Introduction

I'm Tomas David Hood, and I am a Christian. I am a song writer. I play guitar and keyboards. I am starting again to play guitar in a worship team. Mostly, though, I work in my home studio, trying to improve my skill, and create new material. I am a sound engineer, and record my own demo work. I'm into folk, blues, rock, indie styles.

Thank You for Listening to My Music Samples...

I appreciate your visit. I hope that you take the time to listen to my 'snippets' of sound, musical ideas and partial songs. I'm working on a few songs right now that I hope to refine into real, full-length songs. I'm trying out several different styles. Country, Rock, and Indie. Please visit again, every so often, as I will be changing the musical samples as time and results allow. Thank you for your support and interest in my music.

Writing songs, from the melody, chord arrangements, to the lyrics and parts, is pretty hard work! Especially when I am trying to improve my musical skills as well as accomplish the song writing!

So, please do listen to each track (they are not too long). And, please, leave a comment on your favorite of my samples. Comment on what you think should be changed, improved, or just left as is. I know, it takes some time to do this, but, isn't that what real social networking is all about? Your comments will help me improve the music. I appreciate your involvement.

About Tomas David Hood, Musician

Who am I? Well, this page will cover mostly my music and who I am from a musician's view point. I am more than a musician, however.

For instance, I write for three magazines on a regular basis (monthly or quarterly), and I write for a forth magazine twice a year. These magazines target the Amateur Radio community. I write about space weather and solar events, and the propagation of radio waves.

I am also a father. I was a single dad for over ten years. I married a second time, and added two more children to my first two. I love my daughter and my sons. And I care about parenting and children, and education, and more.

I was 'born again', back in 1972, through the redemption provided by Jesus Christ, God's Son Whom He sent as payment for the debt that mankind owed God. Why did we owe this to God? Why did Jesus have to die to pay this price? Ask me... I'll converse with you about it. My faith in Jesus is born of the Spirit, and life has testified to His presence in my daily life. I can do nothing apart from God - He is my strength, my courage, my hope, my desire. Without Him, I am empty. Do you feel empty? Searching for something in life but cannot find it? Let's talk.

Here's the scoop on who I am, musically...

I started playing music while in the 4th grade, when I was encouraged to try playing a clarinet in the school "band." I continued to try the clarinet for about three years. I hated the whole reed thing because it caused me a lot of problems with my teeth and lip. In other words, I hated the clarinet (as a player). (Now, I love the sound of reed instruments, especially the Sax!)

When my oldest brother, Robin, started playing guitar, I thought I should give it a try. I convinced my mom and dad to get me a cheap electric guitar, and I joined the grade-school guitar class, after school. This was when I was in the 4th grade, if I remember correctly.

Unfortunately, I lost interest because of the lack of encouragement from the instructor, and the draw to electronics that I felt. So, gone was the electric guitar.

PAUSE - PLEASE VIEW MY SLIDE SHOW!

The following slide show lets you peek into my world, just a bit, which might help you get to know me just a little more. These are photos of people I love, the pets I adore, the place where I live, as well as photos of me and the instruments I play and the equipment I use.

So, take some time and enjoy my slide show! Then, please read more about me, below the slide show... (by the way, if you move your mouse over a frame in the slide show, the slide show will pause and you can see a description of the photo)

I hope you enjoyed this slide show. Now, onward...

Child Abuse...

When I was in Junior High, my family moved me to Salt Lake City, Utah. It was in Salt Lake City that I was sexually assualted and abused by a perverted amateur radio operator. He used my interest in electronics and radio to manipulate me and then assault me.

Child abuse, in any form from mental abuse, abandonment, to physical abuse in the form of inflicting pain, or in the form of sexual abuse, crushes a child, no matter the age. I suffered from mental abuse, physical abuse, and then in Salt Lake City, sexual abuse. It was a very dark childhood but God was there with me every step of the way, filling my heart with a deep love that kept me looking upward and onward. I've had to do a lot of recovery work in my life since childhood, but I will say that God made that journey possible.

I'll dig into more of this in my blogs. For the sake of this introduction to me, though, I have to say that during my time in Salt Lake City and for a number of years after, I withdrew from most of life. I became quite a reclusive person. I dropped music, and somewhat dropped even my interest in electronics and radio or in anything other than keeping away from people and the risk of pain.

Christian School

When we left Salt Lake City and moved back to Montana, I started coming out of the shell a bit. My parents allowed me to go to a Christian school that I found and wanted to attend. I started calling on God to heal me and help me. I knew that attending a school where God was involved (because the school invited His presence) would be a help in my desire to draw closer to Him. While I was limited in understanding how much I needed God's work in my life, and was therefore rather immature as a teen-ager and a victim of abuse, He did do a work in me during this period of my life. If anything, He set a foundation that gave me strength during my young adult life.

The Start of Musical Interest

While in Butte, Montana, I toyed with music in more than a listener's capacity. Perhaps because music is the language of the soul, I was drawn to music as a way to soothe deep aches. Perhaps that is why David, in the Old Testament, played music to calm Saul.

I became a radio DJ with a three-hour prime time rock show on an FM radio station in Butte. I no longer had an instrument to play, so I dropped playing music. But I passionately started to explore and discover the music of many bands and artists. Having access to a huge library of music at the radio station helped.

