Pete Thomas
Encyclopedia
Pete Thomas is best known as the longtime drummer
for Elvis Costello
. Tom Waits
has referred to him as "one of the best rock
drummers alive".
and John Stewart, Thomas was recruited as a member of Costello's backing band The Attractions
in 1977. Elvis Costello & The Attractions would spend the next decade touring the world, and recording
nine album
s, from This Year's Model
(1978) to Blood and Chocolate
(1986).
Although Costello split with The Attractions between 1987 and 1993, he continued to work regularly with Thomas during this period. Thomas played drum
s on the albums Spike
(1989), Mighty Like a Rose
(1991), and Kojak Variety
(recorded in 1990 but not released until 1995) and was a member of Costello's 1989-1991 touring band, The Rude 5.
Costello reunited with The Attractions for the albums Brutal Youth (1994) and All This Useless Beauty
(1996).
In 2001 Costello recruited Thomas, Faragher, and fellow Attraction Steve Nieve
to record the album that became When I Was Cruel
(2002). Elvis Costello & The Imposters, as they were subsequently named, have gone on to tour extensively, and recorded the album The Delivery Man
(2004).
Thomas lives in Los Angeles, with his wife Judy. Their daughter Tennessee
is drummer for the band The Like
. In 2003
Pete Thomas was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
as a member of Elvis Costello & The Attractions.
's 1991 album Struck By Lightning and 1992 album Burning Questions.
After Costello split with The Attractions for a second time, Thomas worked for the next few years primarily as a session
drummer, recording with such artists
as Suzanne Vega
, Neil Finn
, Vonda Shepard
, Sheryl Crow
, Fito Páez
, Joaquín Sabina
, Los Lobos
, Wild Colonials
, Matt Brown of 3 lb. Thrill
, and John Paul Jones.
In 1993 Thomas joined the band Squeeze for their album Some Fantastic Place replacing Gilson Lavis on drums. He was not a part of that band after the one album.
In 1994, Thomas was part of a trio
that included vocalist/avant garde opera
diva
, Diamanda Galás
, and former Led Zeppelin
bassist
/multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones
, who recorded the album, The Sporting Life
.
He also played on the Elliott Smith
album, Figure 8
(Dreamworks) (2000) on the songs "Junk Bond Trader", "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud?" and "Can't Make A Sound".
Thomas currently plays local Los Angeles gigs
with bassist Davey Faragher
and guitarist
Val McCallum, under the band name, Jack Shit.
In 2006 Pete Thomas played drums on the album "Doomed To Make Choices" by Jason Karaban
. He also plays drums on Karaban's album "Sobriety Kills" (2009) and Karaban's single "Succeed 101" (2009).
In 2008, he joined a new eight-piece supergroup
, Works Progress Administration, with Sean Watkins
(guitar), his sister Sara Watkins
(fiddle), Glen Phillips
(guitar
, vocals), Benmont Tench
(piano), Luke Bulla (fiddle), Greg Leisz
(various), and Davey Faragher
(bass). The group was due to release their debut album on 15 September 2009. Thomas played on Willy DeVille
's Pistola
album in 2008.
In June 2008 Thomas recorded for a Kina Grannis
album. In 2009 Pete recorded for a Fito & Fitipaldis
album titled "Antes de que Cuente Diez".
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
for Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
. Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
has referred to him as "one of the best rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
drummers alive".
Career
Following early work with Chilli Willi and the Red Hot PeppersChilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers
Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers were one of the main British pub rock groups of the early 1970s. Later managed by Jake Riviera, who first worked for the band as a roadie, they reached their peak as part of the "Naughty Rhythms Tour" of 1975, along with other stalwarts of the same scene, Dr...
and John Stewart, Thomas was recruited as a member of Costello's backing band The Attractions
The Attractions
The Attractions were best known as the backing band for Elvis Costello between 1978 and 1986, and again from 1994 through 1996. They also released one album as an independent entity in 1980.-History:...
in 1977. Elvis Costello & The Attractions would spend the next decade touring the world, and recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
nine album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s, from This Year's Model
This Year's Model
This Year's Model is Elvis Costello's second album and his first with The Attractions, released in 1978 . It was recorded mainly at Eden Studios in West London....
(1978) to Blood and Chocolate
Blood and Chocolate (album)
Blood & Chocolate is the eleventh studio album by the British rock singer and songwriter Elvis Costello, released in the United Kingdom as Demon Records XFIEND 80, and in the United States as Columbia 40518...
(1986).
Although Costello split with The Attractions between 1987 and 1993, he continued to work regularly with Thomas during this period. Thomas played drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s on the albums Spike
Spike (Elvis Costello album)
Spike is the 12th studio album by the British rock singer and songwriter Elvis Costello, released on and compact disc as Warner Brothers 25848. It was his first album for the label. It peaked at #5 on the UK album chart, and at #32 on the Billboard 200....
