Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Thomas.
Hi Patrick, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in Colleyville, TX (DFW for those unfamiliar with the area). My parents, two Broadway actors had just returned from ten years in New York when I was born. Fairly early on, age four or five, what started as banging on the old Baldwin piano in our guest room turned into chords and eventually melodies. Around seven I was taken to see Titanic in theaters and whisked away for bathroom breaks during the not-quite age-appropriate moments. I came home and, as my parents tell it, was playing the underscoring from the film. A couple more years of crazy moments like this and my mom decided I needed to be able to read music. Fast forward to high school graduation…I had studied piano for about 9 years, sang the National Anthem ten times over for every major sports team in the area, and was singing in shows at Six Flags Over Texas. I moved to Nashville to attend Vanderbilt University on a full scholarship. Three semesters in and by a crazy stroke of luck, I was asked to appear on the first season of a brand new, nationally televised show called “The Voice.” While I didn’t win as every contestant hopes they might, I quickly signed a publishing deal with Grammy-Award-winning songwriter Brett James who, ironically enough, had been tasked to write my “winning single.” This opened a lot of doors for me and introduced me to the wonderfully talented, hardworking, and eclectic Nashville music community. In the years since I have toured the country with Broadway veteran Rachel Potter, starring in “Country Legends” a country music revue performed with major symphony orchestras, played the Ryman Auditorium in a tribute show to the late, great Glen Campbell, starred as Paul Simon in the National Tour of the Simon and Garfunkel Story, composed live and performed songs on National TV as part of the 2019 NFL Draft, and released multiple records including a Christmas album.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Of course, it hasn’t! I have found myself in a cycle of inspiration, hope, dejection, and bitterness time and time again. In the span of one month, I went from writing songs with label heads and weighing my options between 3 publishing/record deals to playing background music for uninterested patrons at a casino in Santa Rosa, California with no deals on the table. I am simultaneously miles ahead and miles behind where I thought I’d be at this point in my life. My saving grace has been my wife, amazing group of friends, and a lifelong love affair with music. Not commercialized, logically conceived, industry-driven music, but real, authentic, wake you up in the middle of the night, music.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My greatest blessing and curse in life has been my chameleon-like ability to adapt to any scenario. Sometimes this has come at the expense of my artistry or unique identity, but at the end of the day, I think it’s what sets me apart. I am a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and actor and can pivot fairly seamlessly between styles and genres. I have music directed and produced shows, charted in the Nashville number system but also notated and transcribed scores and harmonies for jazz and broadway-like productions, been a frontman and been a side guy, sang country and sang opera. I just love great music. The benefit of being a chameleon is that until COVID, I have never needed to work a “day job.” Having a variety of skillsets has allowed me to consistently monetize my craft.
I think the other thing that sets me apart is my work ethic and professionalism. It is easy to adopt the artist mindset and operate on your own time. I’ve never subscribed to that line of thought. I am early and prepared to a fault. I honor my commitments no matter what and treat my art like a business. I think that this has allowed me to ingratiate myself to clients allowed me to consistently work in a notoriously tough industry.
What are your plans for the future?
I think planning to start a family is the biggest change. I dated my wife for nearly six years because I wasn’t sure if building a family was compatible with the non-stop, unsettled life of a traveling artist. Now all of a sudden, I’m convinced that it’s not just compatible but it’s the lifeline I need to keep me grounded. I’m eager to start a family and to learn to navigate the balance.
Career-wise, I am tentatively reentering a period of manic creativity. This was pretty stifled during COVID (I got a job with amazon and went from no job experience to program management and 50-60 hours a week seemingly overnight). Now I am finding the balance, of which Amazon is surprisingly supportive, and preparing to release new music in the coming months. I’m collaborating in the country music industry and writing new songs for my own artist project, but also working with some major broadway names due to my affiliation with an amazing theatre company in town, Studio Tenn.
Contact Info:
- Email: apatrickthomas@gmail.com
- Website: www.patrickthomasmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apatrickthomas
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apatrickthomasmusic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/apatrickthomas
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/apatrickthomasmusic
