Following seas..


Currently I am mid way through a mini tour of East coast America. We have just completed the Salty Dog Cruise, a festival on a cruise ship set-up by friends and fellow band Flogging Molly. It was a crazy time, sailing from Miami to the Bahamas over 3 days, and I got to see at close quarters one of my biggest drumming influences Josh Freese play with the incredible Vandals.
Now we are off on a 5 date tour of the east coast before returning home, to start recording and writing the fourth Skinny Lister album, due for pencilled release in 2019, so watch this space!
I will also be in the UK and available for lessons, gigs and other projects in the mean time so don’t hesitate to get in touch. Thom.x

What’s happening 2018?

Happy new year! Here’s to a brand new year with loads of exciting projects and music in the pipe line.

Firstly with Skinny Lister we will heading out to the US in Feb/March to finish off touring the “Devil, Heart & The Fight” album campaign. This is then quickly flanked by another week long trip a month later in April to play the Flogging Molly Salty dog cruise from Miami to Bahamas, and then finally a week long run in Germany. That will mark the end of the album campaign, and can mean only 1 thing, time to start writing and recording the next one, album 4! This will take place over the summer, with a view to be releasing it through Xtra Mile Recordings in early 2019.

I also have another project in the melting pot and in it’s infancy, called ‘Loose Teeth’ which will be writing and recording music throughout the year, for potential release sometime this year, so look out for that.

There will also be a bunch of summer festivals to play, in between recording including Download Festival France, and continuing work on our new festival themed function band ‘Dirty Weekend’, as well as offering and providing drum lessons to my current students, as well as anyone else interested in taking up the drums or continuing their learning of the instrument.

So it’s going to be another busy year of music for me, so here is to a great year and being blessed to be able to do what I love for a living! Thom.x

At Tempo Ambience

An experimental improvisational drum solo using ambient music as the inspiration. An idea I have had for a while now finally comes to life, many thanks to Wild Stag Studio for filming, George at Small Pond for recording and Jack for supply the wonderful ambient landscape.

DrumOffTV Album & Film

Last year I took part and won August’s edition of DrumOffTV’s 30 second drum solo competition. Along with the other 9 winners from 2013 we recorded an album at Metropolis studios. A film has now been made documenting the recording day and finding out about all the drummers involved in the project, including an interview with yours truly! You can watch this here if you like…

Also the album is now available via rhythm section records: http://drumofftv.bandcamp.com

I would like to give everyone at DrumOffTV my huge thanks, and good luck for next years competition! http://drumoff.tv

Drum Kit Lessons, Drum Tuning Lessons & Band Updates.

Whether you are a total beginner or a seasoned player wanting to improve on your technique I can help you achieve the goals you crave. My syllabus includes every aspect of learning to understand and play drum kit to a high level, be that working through the grades 1-8 or focusing on musicality and technique from my extensive workbook library and session genres. For a full list of workbooks and more detailed information on drum lessons visit my lessons page.
Currently I have new availability in my teaching schedule for new drum students, so please feel free to contact me to secure a place.

Also currently offering drum tuning lessons, so if you are a drummer in need of better sounding drums or a producer / engineer looking to get that killer drum sound I can help you to get the sound you desire. You can contact me here directly for any lesson enquiries: [contact_form]

Bit of a personal band update, working with 7 original projects at the moment, Derelicts, an electro pop 4 piece, Ed Prosek, 8 piece acoustic singer songwriter, SEERS, 4 piece indie rock band, Louis Romegoux, solo singer songwriter, Holy Vessels, rock and roll outfit, Flash Gordons, psychedelic rock 2 piece and a double drumming as yet nameless project.

Debut Derelicts single release before the end of 2013, recording sessions for Ed Prosek, Louis Romegoux, SEERS and Holy Vessels for 2014 releases, and plenty of shows to keep me busy in the mean time. I will be updating the site with new releases as they come so keep them peeled!

