STORIES FROM THE STAGE
~Tommie Vaughn
SEPTEMBER 2026
Photos, and what to do with your hands
It all becomes very apparent when I have to do a band photo shoot, that my happy place is actually on the stage performing- not in front of a camera , posing.
I don’t like to stand still. That can be seen clearly on my face. I don’t take myself seriously. That is the look I am giving the lens. And I really and truly, have no idea what to do with my hands.
But I do like to lean… and I seem to do that well- as I look through the proofs of our new band shots— taken by the talented Jesse Natale at Summit Studios in Santa Barbara. Jesse knows me and the band well, as he shot two of our music videos, Tornado and Drive through Fire- so he is well aware of my neurosis, in front of a camera.
Although, to me, I much prefer shooting music videos to Photographs- again with the standing still not my strong suit. I love the creativity and artistry in making music videos- the telling a story with your song. It just lights my soul on fire… and Jesse thankfully, did not allow me to burn in our last video, aptly titled Drive Through Fire, where I sang right next to a burning bonfire. It was so fun, and I wasn’t uncomfortable at all, although, my back was a little hot.
But I digress, that’s me off on a tangent, it happens a lot lately. So, where was I going? Oh yeah, you have to have new band photos when you are a new band… Well, a new-ish band. A not so new band. Ok, we’ve been around the block, but not as this four-piece, ok?
And this time around I wanted our photos to have a simpler look, a little throw back style to pure rock n’ roll, a style that reflects our sound. So I looked back when band photo shoots were more about whiskey than fake eyelashes. A touch of leather and the well placed T-shirt…We did it all, and Jesse knew just how to set the light, just right.
As I look at the proofs now, I’m noticing a theme— and it seems I may be missing a beard? Gawd, those boys are hot with all that facial hair. I might need to re-name Wall of Tom to Band of Beards. What do you think?
Jesse did an amazing job shooting these photos- capturing our ideas, keeping me in check, making us feel super relaxed, and well, I really leaned into it. We got some great shots and I can’t wait to share them. So here is one- and the feeling is all there.
Wall of Tom is back. And now we are shiny and pink- at least in this one- and there’s many more to share and many more shows being booked as I write. So keep an eye on our Shows page, too.
As always, live life LOUD!
AUGUST 2026
I thought I was done with music.
I thought I was done with music.
Something that had filled my soul with such joy, for so long. I told myself I had a good run, did lots of wonderful projects, made some amazing music with wonderful friends along the way, and even wrote a trilogy that encapsulated it all, and then some. But, I told myself that I was too old, a busy mom working a semi creative job to keep my kids futures afloat, cheering them on as they grew.
Music, I told myself was for them now- and once and awhile I would sing a song with Tony and smile... but that was it. Wall of Tom had crumbled after the pandemic, we lost friends and we lost family, our hearts just weren't in it anymore...
But then one day five months ago, we got a group text from Michael, wondering if, just maybe, we wanted to jam. Sometimes that's all you need is a little nudge... so we tried it, and it worked, and it was different. We rounded up a new drummer, a seasoned pro transplant from Portland with a Seattle way of playing and a 90's grunge feel. Wall of Tom's new sound is harder, faster and well, rockin'- it feels closer to how it felt at the beginning, when we started as a four piece alternative rock band.
Now we have reworked original songs that we never played before and turns out- I'm not dead after all. None of us are, and we feel everything that is happening out there in the world and we are pulling it into the studio and making it ours- and let me tell you - it feels fucking fantastic. In a place where cover bands rule the stages, this original band is back, and bringing the musings to life once again- LOUD.