(1989), Mighty Like a Rose
Mighty Like a Rose
Mighty Like A Rose is the 13th studio album by the British rock singer and songwriter Elvis Costello, released in 1991 on compact disc as Warner Brothers 26575. The title is presumably a reference to the pop standard "Mighty Lak' a Rose", and although that song does not appear on the album, the...
(1991), and Kojak Variety
Kojak Variety
Kojak Variety is a 1995 covers album by Elvis Costello. "Days" had previously appeared on the album Until the End of the World, the 1991 soundtrack to Wim Wenders' film of the same name.-Track listing:# "Strange" – 2:39...
(recorded in 1990 but not released until 1995) and was a member of Costello's 1989-1991 touring band, The Rude 5.
Costello reunited with The Attractions for the albums Brutal Youth (1994) and All This Useless Beauty
All This Useless Beauty
All This Useless Beauty is the 17th studio album by the English rock singer and songwriter Elvis Costello, released on compact disc as Warner Brothers 46198. It peaked at #28 on the UK album chart, and at #53 on the Billboard 200...
(1996).
In 2001 Costello recruited Thomas, Faragher, and fellow Attraction Steve Nieve
Steve Nieve
Steve Nieve is an English keyboardist, best known for his work with Elvis Costello and the Attractions and Elvis Costello and the Imposters.-Musical career:...
to record the album that became When I Was Cruel
When I Was Cruel
When I Was Cruel is Elvis Costello's 20th album, recorded in 2001 and 2002 and released in the US by Island Records on 23 April 2002. Although officially a solo Costello album, this was the first album to feature his new band, The Imposters, whose only difference from his previous band, The...
(2002). Elvis Costello & The Imposters, as they were subsequently named, have gone on to tour extensively, and recorded the album The Delivery Man
The Delivery Man
The Delivery Man is the 21st studio album by Elvis Costello, released on Lost Highway Records, B0002593-02. It was recorded with the Imposters at Sweet Tea Studio in Oxford, Mississippi. It peaked at #40 on the Billboard 200.-Content:...
(2004).
Thomas lives in Los Angeles, with his wife Judy. Their daughter Tennessee
Tennessee Thomas
Tennessee Jane Bunny Thomas is a British-born American drummer and actress. She is a founding member and drummer of the indie rock group The Like.She is the daughter of Pete Thomas, drummer for Elvis Costello and the Attractions....
is drummer for the band The Like
The Like
The Like is an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California. The current members are Elizabeth "Z" Berg , Tennessee Thomas , Laena Geronimo , and Annie Monroe...
. In 2003
2003 in music
-January:* January – following an investigation by The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and London detectives, police raids in England and the Netherlands recover nearly 500 original Beatles studio tapes, recorded during the Let It Be sessions. Five people are arrested...
Pete Thomas was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
as a member of Elvis Costello & The Attractions.
Studio work
Over the years Pete Thomas has been an in demand session musician. Among his many credits include, drums for Graham ParkerGraham Parker
Graham Parker is a British rock singer and songwriter, who is best known as the lead singer of the popular British band Graham Parker & the Rumour.-Early career :...
's 1991 album Struck By Lightning and 1992 album Burning Questions.
After Costello split with The Attractions for a second time, Thomas worked for the next few years primarily as a session
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
drummer, recording with such artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
as Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Nadine Vega is an American songwriter and singer known for her eclectic folk-inspired music.Two of Vega's songs reached the top 10 of various international chart listings: "Luka" and "Tom's Diner"...
, Neil Finn
Neil Finn
Neil Mullane Finn, OBE is a New Zealand Pop recording artist. Along with his brother Tim Finn, he was the co-frontman for Split Enz and is now frontman for Crowded House...
, Vonda Shepard
Vonda Shepard
Vonda Shepard is an American pop/rock singer. She appeared as a regular in the television show Ally McBeal from seasons 1-5 in which she played a resident performer at the bar where the show's characters drank after work. She plays piano, guitar, and bass.-Biography:Vonda Shepard was born in New...
, Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
, Fito Páez
Fito Páez
Rodolfo "Fito" Páez Ávalos is an Argentine popular rock and roll pianist, lyricist, Spanish language singer and film director.-Early career:...
, Joaquín Sabina
Joaquín Sabina
Joaquín Ramón Martínez Sabina , known artistically as Joaquín Sabina, is a singer, songwriter, and poet. He has released fourteen studio albums, two live albums, and three compilation albums...
, Los Lobos
Los Lobos
Los Lobos are a multiple Grammy Award–winning American Chicano rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños.-History:The...
, Wild Colonials
Wild Colonials
Wild Colonials are an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1992 by Angela McCluskey , Shark , Paul Cantelon , Scott Roewe and Ian Bernard...
, Matt Brown of 3 lb. Thrill
3 lb. thrill
3 lb. Thrill was the reincarnation of the Atlanta band Uncle Green. Formed in Basking Ridge, New Jersey in 1980, Uncle Green consisted of Matt Brown , Jeff Jensen , Bill Decker , Pete McDade , and Danny Giordano...
, and John Paul Jones.
