Music and more from Andrew Jon Thomson
HomeAboutPhotosContact
 
MusicWebsitesBlog & Podcast
 

Who is this guy anyway?
Hello to you! I am singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, filmmaker, writer and activist Andrew Jon Thomson.


I try to live on the fine edge between the two seemingly opposite paths of deliberate tangible direct action towards the manifestation of dreams on the one hand, and on the other hand attempting to be open in the present moment to the magic happenstance of opportunity, synchronicity, luck, serendipity and fate. As a result I have been able to do everything I ever wished for, and you can do the same.


I write and perform multiple genre and mixed genre songs incorporating soul, funk, rock, folk, reggae, hip hop, jazz, psychedelic, alt-country, world ethnic styles, with a big focus on vocal harmonies and lyrical content, turning storytelling, comical political and social satire, activist slogans and manifestos, irony, layered wordplay and thoughtful universal and personal reflections into catchy danceable hooky popularly styled songs, combining sounds remeniscent of The Beatles, P-Funk, Stax, Tower of Power, Spearhead, Frank Zappa, Bob Dylan, Macy Gray, Willie Nelson, Lenny Kravitz, Pete Seeger, Sly and the Family Stone, Tom Waits, The Doobie Brothers, Beck, Ennio Marricone, Aretha Franklin, TMBG, Pink Floyd, The Rascals, Arlo Guthrie, Randy Newman, Nick Drake, The Beatles, Curtis Mayfield, Harry Nillsson, Steely Dan, Bruce Cockburn, Bob Marley, Digital Underground, Jimmy Buffett, The Coup, Seseme Street, Django Reinhardt, Screaming Headless Torsos, WAR, Solomon Burke, The Beatles and who knows what else.

I'm probably best known for founding and leading the regionally popular early 1990's Sacramento and Bay Area band "23" whose members Victor Damiani (bass), Todd Roper (drums) and Greg Brown (guitar) joined the band "Cake" and played on their four most popular albums while I went off to pursue saving the world and living in the mountains. All three of these remarkable master musicians were, along with Andrew, close friends since high school, and the same three had also appeared in the band "Saturday's Child" and currently rock the world with their band, "Deathray".

Another fun project of mine is The Saddle Pals of the Western Frontier, a 1930's style Singing Cowboy harmony swing band featuring John B. Ennis, actor-comedian known for co-starring with Bob Odenkirk, David Cross, and Tom Kenny in the legendary HBO sketch comedy show Mr. Show.

Also some know me for founding the activist arts and media festival, Freedom Cinema Arts Music and Media Festival.

So who is Andrew Jon Thomson?
  • A writer, director, audio video producer, songwriting musician, humorist, broadcaster, graphic designer and activist
  • A proven trend predicting idea generator
  • A platform neutral content creator.
  • A leading edge early adopting social entrepreneur
  • A networker with an uncanny history of being at the right place at the right time, making powerful personal and professional connections with people who change history.
  • A prolific initiator of infectious enterprises that attract fast mass niche interest and spontaneous committed action from people ranging from stars and leaders to the grassroots.
  • A creative designer of potently charismatic, meaning intensive, ultra specific, instantly understandable multimedia brand identities including concepts, names, logos, slogans, theme songs, color palettes, publicity strategies and more, communicating dense, value driven messages and inspiring energy and involvement.
  • A proprietor of a complete modern digital audio video production and post production facility, including high end digital recording studio, Final Cut Studio Pro Editing and post processing suite, wired isolation booths, performance space with full range of musical instruments, 3-D CG facilities, and theatrical screening room.
  • A compulsive student and teacher of music, current events, social change, media skills, history, comedy, cinema, permaculture, sustainable design and survival techniques.


Andrew Jon Thomson has performed and written music since 1976.
Despite a glaring lack of commercially released cd's, he has played for enthusiastic audiences around the world including the continental USA, Alaska, Thailand, Laos, and Cuba as well as command performances in the famous Luna Treesit for treesitter-author-activist Julia Butterfly Hill and numerous live radio performances around the world.

He is honored to have shared stages with Michael Franti of Spearhead, Cracker, CAKE, Anton Barbeau, Zircus and many other great musicians and bands.

In recent years he has recorded solo in his mountaintop home recording studio 20 miles from the nearest small town, but in the past has played with numerous bands in environments both urban and remote.

The bands he founded include HUGG, Atom and the Bombs, Poyzonberries, Dry Grind, Suite Sweet Bulbs, 23, The Jimmy Hoffa Experience, Powerpussy, The Farmers of Freedom, The Alaska Action Center Band, and more that remain to be remembered.

