University of Albany SUNY Student, Producer, and musician, and writer - Thomas joins schenectaMAg as summer writer
My name is Thomas. I am pleased to be joining SchenectaMag as a writer this summer.
Currently, I’m a rising junior at the University of Albany SUNY, as a double major in
History and Journalism. I originally hail from Rockland County, New York. On top of that,
I’m a producer! Actively releasing music for 4 years on various streaming platforms.
For the longest time, music has always been the most important thing in my life. At a
very young age, I was deep diving into discographies of many many artists across
multiple genres such as Hip Hop, Rock, R&B, electronic/house, etc. I would spend my
free time checking out albums I have not heard yet when I had time to spare. I always
wanted to partake in the creation of the sound as well, but had no idea where to start.
During my 8th and 9th grade of school, I would take digital music classes where I would
play around on garageband and bandlab, free DAWs, and create melodies and drum
patterns from scratch.
Banker Man (feat. Kalonji Lumbala)
Around 4 years ago, at a local music store near me, I made my first musical
purchase and bought an AKAI Midi MPK keyboard for my laptop. Initially, I had no clue.
I would spend hours that week watching tutorials on how to even set it up, let alone use
it. After a while, I started to get the hang of it, and downloaded the free DAW software
that came along with it. During the back half of 2021, I would release several beat tapes
under the name “Thommo” on SoundCloud. I continued to release solo projects in 2022
and 2023, but soon realized I wasn't fulfilled enough. I would then reach out to several
artists for the first time during my freshman year of college. Before that, I was just
releasing nothing but solo beats. Due to that, in May of 2024, I fully produced an album
with Chicago rapper Lucai, whom i had reached out to on social media. The album was
titled “Find the Antidote”, with a few features from other rappers I had been networking
with on social media for quite some time, by the names of IDK Young J and Zaid. The
album came out great, and many of my friends back in Rockland, plus my community i
was a part of on X/twitter enjoyed it and gave me a reception. However, most of my
peers in college were unaware of my music, as I had anxiety about sharing it. “What if
they don’t like it?” among other things, i was telling myself. I knew I had to kick that fear.
I began to attend the producers club at UAlbany, Rhythm Union! This was the first time I
had actually let my music be heard in my college tenure. Through this club, I was able
to connect with many other students who produce just like me. The Thommo brand
continues to grow. I would also periodically attend the “Phenomenal Voices” club for
singers, poets, vocalists as Rhythm Union would collaborate and have collaboration
mashup nights. It really showed me the very talented and welcoming artist community at
the school I attend. This is what propelled me to finally share my music, and to no
longer be anxious about it.
This past May, I released my Album titled “Volume3” which is 12 tracks, all produced
by me, and 6 of these tracks have features with artists i have networked with on discord,
X, etc. I wanted a lot of exposure on this one, as it was my most grand project to date,
so I shared my music with all my friends for the first time, and all over my social media. I
am very glad that I did, as this has opened up many new avenues for me to create and
collaborate.
NYC SHIRTS - NEW YORK CHENECTS
As a student at SUNY Albany, I have tried my best to get involved around campus in
many clubs and orgs. It has always been my goal to branch out. I have been a lifelong
scholar of history, geopolitics, global events, journalism etc. This past fall semester of
my sophomore year, I had the pleasure of meeting Alexandre, also known as Kalonji, as
we would share common interests and attend the same clubs. He is a very talented
artist from the Schenectady areas. He and I kept in touch, and eventually collaborated
musically! On my album, Volume3, I had sent him a beat that I made and kept in the
drafts since April of 2023. He recorded verses, and we called the song “Banker Man”.
Ever since the release, it has made a few waves around the music community at our
school. I have been blessed and pleased at the reception it has gotten by many of my
musical peers in the capital region area. It gives me the drive to continue creating,
writing, and connecting.
Indie (Short Film) Friends in Taiwan - Kerell & 97OTIS
These are turbulent times that we live in, and I have really started to think about my
future and my career. I find myself wanting to get a head start, even though there is still
time. I have had a lot of thoughts about my majors, and what I enjoy doing. what has
drawn me into journalism, and what i would like to do going forward, aiming to enter the
field. I found out about Schenectamag through Alexandre, so I reached out. As a
journalism major, and during these trying times where there is nothing but uncertainty, I
am eager to build up my skills as much as possible, while also doing what I love. And
what better way than writing about music, my passion?
I will be joining SchenectaMag this summer as a writer with a passion in journalism,
writing, expressing, and music. I am very excited and eager to write. I will be covering
many local artists in the region, with a hope that it will boost their popularity and
exposure to all you readers out there. People love art, but we need to remember to
support the artists. We must give them exposure, and that is why I’m joining. I also hope
to boost my own exposure, and allow my music to be heard more, and to allow myself
to network with other artists in the Schenectady area. In the future, I hope to enter the
journalism field and I think this is a great step. Very proud to announce I will be joining
SchenctaMag, and a HUGE thanks to them!
Feel free to check me out “Thommo” on all streaming services.
