Kevin Thomas is an Artist/Musician/Drummer/Percussionist/Educator/Vocalist/Producer currently living in spectacular Denver, Colorado. After spending the first half of life on the east coast, the pandemic afforded Kevin the opportunity to make a big change in life by selling or giving away near everything he owned (except drums and percussion gear, of course) and moving across the country to Denver. He fell in love with Colorado years before during separate visits and when the pandemic shut down everything and dried up all his work, he took the chance, borrowed some money and set out on a new path for this life journey…a decision that was truly one of the best life decisions for this hippie musician!

 

Kevin has been performing with a wide variety of projects since middle school. Everything from blues and funk rock to classical, orchestral, pop, country, jam, rock and even a circus band! He fell in love with music at an early age and begged his parents to buy him a guitar at age 5. When they decided his hands were too small at the time to properly hold the guitar, the music store clerk said, “Here…get him a drum pad and some sticks” and the rest as they say is history (he hated that drum pad…LOL…but it started the journey). As a young fan with stars in his eyes, he was captured by the theatrics of KISS and soon discovered Led Zeppelin, Rush and a plethora of other groups (the 1970s really were some of the best years in music). Citing John Bonham and Neil Peart as his biggest influences in drumming, it was the musical, solid and joyous drumming of Liberty Devito (Billy Joel) that inspired him to become a professional musician. “I was mesmerized by Liberty playing drums on the Billy Joel: Live From Long Island video that I saw at a friends house. He just looked like he was having so much FUN! I declared at that moment, THAT’S what I want to do!”

 

As a Sound Recording Technology major at Lebanon Valley College then a Music Performance major at Wilkes University (both highly respected music colleges in Pennsylvania), Kevin built a solid foundation of technique, skills, music theory, audio recording and teaching that has been the backbone of his success as a performer, educator and recording artist. He considers his most influential mentors to be his high school band director and his college jazz band director. “They set me on a path that I didn’t even realize at the time and I’m forever grateful for the passion they taught me and brought out of me!”

 

After performing with, managing, booking, promoting and marketing near every band he’s worked in throughout his career, Kevin was fortunate to land a gig in Colorado with the well known blues and funk band The Johnny O Band based out of Boulder, CO. Johnny and Andy helped refine his traditional blues and funk chops and gave him a huge leg up in the music scene here in Denver and continues to be blessed to work with some of the most talented musicians in the business.

 

When he’s not writing charts for bands or attending jams, he enjoys exploring these majestic Rocky Mountains and everything Colorado!

 

“Just keep swimming!” - Dory from Finding Nemo.

 

Namaste.