Tom Csima had to truncate his recent visit to Mexico, but he's not too upset about it.
That's because Csima won the 2024 Whistler Music Search (WMS) alongside his band, The Zummers: bassist Jessie Richards, percussion man Mikey Muscat and guitar player Alex Drapeau. Together they earned a $1,000 cash prize on Dec. 11 at the Crystal Lounge—money that will go towards recording an album.
Olson Lloyd wrapped up second place, and third-place recognition went to the Paynters. Ronan Cowley took home the Dave Morris Award for Originality in Music.
"The event this year went on an extra week," says Csima, who also performs solo as TomaToma. "I had actually booked a trip for the week after what I thought was the final week, but I shortened my vacation to participate [in the WMS finals] because I didn't want to let the guys down. We'd worked so hard.
"We're planning to apply to a lot of festivals and gig possibilities. Being a new band, we don't have a lot of material to send, but to be able to say we won the competition gives us a little bit more credibility—not to mention the Crystal was packed and there's hundreds of people that seemed to be into what we were playing."
The Zummers assembled earlier this summer. They would describe their musical style as "eclectic": a mix of blues, soul and R&B with a dash of psychedelic rock. You'll find a healthy amount of variance in their repertoire, and lots of original content.
"I've got nothing against covers … but we're definitely not a cover band," Csima explains. "I write a lot of songs and [I want to] share it with the world. As a viewer or an attendee of concerts, I always want to see what's out there. The problem with playing covers for me is you'll always be compared to the original. Part of the competition was about originality … and to see people getting up and dancing to original music they've never heard in their lives was super fun."
WMS MC Rachel Lewis had high praise for each member of the top three, which she shared in an email to Pique.
"The Zummers were a unanimous vote as the winners. The judges thought each instrumentalist was very talented, and they really appreciated that they played all original music [which was] really good!" Lewis opines. "Olson Lloyd is a seasoned solo artist with a big voice and great original music. The Paynters are two brothers who sing a ton of harmonies and they are super tight. Young guys with bright futures."
Keeping the scene alive
Csima knows Richards from last year's WMS, where they placed third as a last-minute act dubbed TBA with Andrew Colwell and Miles McArthur. Csima learned plenty from that experience in terms of atmosphere, contest format and what the judges look for. He also brushed shoulders with several other local musicians.
Everybody wants to win, but Csima found himself dancing to the beat of other bands' drums and cheering for them as well. TBA actually bested eventual 2023 champions Shoulder Pains during their initial matchup, only for tables to turn during the finals.
"That was pretty heartbreaking, but also, we were stoked for [Shoulder Pains]," Csima says. "We actually shared our equipment with them. We gave them some tips as well, and I think they sounded better on the final night."
The life of a musician is not usually easy, and Whistler in particular is a hard market to break into. That's why it's important for local performers to stick together, making connections and showcasing their stuff.
"It's great what [WMS organizer] Monty Biggins does, trying to put on events," remarks Csima. "I tell him all the time, that's the way to keep the scene alive, and it's hard. The venues aren't really doing a lot of live events, especially for original music. Rachel is awesome too—I think she won the event before, and the fact that she's still helping out is great."
Overall, WMS judges were evidently pleased with what they heard.
"It was a very tough competition this year with lots of talented groups and individuals!" wrote an event spokesperson on the Crystal Lounge's Instagram page. "The judges had a tough job every week—we are so glad they took the time each week to be involved in our talent search and bring together lots of talented individuals. A big thank you to Rachel Lewis for hosting the event each week also!"
