Tom Janise: Guitar & Vocals I grew up in the heyday of bands like ZZ Top, CCR, Jimi and Janis, The Stones, andSteppenwolf. It was a great time to be young and naive about music. There were so many great influences, many of them local, that it was hard not to develop a broad appreciation of rock and blues. My Dad had an old F-Top Silvertone acoustic that I used to bang around on. When he had lost all hope that it might just be a passing fancy, he bought me a Kent electric guitar and an old Falcon amp from Friedman’s Pawn Shop. It was on. Over the years I’ve had the privilege to work with bands like <strong><em>Hazardous Waste, Third Stone, The Electric Grapevine, Stone Angel, Night Shift, and Reality Check before joining up with The Horse. My gear includes a beautiful ‘73 Les Paul Custom, several Strats… including a ‘91 with Muy Grande pick-ups, an ‘82 Strat Elite, and a Texas Fat Strat. A couple of good acoustics, made by Carvin and Parkwood. My amp of choice is an Overbuilt Barn Boss 2x12. After trying and buying an almost impossible array of guitar amps… from Crates and Peaveys to Marshalls , Mesas, and Fenders… I have come to the conclusion that the Overbuilt is quite possibly the best sounding guitar amplifier on the planet. I also own a Fender Concert and a hand-built Moser Dragon, both great sounding amps in their own right, and somewhat easier to carry than the Barn Boss.  I also want to mention here that I was given the chance to co-publish The Connection Magazine, a music newspaper geared to local music and musicians.Steve Piccone and I had a great time with the paper… we met some cool people and made some great friends. The Connection hosted the area’s longest running Open Mic Nightat area clubs like The Handlebar (North and South), Changing Times, The Stoned Crow, andAntone’s. A lot of area bands, and some pretty lasting friendships, owe their beginnings to those crazy Tuesday nights over a stretch that lasted nearly ten years! I miss doin’ the Open Mic thing, the players and the Patron, but it sure was tough getting up for work on those Wednesday mornings! The Connection published it’s last issue in 2001, and folks are always askin’ me when we’re gonna crank it back up. I usually tell ‘em that we’re ready to go, if they’re ready to put in some really long hours and help pay for some press time!

Tom Janise: Guitar & Vocals

I grew up in the heyday of bands like ZZ Top, CCR, Jimi and Janis, The Stones, andSteppenwolf. It was a great time to be young and naive about music. There were so many great influences, many of them local, that it was hard not to develop a broad appreciation of rock and blues. My Dad had an old F-Top Silvertone acoustic that I used to bang around on. When he had lost all hope that it might just be a passing fancy, he bought me a Kent electric guitar and an old Falcon amp from Friedman’s Pawn Shop. It was on.

Over the years I’ve had the privilege to work with bands like <strong><em>Hazardous Waste, Third Stone, The Electric Grapevine, Stone Angel, Night Shift, and Reality Check before joining up with The Horse.

My gear includes a beautiful ‘73 Les Paul Custom, several Strats… including a ‘91 with Muy Grande pick-ups, an ‘82 Strat Elite, and a Texas Fat Strat. A couple of good acoustics, made by Carvin and Parkwood. My amp of choice is an Overbuilt Barn Boss 2x12. After trying and buying an almost impossible array of guitar amps… from Crates and Peaveys to Marshalls , Mesas, and Fenders… I have come to the conclusion that the Overbuilt is quite possibly the best sounding guitar amplifier on the planet. I also own a Fender Concert and a hand-built Moser Dragon, both great sounding amps in their own right, and somewhat easier to carry than the Barn Boss. 

I also want to mention here that I was given the chance to co-publish The Connection Magazine, a music newspaper geared to local music and musicians.Steve Piccone and I had a great time with the paper… we met some cool people and made some great friends. The Connection hosted the area’s longest running Open Mic Nightat area clubs like The Handlebar (North and South), