Thomas, a Virginia native, has composed and performed with the regional rock and roll band, Hit and Run, as well as Kingfish Crawl, a local blues favorite. As an anthropologist, one of his primary focuses is ethnomusicology, and he has extensively studied the BATA drumming of Cuba and its roots with the Lukumi’s music of western Nigeria. In recent days he has redirected his ethnomusicological gaze to gypsy swing and jazz manouche. It is within this marriage of music and anthropology that Thomas has found his mission! Thomas continues to compose and teach private lessons, workshops and instructional clinics. In addition, he has designed and performed a number of special lecture/performances for schools and universities that focus on the history and culture of Gypsy swing and early blues and jazz. Thomas is the owner of and principal instructor at Ashland Music Academy, Director of Music at Benedictine High School, and contributing author/journalist for Flatpicking Guitar Magazine. Thomas has been a Dell’Arte guitar endorser, performed at the Stonehaven Folk Festival in Scotland, and most recently was nominated for the 2009 Virgina Commission of the Arts’ Heritage Award.