David Thomas
David Lynn Thomas (born 1953 in Miami, Florida) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician.
He was one of the founding members of the short-lived protopunkers Rocket From The Tombs (1974-1975) and of post-punk group Pere Ubu (1975 - present, intermittently). He has also released several solo albums. Though primarily a singer, he sometimes plays melodeon, trombone, guitar or other instruments.
Thomas has described his artistic focus as being the "gestalt of culture, geography and sound". Common themes crop up throughout much of his work, such as the US Interstate Highway system, images of roadside or "junk" tourist culture, Brian Wilson, AM Radio, and many others.
Something of a cult figure, Thomas's high pitched voice is one of the most distinctive in rock music; Emerson Dameron memorably described Thomas's singing as "Jimmy Stewart trapped in an oboe", while Greil Marcus writes that "Mr Thomas's voice is that of a man muttering in a crowd. You think he's talking to himself until you realize he's talking to you."
MORE >>
David Lynn Thomas (born 1953 in Miami, Florida) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician.
He was one of the founding members of the short-lived protopunkers Rocket From The Tombs (1974-1975) and of post-punk group Pere Ubu (1975 - present, intermittently). He has also released several solo albums. Though primarily a singer, he sometimes plays melodeon, trombone, guitar or other instruments.
Thomas has described his artistic focus as being the "gestalt of culture, geography and sound". Common themes crop up throughout much of his work, such as the US Interstate Highway system, images of roadside or "junk" tourist culture, Brian Wilson, AM Radio, and many others.
Something of a cult figure, Thomas's high pitched voice is one of the most distinctive in rock music; Emerson Dameron memorably described Thomas's singing as "Jimmy Stewart trapped in an oboe", while Greil Marcus writes that "Mr Thomas's voice is that of a man muttering in a crowd. You think he's talking to himself until you realize he's talking to you."
Thomas typically has a large number of ongoing projects at any one time. He has performed in theatrical productions, including several productions by Hal Willner, and a London West End production of Shockheaded Peter. He has delivered his lecture "The Geography of Sound In The Magnetic Age" at Clark University and UCLA, among other venues. He has staged his "improvisational opera" Mirror Man, at venues in Europe and North America, featuring at various times contributions from many of his previous collaborators, as well as Linda Thompson, Bob Holman, Robert Kidney, Van Dyke Parks, Frank Black, George Wendt, and Syd Straw.
Most recently he has alternated recording and performances primarily between Pere Ubu, David Thomas and Two Pale Boys, and the reunited Rocket from the Tombs.
<< LESS
