To introduce 2Twenty2 to the world, one must first go back to the beginning, for to speak of anything/something truly, one must establish its origin.

The band was initially conceived through a local newspaper advertisement sometime ago, placed by Fabio Lio the keyboardist who was looking for someone to collaborate with. As you may have probably guessed, Tahm answered this ad. As told by both, the initial meeting went well, and there was for what its worth, an instant musical chemistry and connection along the lines of passion and uniqueness. The band was formed purely out of a dynamic love for music, as they both speak of music as being an extension of who they are and what makes them who they are. The name 2Twenty2 was derived as a direct result of Fabio and Tahm being 22 at the time and of course a duo, hence 2Twenty2 was born. The differences between these two great musicians musically and culturally seem to have only added to and enhanced their unique sound. Tahm with his British Caribbean background influenced as a child by the likes of The Late Great Robert Nestor Marley, bands like Burning Spear and Culture and Fabio of Canadian Italian background influenced by groups such as Duran Duran, INXS, and U2 have definitely carved out a sound all their own.

In the initial weeks following 2twenty2’s conception Tahm and Fabio wrote several musical passages that were eventually turned into full-length songs. With nothing but a dream and passion in mind they went to a very small under equipped studio and recorded a couple of their songs. The idea was not to sell to anyone to make money, not to be publicized for fame, but rather to give them a sense of arrival and accomplishment for something they truly love (music).

As time progressed the duo grew more and more diversified and began to entertain the idea of joining forces with other musicians to form a complete band. They were successful in doing so briefly on a couple occasions but soon discovered how difficult it was to form and keep a band together. They took somewhat of a musical break but their friendship remained intact, which allow them to continue entertaining their musical dreams and aspirations. During this time, both guys continued writing musical ideas and songs and would often discuss their future, but continued on somewhat of a hiatus, but never letting the dream too far out of sight.

In 1996 Fabio and Tahm were back on track, keeping the friendship alive would prove to be a powerful thing that would slowly but steadily draw them back into the world where they feel they truly belong (the musical world). Now more mature mentally and musically they had some really good tunes, tunes that they believe would make the genuine music lover stand up and listen. With this in mind they pursued another part of the dream, they were introduced to a producer Bryant Didier whom they had an instant connection with, this guy was cool a dreadlocks down to earth humble talented man. After several meetings with Bryant they knew this was a man (a Producer) they would click with and create magic with.

They walked into Bryant’s small, but cool studio armed with what they perceived as being six powerful songs. The process of recording these songs began. Bryant not only became a producer but found himself captivated by the bands uniqueness and creative style that he himself became a major musical contributor ala the bass and guitar. The process was crafted over a period of several months, and at the conclusion they were very happy with the outcome, they had a six song completed CD and a name change for the band. They were now C.U.M. this of course was an acronym (Cultivating Understand Minds), but most people unfortunately only saw the sexual connotation. The band was a bit concerned about this, but never let it drag them down. The name change was a direct result of Tahm’s lyrical writing style. The songs on this CD were a direct reflection of Tahm’s Journey through life and things he had experience and felt, so he felt that the name change of the band would best reflect the attitude of the lyrics.

The band now armed with what they strongly believed a powerful CD left the studio, but the truth is they were a bit stuck, for beyond the talent the great lyrics and music, they knew nothing about the music business. This didn’t really concern them much, for they had a swagger about them at the completion of this project that they could die now and be happy for they would be leaving a legacy behind them. You see in the end 2twenty2 is about real passion and a great love for the musical creative process. The new recordings floated around for a couple of years. The band on their own tried their best to present the music to anyone that would take time to indulge them. In the end not having any real representation and not knowing much about the business as previously mentioned, they found themselves stuck with a dream, and for a while they believed that’s all it would be, ”A Dream”.

Late 1999 they were introduced to a young ambitious producer Niall Shaw. He had a vision and ideas that were very unique, visions and aspirations that 2Twenty2 readily embraced for it reminded them a lot of the things they were trying to do. Niall listened to their CD and was immediately hooked by its originality and its lyrical and musical integrity. This was a very exciting time for the band; finally someone who had vision, talent, and experience was interested and willing to the point of personally taking the band under his wings.

The studio to be used for this project was a digital lab, well equipped with the latest gadgets and a Producer very capable of using these gadgets. The guys fondly recall a meeting with Niall at the studio prior to the commencement of the project where he played them a clip from one of their songs that he had fooled around with. Tahm and Fab were amazed, the clip was new fresh and fun, this as if they needed one was a major selling point on Niall and his abilities.

The process was in full swing late November 2000; it would prove to be a long, yet productive effort, sometimes a test of the band patience. There were many conflicts not musically or creatively to do with the process, but more about time and scheduling, Tahm’s job and financial responsibility was a definite test of his musical love and passion. In the end they prevailed, which brings us to this exciting moment in the bands life, the release of their first single from what they call a musical evolution. The song is called Visionary Face (take my hand); it’s a powerful melodic blend of lyrical and musical integrity, a song in my opinion that’s sure to make you go “wow”. This is a song that reflects what seems to be a general theme throughout this amazing album, an album filled with cool hooks and melodies, fun enough to make you move and dance, but in the end manages to pound you with resounding messages of love and hope without preaching.

This single and the rest of the CD are sure to make you ask a single question ”why haven’t I heard of these guys before”?