Caufield

In 2005 Tom Caufield, newly married and recently relocated to the small California beach town of Playa del Rey, was looking for a format within which to write songs that would grow organically out of the recently acquired joys, fears and mysteries of a committed relationship. His solution was to form a male/female harmony duo.

He met singer Maureen Doherty in Hermosa Beach’s Comedy and Magic Club, where his wife worked. A get-together proved that their voices blended well, and the two musicians recorded the set of songs eventually released as ‘Falling Short of Utopia.’

The duo sang at local farmer’s markets, coffee shops and sports bars, picking up new fans, but Maureen, recently engaged and pursuing a solo career, decided to bow out after the holiday.

Through an ad in a local musicians site, Tom found recent German émigré Yasmine Tanriverdi, and they worked through the winter on a follow-up album. The album saw more success, with glowing write-ups and album track ‘Come Through for You' featured on NBC's popular ‘One Life to Live.’ A tour of German castles was offered but didn't pan out. Another set was tracked in 2007, but musical differences were evident, and Yasmine bowed out to pursue a solo country career.

Tom did one last duet in the winter, ‘World to Myself,’ with singer-songwriter Lea Rakoff, but as Rakoff wasn’t able to commit more time to the project in lieu of her own ongoing solo career and looming marriage, Tom ended the project. The music lives on.