When all of the faces in the crowd blend together, all of the music sounds the same, and all of the parties feel the same, it's time for a change. That change starts with Thomas Hames, Tallahassee resident and up and coming musician. With his upbeat sound and endless charm, Thomas is a new face in the crowd that you should know about.
Born in Bogota, Columbia in 1994, Thomas was always known as the "foreigner" around his group of friends. When he moved with his family to the states, he moved around in Mississippi and eventually made his way to Bradenton, FL, until his second year of college where he found himself at Florida State.
It was around the time in grade school that Thomas realized he had a passion for music. His friend, a guitar player, had backstage passes for Green Day, and he was so excited to hear all about the concert.
"My friend going to see Green Day was a huge deal in middle school," said Thomas, "he made it into the yearbook with a picture of Billy Joel Armstrong's guitar and everything." It was then that he found his love for music.
Thomas's mom, a Columbian native, is a latin guitar player, so naturally, he was exposed to music at an early age. "She'd come out and play the guitar at family parties and I was fascinated by it."
He bought himself a guitar when he was young and began to watch videos of how to play guitar, as well as performing in music classes at school. Upon enrolling in college, his major was none other than Music Theory.
His first show was during his high school years at the Truman Bar & Grill in Bradenton.
When asked what it is about music that he enjoys, Thomas couldn't help but smile. "It's the creative aspect of it and being able to do things with my hands," he said, his fingers tapping away to a made-up song in his head. "Being the foreigner in my group of friends, it was nice to have something that helped me fit in."
Aside from playing guitar, upright bass, and learning to play the harmonica, Thomas is a great cook and can mimic quite a few accents with ease.
His favorite genre of music is classic rock because of its influence on other genres, and he's now getting into blues because of its story-telling. "I don't like electronic music as much because it doesn't tell a story," Thomas said.
"When I make music, I want people to be able to play it in their cars, listen to the lyrics, and relate to it."
"I want people to know that they're not alone and they can connect to my music."
Thomas gets his lyrical inspiration from various sources, such as the lyrical content from rappers like Eminem and Lil Dicky, country music for the stories, and bands like Guns n Roses for their sharp lyrics.
For his own songs about love, people often ask Thomas who the female inspiration is. "There is no girl, I've never been in a real relationship, so I write how I want it to be, and what I want to be going through my mind," Thomas said.
Between being a Kitchen Gentleman for the Phi Mu sorority house, Thomas spends countless hours in the studio, working on new songs to be released soon. His first Tallahassee show, set for March 30th, will be held at the Pub House at the Strip.
"Expect some acoustic guitar, some covers of classic songs, and even a few of my own songs," he said about his upcoming show.
If you attend the show, please make your acquaintance with Thomas! He's a humble guy with a big heart, but will often forget names! So make sure you repeat your name several times and befriend Thomas, and of course, enjoy the show!
For more on Thomas, his whereabouts, and all the happenings, check out the links below!
Instagram: @thomashames
Twitter: @BigPapiTom
Soundcloud: @ThomasHames
Snapchat: @ThomasHames13
And a special thanks to Thomas for allowing me to do this interview, and featuring my boyfriend on drums on one of his tracks!
(photos by Sarah Cagle, @sarahcaglephotography )