 

Metropolis Drum Off Recording Day

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Travelled up to Metropolis studio in London on Sunday for the 2013 drum off tv winners recording day. It was a fantastic day, got to meet the wonderful guys and work in a legendary studio. The day included recording a track with the house band that will be released as an album on rhythm section records, recording my 30 second winning solo and doing a solo interview. I will posting up link when I have them so stay tuned. Thom.x

 

Holy Vessels “Last Orders At The Marshall Arms” Album Stream

Over a year has passed since recording the first Holy Vessels album ‘Last Orders At The Marshall Arms’. All recorded on a farm in Oxfordshire where we moved in, lived in a caravan and brought our own studio and producer and spent 2 weeks grafting out the record.
We finally released the album through our own label Hello Babe! Records in November of 2012 to some sparkling reviews, great live shows, national radio play and a building of our fan base.
The album is now available to listen to in full, via soundcloud just click on the player below, if you enjoy the record please support us by buying a copy via iTunes:
itunes.apple.com/gb/album/last-or…arms/id576430800
This will help us be able to fund and make a second LP, as we have no financial backing from labels or management, its all done for the love of the music and all funded from our own pockets.

2011 – Drumming Mad!

So 2011 has been a busy year, the busiest yet for me! Therefore I thought I would have a review of my year with music and try to remember what I have been up to…

Live Shows:

Sunless ’97: 6
Mean Poppa Lean: 7
Mechanical Bride: 23
Holy Vessels: 2
Saint: 44 (Functions)
Caroline Buckley: 1

All shows: 83 (4 Tours, 2 UK, 2 European).

Supported, Friendly Fires, Yuck, Toro Y Moi, Kwes, Summer Camp, Smoke Fairies, The Heart and the Hand, Liam Finn, Dry the River, Graham Coxon.

Standout venues visited: The Garage, ULU, St. Giles Church, London, Flèche D’or, La Boule Noir, Paris, Le Cargo, Caen.

Releases:

2 Albums: Mechanical Bride – Living With Ants, Mean Poppa Lean – Live on Twelve Legs.
1 EP: Sunless ’97 – Making Waves.
3 Singles: Mechanical Bride – Colour of Fire / Young Gold / To the Fight.

2 Radio sessions: Radio 1 Huw Stephens session, Selector Radio session.
Radio Plays: Radio 1, Radio 2, 6 Music, XFM, Selector Radio in over 29 territories.

1 Album recording session, Holy Vessels.

1 Endorsement deal, C&C Custom Drums.

4 Auditions, Left 1 band, joined 2, currently playing with 4, Sunless ’97, Holy Vessels, Mechanical Bride & Saint.

That just about wraps up my year, I’m hoping 2012 has more to give, looking forward to next year and implementing some new years resoultions, I already have a few that I have started early, cause I want a head start!

Merry Crimbus and a Happy Neu Year to all! X

Sunless 97 Radio 1 Maida Vale Session, Holy Vessels Showcases…

Yesterday I completed my first Radio 1 live session at Maida Vale. We recorded 4 tracks from the Sunless 97 ‘Making Waves’ EP released this week, and they will all be aired on the Huw Stephens show in early January next year. This month has also seen us support the amazing Kwes. and next week our last show of the year with Toro Y Moi at the Garage, 7.12.11.

I have also been working with Brighton band Holy Vessels and recorded an album with them, for release next year. December sees us play two showcase gigs, December 13th @ The Blind Tiger, Brighton, & December 18th @ The Old Queens Head, London.

Loads-a updates!!

It’s been a busy few weeks, firstly Living with Ants is up for a Schmercury award, best folk album of 2011 up against Fleet Foxes and the such like…

Plus a UK Mechanical Bride tour coming up in October, and european dates in November.

Joined up with London based band Sunless ’97, rehearsing for Live, tours planned.

Recorded an album with Brighton band, Holy Vessels in Oxford with producer Iain Harvie (Del Amitri).

Plus loads of functions and drum lessons, woooo busy is good!

Live Selector Session, Aired Around The World!

Here is a live selector session I recently did with Mechanical Bride. It was recorded at Red Bull Studios in London, for the British Council and was aired around the world to 29 countries, whilst being played on NME radio in the UK. It features 3 live tracks off the new album ‘Living With Ants’, Colour of Fire, Young Gold and Magpie. Enjoy!