By Neil S. Friedman

Gerritsen Beach resident Tom Moran recently released his first CD, “Starting Over.”  DeAlan Wilson

For years, singer/songwriter Tom Moran had an itch for music. Now in his thirties, Moran recently decided to follow his muse when he released his debut album, Starting Over. The 10-song CD, released independently, is a personal triumph and his tribute to the power of sobriety and second chances. Sounding similar to rocker John Mel-lencamp on several cuts with lyrics not unlike early Bob Dylan, Moran’s re-cording is an eclectic mix of rock, folk, country, grassroots and a hint of blues.

A Brooklyn native, Moran currently lives in Gerritsen Beach with his wife and four-year-old son. When he was a teenager, he lived in Canarsie with his family. He is an alumnus of Canarsie High School and John Wilson IS 211.

Moran says he first picked up the guitar as a teenager, spending his days perfecting his craft. It wasn’t long be-fore Moran began testing out his vocal abilities with the encouragement of singers in his family. Fast forward two decades and Moran continues to be a music force that reflects the sentiments of his upbringing as he plays at neighborhood venues across Brooklyn. He is scheduled to make a return engagement to Starbucks in Bay Ridge on September 4 from 8:00—9:00 p.m.

On the advice of fans and friends, Moran made his way into a Manhattan recording studio and cut Starting Over, which reveals the story of an underdog gone good, and a man learning to recognize that positive gains can be made through difficult and painful times. Tracks of note include "Help Me Baby," "Into The Sun," "I Would Drink," "Small Record Deal," and the title track.

"It’s about the average person trying to get through the hardships of life and coming out the other side a better person," says Moran.

After several years of battling the bottle, Moran entered a 12-step program at the age of 25 and it helped him stop drinking. He says, "The best decision I ever made in my life was to stop drinking and get help."

Moran’s motto in life: "Keep on Dreamin’ and Rockin’!"

Moran’s skirmishes and triumph over alcohol surface in several songs. In "I Would Drink" he sings, "I used to go out drinking…I was lonely and so confused…But now I’m sober and clean…and the bottle ain’t beating me up no more."

In "Starting Over," Moran confronts his demon head on, "Well, I’ve been in a fog for a mighty long time … gotta find my way to the other side …Addiction is a mighty tough thing …I know it’s happened to me quite a few times. It didn’t seem like there was a way out, but I’m starting over baby."

His music’s connection to Dylan and Mellencamp is no accident, as Moran admits those rock icons, as well as Bruce Springsteen provided him inspiration for much of the album.

When the Courier published an article about Moran’s rock and roll aspirations 10 years ago, Josh Gazes wrote, "He sounds most like Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones — minus the effects of years of chain smoking and heroin addiction."

Moran’s CD is only available through cdbaby.com, an Internet record store that only sells recordings that come directly from independent artists. While it’s a smaller scale than major record companies, the artist benefits with the sale of each CD by receiving five or six times what they normally would with a commercial record label contract. CDBaby claims it has sold over a million CDs by almost 70,000 artists since 1998. Moran’s CD is available for an economical $10 plus tax, shipping and handling.

When he’s not making music, Moran is a teacher and a family man. He has a Masters Degree in Education from Brooklyn College and for the last seven years he has taught physical education to the physically challenged at a Brook-lyn public school.

Each of us uses different means to overcome personal problems. An old proverb claims, "Music has charms to soothe a savage breast." In Tom Mo-ran’s case, that notion seems to have helped him start over.