I started to write poetry and lyrical ideas, though. Robin, my brother, asked me a probing question, "What do you have to offer anyone? You are so young." Well, I felt that there was a huge gathering storm of material brewing in my soul. Looking back, I know now that a lot of the driving passion, and confusion, came out of the abuse I suffered.

My brother, Robin, once said, "You can either play music, or play with music." During the first few years of High School, I played other people's music, and shared it by way of my radio show. I formed strong ideas about my tastes and about what people liked.

Alaska

In 1978, my family moved me up to Anchorage, Alaska. My brother, Richard, was stationed there as well (in the Army). His wife, Mary, had an acoustic six string sitting in the corner of their living room. I borrowed it, and that launched my life-long addiction to guitar music.

During the long dark hours of the Alaskan winter in 1979, I would work this acoustic guitar, attempting to discover ways to make it sound like the tunes I loved. I would play with it for six to eight hours, some days. I would record myself, and then make changes, hoping to get better. All of this, though, was without direction from any instructor or mentor. I learned a lot of bad habits. Although, I did try to learn music theory.

I began studying music theory, using the text workbooks that my brother, Robin, had used in his college courses in music theory. Those helped me a whole lot. I wish I could find them, again. They were the best I've ever seen...

As you can see, until recently, I have been mostly self-taught.

Life and Music, After Alaska

After Alaska, I moved back to Montana. I also grew closer to God during this time. We settled in Stevensville in 1982, and I started attending my senior year at Stevi High.

My First 'Real' Electric Guitar

It was here in Stevensville that I convinced my mom and dad to once again buy me an electric guitar. I still have and use this amazing and beautiful electric, the Peavey T-60. While in Montana, I also picked up playing the keyboard. This was from about 1982 through 1985.

I am still playing my T-60, after recently having it repaired (I had the frets re-worked, a new bridge replacement, had the electrical wiring and one pickup overhauled, and so forth).

U.S. Army

I graduated from high school in 1983. In 1985, I joined the US Army. While at the Advanced Individual Training course in Georgia, I met my first wife who was also in the US Army. We married, and then I got orders to go to Germany, and she got orders to go to Korea. Well, our marriage shock up those plans, and the Army took six months to figure out and change her orders. She was stuck in Georgia for those six months, while I was already over in Germany! Not a great start to a marriage.

While living in Germany, serving my country in the U.S. Army, my first two sons were born. I continued to pick at the guitar, and even played at the small church we attended in Karlsruhe, West Germany. I started learning more about synthesized music, too. I really dug Jean Michael Jarre.

A Rocky Marriage

When we returned to the States, we moved to Connecticut. I ended up working as a programmer / analyst with The Travelers. But, the home life was rough. The marriage was not working well. I was not the best husband, nor the best dad. Having been an abuse victim, I was highly ill-equiped with the tools for relationships and parenting.

During the first part of the marriage, while still in Germany, I played Guitar as part of a worship team, and also played guitar out on the street in public. But, by the time I was in Connecticut, music in me died.

My wife finally had enough and just left. In the end, it was just my two sons and I. But, no music. When my first wife finally left me, it took the wind out of my sails.

Because it was now just my two sons and I, I decided to move back to Montana where I would be closer to my parents. I felt that this would give me some support as a single dad, and, give my two sons and I some 'elbow room.'

Go West, Young Man!

Times were tough, though, in Montana. So, I packed up and moved to Washington state, where my brother, Richard, and his family were stationed. My boys and I ended up living in Washington for over a decade, with my remaining a single dad for about ten years.

Once and a while I picked at the guitar, but never in a serious manner. I did write some poetry, and, began to work at a Christian radio station. I had a radio show as well. I picked up the guitar and started playing in a worship team at church.

Meeting my Wife, Leigh

During the stay in Washington, I met my current love, Leigh, and we married. My new wife has two children, as well. So, our newly merged family of four children began a new journey. Music was not yet possible with so much on my plate.

After a few more years, three of our "kids" moved away to college or jobs, so it was easy to make the decision to move the remaing three of us to Montana. We did this during the summer of 2007.

Back Home to Montana

It was not until 2007 that I finally came back to music as a passion. Now in Montana, I am re-learning guitar and music theory. I am playing around with some other musicians, and we play at the idea of creating a band, at some point.

As part of my commitment to re-learn music and specifically guitar, I obtained two Taylor guitars, the T5 and the 614ce. I also had my Peavey T-60 repaired. I added to this collection the Genz-Benz Shen 200 amplifier with dual speaker cab, and the Line6 PODxt and TonePort UX2. My wife also wants to learn more music skills, so she now has the Casio Privia keyboard, which I use from time-to-time for composing and recording.

On this page, you'll hear examples of ideas that are being tried in my home studio (a very modest starting point). The recordings feature the Taylor and Peavey guitars, and sometimes the keyboard as well as my voice.

Watch the blog for the latest notes and comments regarding the music. Would you also please leave a comment about which song ideas and sounds you liked, or disliked? I appreciate honest feedback and hope that you will take the time to share your observations and opinions with me. Thank you.



Create your own visitor map!

What did you like about my music? What did you not like? What song or riff was cool, and why? Do you have some suggestions on improving my playing of the guitar?

Please take the time to actually read and listen to the material on my space, if you want to really be a friend. I don't go for mindless 'advertisement' schemes... I go for building friendships and networking. Thank you .... Tomas David Hood