He also founded democracy-promoting activist groups the Alaska Action Center and the Freedom Cinema Festival and has another life as a filmmaker, having directed and produced dvd featurettes for indie films Dopamine and Swing and produced, directed and written (with the help of the cast) his own feature film called Invasion of the Freedom Snatchers as well as having written numerous unproduced screenplays.


  • Andrew Jon Thomson is honored to have played, collaborated performed and recorded with many outstanding musicians from many fantastic bands including
  • CAKE,
  • Filibuster,
  • Fishbone,
  • Deathray,
  • Golden Shoulders,
  • Saturday's Child,
  • Hayseed Dixie,
  • Sensations,
  • Urban Jazz Sessions,
  • Kelly's Heroes,
  • UBZORB,
  • Michael Franti and members of Spearhead,
Musicians I have collaborated with or am currently working with include:
  • The Memphis Horns
  • Chuck Rainey
  • Mike Garson,
  • Elliott Randall,
  • Walfredo Reyes Jr.,
  • Bassy Bob Brockman
  • Andy "A 2 the K" Kravitz,
  • Victor Indrizzo,
  • Sammy Merendino,
  • Graham Maby,
  • Fima Ephron,
  • Dave "Fuze" Fiuczynski,
  • David Gilmore,
  • Byron Fry,
  • Richard Nelson,
  • Marc Muller,
  • Tom Roady,
  • Pat Mastellotto,
  • Paul Robinson (USA),
  • Benny Rietveld,
  • Anton Fig,
  • Pete Lockett,
  • Victor Damiani,
  • Todd Roper,
  • Greg Brown,
  • Todd Kelly,
  • Brian Charamuga,
  • Mark Pollack,
  • Marshall Greenup,
  • David Govett,
  • David West,
  • Scott Miller,
  • North RFX Pitney,
  • Emile Dalkey,
  • Joey Burger,
  • R.B Rave,
  • DJ Jahdn,
  • Ryan Schmidt,
  • Michael Smith,
  • Ian Berzon,
  • Joanne Rand,
  • Darryl Cherney,
  • John Ennis
  • and more.
My own personal band projects are listed below in my "list of band names"  c. 2006 Andrew Thomson
The International Superband
The Global Superband
The All Star Superband
The Superband All Stars
The Freedom Farmers
The Farmers of Freedom
The Extraordinaires
The Revelations
The New Revelations
The Music Activists
The Coalition
The Change Coalition
The Fantastic Five
The Essentials
The True Essentials
The New Essentials
The Truth Tellers
The Transcendents
The Transcendence
The Spectaculars
The Spectaculaires
The Brilliantines
The Luminescents
The Luminescence
The Luminaries
The Funky Luminaries
The Luminaires
The Superliminals
The Leading Lights
The Vibrations
The Sound Vibrations
The Superstrings
The Multiverse
The 10th Dimension
The Unified Field Theory
The Unified Music Theory
The Supernaturals
The Parallel Universe
The Universal Organism
The Force
The Universals
The Fundamentals
The Funky Fundamentals
The Sound Ideas
The Good Life
The Band With No Name
The Musicologists
The Department of Musicology
The Musicology Department
The Groove Machine
The Hands of Time
The Cutting Edge
The Freedom Movement
The Vanguards
The Divine Interventions
The Synergistics
The Dymaxions
The Perpetual Motion Machine
The Free Energy Project
The Mind Machines
The Human Beings
The Professionals
The Unprofessionals
The Dependables
The Reliables
The Antic Disposition(s?)
The Court Jesters
The Serious Musicians
The Who Knows What
The Watchyamacallits
The Unconditionals
The Universal Mind
The Certified Organics
The Truth Force
The Infinite Possibilities
The Perspectives
The Potenial Ene
The Kinetics
The Soft Focus
The Evolutions
The Natural Selections
The Rationales
The New Progressions
The Divine Inspirations The Free Radicals
The Superoxide Free Radicals
The Radicals
The Free
The Band From Outer Space
The Unbelievables
The Multiverse
The Whacketeers
The Peaceful Revolutionaries
The Ascended Masters of Music
The Immortals
The Funky Orchestra
The Clean Machine
The Mind Pirates
The Department of Musicology
The World's Greatest Band
The All Star Supergroup Band
The Musical Superhighway
The Carbon Cycle
The Unity Movement
The New Unity Movement





Mailing List
Please sign up for the minimal mailing list. Your email will never be sold or given out.
Email

Please enter the text that you see in this image: