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Tommy, born December 30, 1979 in Detroit, MI has been living drums since he got his first pair of sticks at age 7. At age 11 he was playing clubs and concerts 5 nights a week in his father’s band. All while trying to stay awake in his junior high school classes. Tommy recollects on those early invalualble experiences. “It was the greatest training ground, one night I would play a wedding, and the next night I would be playing ”Johnny B. Goode” behind the actual Chuck Berry. I played in every situation imaginable.”
Also, at the age of 14 Tommy began a year long touring engagement with 60’s soulful singing icons “Little Anthony & The Imperials.” Next, Tommy began playing with Detroit rock legend “Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels,” touring across the country. By Age 18 he was a seasoned pro with hundreds & hundreds of gigs under his belt.
And if there is one thing he has learned, it's that playing is not the only ingredient to a successful working career in music. Tommy adds, "It's the showing up on time, getting along with people, having an upbeat attitude, and you must maintain a strong work ethic. You have to be willing to go to any length to be the best you can be."
Tommy first met Ted Nugent while recording tracks for the Jeff Daniels (Dumb & Dumber) produced movie "Escanaba in Da Moonlight" with Alto Reed (Bob Seger Saxman) producing the session. Two weeks later Tommy joined Ted on his 2001 World Tour.
In 2002, Tommy played on his critically acclaimed album "Craveman" with the Craveman tour following. He is also featured on Ted's first DVD release "Full Bluntal Nugity."
The year 2003 was a busy one for Tommy on the TED NUGENT "SHOCK & AWE" tour.A good portion of this tour was spent with legendary rockers ZZ TOP. Other shows included ALICE COOPER, DAVID LEE ROTH, KISS AND AEROSMITH.
2004 finds Tommy on a World Tour with legendary shock rocker Alice Cooper. The story continues...
Tommy also plays and proudly endorses DW Drums, Sabian Cymbals and Ahead Drumsticks.
Detroit native Tommy Clufetos is a thinking man’s groove master in hyper-adrenaline mode, at once clever, perfectly timed, and theatrical.
It takes a special man in the tradition of the western hero to ride with Ted Nugent. A man’s gotta shoot pistols, shotguns, and even machine guns. It’s the same story with him playing with Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie. If you want to share their plank stage, stay in the raw leather saddle, you stay on the attack and frighten off the bad guys with incessant barrages of high SPLs.
But, you know, it’s more than stratospheric sound pressure levels. Arm chair analysts may not admit it, but drumming at the very edge of human capabilities is as much an art as the heavily-ornamented (read “cluttered” fusion thing). When you play as tightly, as in-time when utterly complex, and as dynamically as Tommy, you display something that transcends mere drum licks. Tommy’s ingenuity, technique, musicality, and sense of humor are developed to super-human heights.
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