Tom Gilberts
For the Love of Music
They say that music is the language of the soul, and nothing could be truer for this Rhythm & Blues Band. Composed of a group of inspirational musicians and skillful performers, the artists behind Tom Gilberts have earned their reputation as a talented band to look out for. From live gigs to studio sessions and more, they continue to touch fans around the world with their distinct and enjoyable musical style. Explore the site and check out their music below.
Photo credit: Kathy Rankin
Band Members
Bio
MUSIC! You will not find a more enthusiastic music lover than Tom Gilberts. It is his passion and obsession. It is from this perspective that he approaches his writing, performance and production - the pure joy of it.
He claims that won the lottery, being born the youngest of three boys into a musically-gifted family. His father was a multi-instrumentalist, his mother a gifted pianist, and two older brothers are a guitarist and drummer. His grandfather played just about any string instrument and his grandmother played piano. His uncle is a jazz saxophonist, and his cousins play. He remembers family jam sessions with up to 15-20 people crammed into one room playing. His oldest brother, Dave, started teaching him to play guitar by ear around the age of 5. He has been playing ever since - now over 40 years. He learned to play music just like he learned to speak and considers music a native language.
Tom is a multi-instrumentalist playing guitar, bass (electric and upright) and cello. His high school band, The Righteous Butterflies, were a staple at local events in the Stayton, OR area where he grew up. He is classically trained and has played in the Corvallis OSU Symphony Orchestra during college. In the late 90’s, he moved to Portland, OR and played with The Mavens, Sweet Honey Dijon Jazz Quartet and recorded and performed with Nicole Campbell. He has studied under Terry Robb, Rob Blakeslee, Steve Willis, Dan Balmer and Tony Gaglio.
Music has been a constant through all the different phases of his life. He has intentionally protected his passion and love for music from professional demands and influences. Tempted on multiple occasions to venture into the professional music scene, he chose medicine as his career. He is board-certified physician specializing in Internal Medicine and practices medicine on a full-time basis.
He has been interested in recording and music production. He wrote and recorded his first album, “Change in Time,” at 18 years of age. He used the same Yamaha 4 track cassette studio to record a self-titled album in 1998. Most recently, he released the album “Grit” on the Polymerase Records label that features Wade Kirtley on B3, Brian Foxworth and Doug Knoyle on drums.
Tom is an avid listener and spends hours every day listening to music during his daily commute and free time. His music influences and interests are widely varied and have no real bounds. They range from blues, jazz, art rock, avant guard, shoe gaze, pop, blues, rock, country to metal. His guitar focus has been on improvisation, and his influences are myriad. A small sample would include: Gary Moore, Ronnie Earl, Robben Ford, Jimi Hendrix, BB King, Terry Robb, John Scofield, Kenny Burrell, Oz Noy, Walter Trout, Nels Cline, Pat Travers, R.L. Burnside, Bireli Lagrene, Frank Zappa, Albert King, Jim Hall, Barney Kessel, Eddie Van Halen, Bob Mould, Bill Frisell, Grant Green, Andy Timmons, Paul Gilbert, George Benson, Robert Cray, and Robert Johnson.
