Member Profile

Tom attended Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, studying Classical Percussion. He played in the San Juan Symphony, as well as picking up jazz and rock gigs around town. After a couple of years, he hit the road, landing in New Orleans. The amazing and seemingly unlimited assortment of music in New Orleans added to what he learned at the University of New Orleans. He graduated from the prestigious Jazz studies program there, studying with Ellis Marsalis, Harold Battiste, Steve Masakowski, Victor Goines, David Lee, and Charles Blanq, and studying privately with Johnny Vidacovich. He played around the Crescent City, sampling everything from Jazz to Rock and Roll, Funk, Blues, World Beat, Latin, Zydeco, Cajun and Punk.

Larson's next geographic move was to Nashville — Music City USA. Since arriving in 1996, he has become an in-demand session player, and become a part of the diverse Music City scene. He has worked or recorded with stylistically diverse Nashville bands such as Delicious Blues Stew, Gene Hafner Trio, Swing Thing, Three Corners, David Bennett, David Frazier, Homemade Water, Michael Ripoll, Steven Hunter, Scott Holt, Dan Seals, Jimmy Seals, Bullfrog Revue, Blues Other Brothers, Brian Ashley Jones, Chris Watts, D Ryan, Jackson Young, Ronnie Fruge and many more, covering every style from Blues to Rock to Country. Homemade Water was named one of the "best new bands” in the highly competitive Nashville Scene contest with a unique sound absent the traditional drummer, driven instead by Larson's powerful percussion. The band made a trip to the Middle East to entertain U.S. troops there in 2000. Tom also toured Korea with country band, “The Norris Twins” for the USO. Tom was the drummer and road manager for the Scott Holt Band for over a decade. 

Tom has recorded solo albums, Synesthesia and Off the Cuff. The latter was recently used as the soundtrack for an independent film, The Ugly Duckling. Tom has also recorded an album titled Tribal Spirit with Ambient Circle Music recording artist Brannan Lane. That album was named "Best of 2002" by Backroads Music. Tom recorded with Geno Hafner and Moriah Harris, The Twelve Dancing Princesses which is an original soundtrack for a play. Tom has supplied drums and percussion on over 100 other projects. 

In the last couple years, he has recorded several albums, working on his own sound, in addition to appearing on numerous other artists projects. Tom’s most recent recording is a project called “Wahida - The Sufi Second Line”. Wahida is a traditional gospel album recorded in Urdu. He has been a part of a blues education workshop with internationally recognized educators Shannon Williford and James "Nick" Nixon, also providing a percussion workshop for the city parks department. Tom has been the musical director for the HIV Awareness Entusi Music Festival in Kabale Uganda for 2014, 2015. In 2016 the festival expanded to 2 cities, Lira and Kabale, Uganda, performed for over 24,000 people and helped get over 5000 people tested for HIV. In 2017 the festival will be reaching 4 cities, Lira, Masaka, Mbarera, and Kabale with the hopes of reaching over 50,000 people and getting over 10,000 people tested for HIV. The Entusi Music Festival is dedicated to Peace and friendship between cultures through musical collaboration and HIV awareness through testing and treatment. Tom was also named Music City Blues Drummer of the Year in 2001, and Percussionist of the Year in both 2001 and 2002.

Diversity and grace — those qualities define Tom Larson's style. You can also keep up with Tom on Facebook. Hope to see you again soon!