranging abilities really set us apart from our peers. Since our voices have three unique colors, emotions, and ranges, we really are a “unicorn” (deemed so by Kelly Clarkson) when it comes to both songwriting & arranging. Our arrangements of classics (“Wichita Lineman”, “Dust in the Wind”, and “River”) have drawn national attention, and now we continue raising the standard for infusing our blend into beloved covers and our original music.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Band’s Favorite Movies: Mary Poppins, That Thing You Do!
Band’s Fav Books: The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse; The Color Purple, An Orange For Frankie (or anything by Patricia Polacco)
Band’s Favorite Apps: The Calm App (we used this every day at The Voice to meditate, still do during intense touring seasons)
Band’s Favorite Podcasts: Song Exploder

Caleb’s Favorite Books: Falling Upward; Life of Pi; Mole Music; Becoming Better Grown-Ups; Becoming by M. Obama;
Caleb’s Favorite Podcasts: The RobCast, Unlocking Us

Josh’s Fav Pods: Revisionist History, Serial
Josh’s Fav Books: Being Wrong; The Crossroads of Should & Must; The Color Purple

Bekah’s Fav Books: How Far You Have Come by Morgan Harper Nichols, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
Bekah’s Fav Pods: Mel Robbins’ Podcast; If Only I Could Talk to Joni Mitchell

Contact Info:

• Website: https://girlnamedtom.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlnamedtom?igsh=ZnVjc2wwcDl2bDVp&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/girlnamedtom
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/girlnamedtom