Tom Marolda, the 144th stranger, has finally put out his 2026 album as his one man band, The Toms.
“Make My Day” arrived October 2. It’s a 12 track album that the band’s Bandcamp page counts as the 25th Toms release, with songs like “Another Nervous Breakdown,” “Kings & Wizards” and “Somebody Up There Likes Me.” Richie Sambora heads the special thanks list, which feels fitting given how much he came up during my meal with Tom.
Our interview from March covers his Grammy nomination for a “Stayin’ Alive” song, decades of writing for movies and TV, and how he and Sambora went from friends to lawsuits to hugging backstage at the 2013 Hollywood Christmas Parade.
And I say the album is “finally” here because Tom puts out a new Toms album every April. When we met, he told me the 2026 deadline was close. “I have 12 songs recorded, but they’re not the way I want them yet,” he said. The album landed past that April target, but it’s now out.