In 1993 Thomas joined the band Squeeze for their album Some Fantastic Place replacing Gilson Lavis on drums. He was not a part of that band after the one album.
In 1994, Thomas was part of a trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
that included vocalist/avant garde opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
diva
Diva
A diva is a celebrated female singer. The term is used to describe a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, and, by extension, in theatre, cinema and popular music. The meaning of diva is closely related to that of "prima donna"....
, Diamanda Galás
Diamanda Galás
Diamanda Galás is an American avant-garde composer, vocalist, pianist, organist, performance artist and painter.Galás has been described as "capable of the most unnerving vocal terror", with her three and a half octave vocal range. She often screams, hisses and growls...
, and former Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
/multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (musician)
John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
, who recorded the album, The Sporting Life
The Sporting Life (album)
The Sporting Life is an album by singer Diamanda Galás and multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones, recorded in London and released in 1994.- Track listing :#"Skótoseme" – 6:27#"Do You Take This Man?" – 6:09...
.
He also played on the Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
album, Figure 8
Figure 8 (album)
Figure 8 is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. Released by DreamWorks Records on April 18, 2000, it became Smith's second release on a major label and the last album he would complete before his death...
(Dreamworks) (2000) on the songs "Junk Bond Trader", "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud?" and "Can't Make A Sound".
Thomas currently plays local Los Angeles gigs
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
with bassist Davey Faragher
Davey Faragher
Davey Faragher is an American bass guitarist from Redlands, California. Faragher's career took off and received critical notice as a founding member of the nineties band, Cracker, and his following work with The Imposters, the backing band for Elvis Costello since 2001.Faragher is an accomplished...
and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Val McCallum, under the band name, Jack Shit.
In 2006 Pete Thomas played drums on the album "Doomed To Make Choices" by Jason Karaban
Jason Karaban
Jason Karaban is an American singer-songwriter and musician living in Los Angeles, California. Karaban first began his career fronting the Philadelphia based indie rock band Dragstrip Courage in 1997, and Grand in 2000. He emerged as a solo artist with the release of Doomed to Make Choices, in...
. He also plays drums on Karaban's album "Sobriety Kills" (2009) and Karaban's single "Succeed 101" (2009).
In 2008, he joined a new eight-piece supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
, Works Progress Administration, with Sean Watkins
Sean Watkins
Sean Charles Watkins is a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He is a member of the contemporary folk band Nickel Creek, the duo Fiction Family and the supergroup Works Progress Administration.-Nickel Creek:...
(guitar), his sister Sara Watkins
Sara Watkins
Sara Ullrika Watkins is an American singer-songwriter and fiddler. Watkins debuted in 1989 as the fiddler of the progressive bluegrass group Nickel Creek, which consisted of herself, her elder brother Sean, and mandolinist Chris Thile. As a band, they are notable for three wide-released albums:...
(fiddle), Glen Phillips
Glen Phillips
Glen Phillips is a songwriter, lyricist, singer and guitarist. He is best known as the singer and songwriter of 1990s alternative rock group Toad the Wet Sprocket.-Personal life:...
(guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals), Benmont Tench
Benmont Tench
Benjamin Montmorency Tench, III is an American keyboardist best known as a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.-Early years:...
(piano), Luke Bulla (fiddle), Greg Leisz
Greg Leisz
Greg Leisz is an American multi-instrumentalist, playing lap and pedal steel guitars, guitar, mandolin, and bass.- Biography :Leisz was influenced early on by the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers, especially pedal steel player "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow...
(various), and Davey Faragher
Davey Faragher
Davey Faragher is an American bass guitarist from Redlands, California. Faragher's career took off and received critical notice as a founding member of the nineties band, Cracker, and his following work with The Imposters, the backing band for Elvis Costello since 2001.Faragher is an accomplished...
(bass). The group was due to release their debut album on 15 September 2009. Thomas played on Willy DeVille
Willy DeVille
Willy DeVille was an American singer and songwriter. During his thirty-five year career, first with his band Mink DeVille and later on his own, Deville created original songs rooted in traditional American musical styles. He worked with collaborators from across the spectrum of contemporary...
's Pistola
Pistola
Pistola is the last studio album made by Willy DeVille. It was released on Mardis Gras day in 2008 as a nod to DeVille's musical roots in New Orleans. The album was recorded in Los Angeles with Brian Ray, Lon Price, the Valentine Brothers, and other musicians who had played with DeVille for years...
album in 2008.
In June 2008 Thomas recorded for a Kina Grannis
Kina Grannis
Kina Kasuya Grannis is a Japanese American guitarist and singer-songwriter. She is of Japanese, English, Irish, French, and German descent....
album. In 2009 Pete recorded for a Fito & Fitipaldis
Fito & Fitipaldis
Fito & Fitipaldis is a Spanish band, formed in 1998. It was created by Fito Cabrales with the intention of publishing songs which were not in the style of his other band, Platero y Tú...
album titled "Antes de que Cuente Diez".