SUGARPLUM'S STORY

Hometown: Sacramento, CA
Genres: Folk / Folk Rock / Acoustic rock, electric rock
Members: Tom Radcliff, Cynthia Silverman, Utah Arnold and John Lichter 
 
Sugarplum plays original heartfelt songs.  All the music and lyrics are original, written by band members. We promote positive messages of love, peace, tolerance and joy.  Original Music for the soul...to inspire and entertain! Over the past few years we have played at a wonderful assortment of private parties, weddings, local festivals, wineries, restaurants, cafes and other seasonal events.  
We are available as a full band, trio or as a duet.  Call us!

Tom's Story

Tom Radcliff is a songwriting wonder. He gained years of musical experience as well as audio expertise growing up in the Sacramento area.  He learned to play numerous instruments including acoustic, electric, bass guitar, mandolin, banjo, percussion and keyboards.  His intriguing finger picking guitar style keeps audiences captivated with the beautiful melodies he creates.

Like many songwriters, Tom began writing songs to express his emotions and to share his perspective of the world. He has spent years creating a few CD's worth of new material and perfecting his artistic talents.  He has the capacity of telling a story with an emotional connection the audience can relate to.  Over the past few decades he has been strongly influenced by a multitude of musicians from various genres.  There are two local influences however who made a big impression on his own style.  Johnny Guitar Knox and Joe Craven, mentored him in some of the various techniques he still uses today. Tom has honed his different guitar playing talents, whether it's Blue Grass, Rock, Folk or the Blues, he can play it all.

Winning second place at the Sacramento State Fair years ago, led Tom to become an even better song writer and overall musician.  Playing music and writing original music since his teens had given his music a strong sense of edginess and honesty.
The simple, yet authentic songs are nostalgic and comforting.  Tom feels as though he writes his songs as a musical channel and this music can help inspire others. 

 

cindy's story

Cindy silverman started singing as a child.  she was raised in Pacifica, ca., a small Town 16 miles south of San Francisco.  Growing up she participated in several High School productions and sang in local bands.  At the age of sixteen she was entered into a national talent search and was selected to sing in an Acapella Choir touring Europe with a finale in New York at Carnegie Hall. Shortly afterwards she moved to Southern California and remained there for numerous years.  

She began playing guitar which led to writing her own material as well as spending time recording back up vocals on numerous music projects.  Her award winning song, I Still Miss You, was written as a tribute to John Lennon.  This song won a Billboard Music Honorable Mention award and was featured at Lennon's annual birthday celebration in front of his star on the Walk of Fame outside the Capitol Record building in Hollywood.  She has spent many years refining her vocal style, harmonies and arranging techniques which can be heard quite prominently in her original songs.  The main focus of her music is to make people feel good, accepted, loved and included.  A large majority of her lyrics are simply based on the Golden Rule.  

Cindy is also a professionally trained artist.  She received her Bachelor's Degree in Studio Art in 2008 from Cal State University at Long Beach,  She is responsible for all the bands unique artwork....check out the bands art page here or find more of her paintings, ceramics and recycled work at 

https://cynthia-silverman.pixels.com

J.R.utah's story

J.R.Utah Arnold was born in the suburbs of Sacramento, CA.  Growing up in the VALLEY  he started creating interesting drum beats at a young age.  One of his earliest memories is of carving a pair of his own drumsticks just so he had something to tap along with as he listened to his favorite records of the day.  Residing in the city of Rancho Cordova he quickly became accomplished in his craft.  He has been drumming ever since.  He can literally play on anything that makes a beat yet mostly concentrates on various hand drums, percussion and full drum kits.

Utah has played and recorded at numerous top notch venues over the years.  His fluid and effortless drumming techniques are spot on regardless of the genre or style.  Due to his wide range of influences and over thirty years of experience he has shared the stage with several quality musicians

His unique type of drumming is a culmination showing his years of practice and dedication while studying the greatest drummers of all time.  Being part of a very talented rock group in the late 90's almost got him signed to a record label.  Due to unforeseen circumstances this did not happen yet he learned tO PERSEVERE . He is anxious to put his own special spin on the Sugarplum sound.

 

J.R. Utah makes a wonderful addition to the Sugarplum band....his natural charm and exuberance add even more color to this group as no one else could.   

john lichter's story

John was born in Honolulu, Hawaii where he developed a passion for surfing, hiking, skateboarding and music. His love of the outdoors led him to study horticulture, graduating with a Master’s degree.   he established his Arboricultural Consulting business, Tree Associates in 1993.  

 

John played clarinet for many years in elementary and high school.  In 1988, he traveled to Nepal, where he bought a bamboo and a wooden flute.  He fell in love with the sound of the flute in the Himalayas.  When John returned from Nepal, he started playing the classical flute.  QUICKLY GROWING BORED WITH Lessons and reading music hE BEGAN practicING WHILE playing along with his favorite rock and roll songs.  HE ALSO GAINED INVALUABLE EXPERIENCE PlayING  FOR SEVERAL YEARS with BAND MEMBERS IN A GROUP called Juicy Flute ,

 

looking to play with a band for many years, JOHN FINALLY found the opportunity WHEN HE MET  Tom Radcliff.  tOM WAS ACTUALLY ONE OF jOHN'S  brothers FROM his men’s group.  tOM asked him to play on a song he HAD wrITteN AND  The rest,  SO THEY SAY, is history.   John has been INCORPORATING HIS OWN SPECIAL STYLE ALONG WITH harmonizing and lyrical ADDITIONS.     “I love to improvise and add a beautiful sound to the songs I play”, he says of his past and current musical practiceS.  THE FLUTE IS LIKE ADDING A THIRD VOICE TO SUGARPLUM EMBELLISHING THE ALREADY RICH AND INSPIRING music.

David Meyer 

Bass player started playing music at the age of five. He was playing in bands in his native New York by the age of 15 and achieved regional success in the early 1970’s with Janus, a local folk-rock band. In 2013 David received his Bachelor of Music in Music Education at CSU Sacramento. David is an active music teacher, currently teaching flute, guitar, bass, ukulele and piano to private students in the greater Sacramento, Davis and surrounding communities. David has been active over the years in a number of local bands, including Acoustic Fuse, The Alanis Crow Project, Rockinbocker, AKA and the Sly Fox Band.