Jeff Thomas is an independent recording artist who has been located in Nashville, Tennessee since 1993. He is most known for his work as a solo recording artist, but in the years spanning from 1998 to 2010, he performed in bands of varying genres, worked as a paid musician for recording artists and showcase performances, as well as other performance ventures, such as choral and theatrical work.
Early Life
Thomas was born in New Bern, North Carolina, to Charles R. Thomas Jr. (Randy), a Rehabilitation Counselor and Andrea Forsyth Smith (formerly Thomas), a professional cellist, violinist, and a music educator. He has a younger sister, and three older half-siblings from the paternal side of his family.
Thomas was introduced to music at a very early age. At 3, he began studying the violin under the supervision of his mother. In his pre-adolescent years, he primarily listened to Classical, Country, and Popular music. His father, an avid traditional country music fan, and a singer and songwriter himself, introduced him to artists like Hank Williams Sr, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley.
In 1993, his family relocated to Nashville, Tennessee. Through school activities and through his church, Jeff’s passion for music performance expanded to performing in choirs, musical theater, and through his first experience of playing in a band.
Good Dirt Posse and Clear Method
While in high school, Thomas would form his first band with friends, classmates, and his church’s youth director, Good Dirt Posse. GDP was a Christian Alternative and Praise and worship rock band. GDP toured North and South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia in the summers of 1999 and 2000. In 2000, they would participate in a Christian Youth Music Festival called “Steeple Stock.” In 2001, He would join a second band, Clear Method, which was another Christian Alternative Band. Both bands would play the Steeple Stock festival in 2001 and in 2002, Clear Method would also play in the Relay for Life benefit music festival four years in a row from 2002 to 2005, and even opened for Christian recording artist, Eli. Additionally, he tried to start his first secular band, Stigma, and played bass in a 3-piece rock band called Supernaught.
Next Year’s Best and Dropshot
Clear Method broke up in 2005, and Thomas focused on his desire to front a secular rock band once again. In the fall of 2005, he formed the band Next Year’s Best. One of the first members of Next Year’s Best was Brent Powelson, who would later join The Hollywood Kills. In the winter of 2006, Next Year’s Best recorded an EP that was digitally released, called “Reading, Writing, and Hypocrites.” In the spring, they played and won a Battle of the Bands. As they continued to play in the Nashville area, they began working on what would have been their debut album, “Zombies.” Unfortunately, the album was never completed. Next Year’s Best were active from the beginning of 2006 to the end of 2007, where Jeff and their drummer, Mitch Meador formed another band, Dropshot, with Good Dirt Posse bassist Ben Maddox, and a new guitar player, Jake Johnson.
Dropshot recorded and digitally released a self-titled EP in 2008. They placed several shows at legendary Nashville venue Exit/In and played a SESAC showcase at The Rutledge. Dropshot broke up in the fall of 2008. Also, at this time, Thomas played bass in a 3-piece emo band called Volvalis, with Meador, and long-time friend, Ralph Palmer.
The Madness EP
When Next Year’s Best and Dropshot ultimately disbanded, Jeff assumed his music career was over. He worked in retail, held a job as a third party debt collector, and eventually joined the United States Army. Upon returning from Basic Infantry Training, Jeff was asked to play guitar for a friend and prospective country pop artist, Jenny Slate Lee. After playing the showcase, he set a goal for releasing his own solo EP.
In January of 2011, Thomas started recording The Madness EP with longtime friend and producer, Adam Stegeman. The 5 song, 20 minute EP was released in December of 2011. Thomas provided lead and backing vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, synth, mandolin, additional percussion, and violin. Addition musicians were Adam Skaggs on electric guitar, his mother Andrea Smith on violin and cello, Rachel Hart on violin, producer and engineer Jon Denney on piano and synth, Jonathan Ault on additional percussion, and Stegeman on additional percussion, programming, and synth. The Madness EP was engineered and edited by Stegeman in his home studio, was produced by Thomas and Stegeman. It was mastered at The Bomb Shelter Studios in Nashville and was released under Euphamia Records, Thomas’ independent record label.
Internal Conflicts: A Suite in A Minor
After the release of The Madness EP, Thomas would deploy with the Army to the middle east. Upon return, he experienced some major life changes and experienced difficulty transitioning back to civilian life. He began work on the follow up to his debut. In the fall of 2014, he began recording his second EP with producer, Mike Farona, of Middle C productions. After a year of recording, Internal Conflicts: A Suite in A Minor was released in September of 2015.
Jeff Thomas provided vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, synth, bass guitar, and programming for Internal Conflicts. Travis Passons of Fireworks Over London played electric guitar, famed drummer and percussionist Asa Wiggins played the drums, and former Dropshot bandmate, Ben Maddox played bass guitar on two songs.
Hiatus and Denouement
After the release of Internal Conflicts, Thomas spent time away from music working to discover his new identity. Having been honorably discharged from the Army, and after an accident working in the field as a data installation technician, he published a book, The Ragman, and completed a degree in Financial Planning.
It was around this time that Thomas’ children began showing an interest in music. Through their passion to create, he reconnected with his own. After a nearly 8 year absence from music, he released the single Cancerous in April of 2023. One month later, he released his debut LP, Denouement.
As a personal challenge to himself, Denouement was produced exclusively on Garage Band from an iphone. Thomas plugged guitars and a microphone directly into the DAW, but he wanted to see if he could exclusively produce music through Garage Band. For the first time as a recording artist, Jeff performed all vocal and instrumental performances for this album. He engineered and edited the entire album. Denouement was produced by Thomas and his children; Gavin Suddarth, Monty Thomas, and Phoenix Thomas. The visualizer for Denouement was created by Monty Thomas.
Singles, Fifteen Minutes of Fame, and Evaporate
After the release of Denouement, Thomas released Modest Goddess in October of 2023, and dedicated the song to his wife, who he celebrated their five year wedding anniversary with earlier that month. In April of 2024, he would release his first and only cover to date; a reinterpretation of the song, Runaway Train, originally performed by Soul Asylum. In September of 2024, he released an old song from when he played with Next Year’s Best and Dropshot called Tangible. He announced via social media that Tangible would be his last rock release and he would focus more on Americana, Folk, and Acoustic performance.
In October of 2024, Thomas announced via an interview with Marc Schuster, that he was working on a follow up to Denouement. “Evaporate will be my next album and it will release around the summer of 2025.”
In November, he release two new singles, showcasing his new roots direction with Sunny Side and Beattyville.
In January, he released the single, Here Come the Wolves, on Inauguration Day to protest the incoming president, Donald Trump.
In May, Thomas released his first EP since 2015 and first multi-track project since releasing Denouement in 2023. Frost EP, a three song and nine minute album, features previously released Sunny Side and Beattyville, and the new song, We Evaporate. Along with the release of the EP, he announced that the three songs were a precursor to the forthcoming album, Evaporate. On June 20th, he released the single, When I Leave the World, which was a song recorded during sessions for Evaporate, but ultimately not chosen for the album.
Fifteen Minutes of Fame Music Entertainment 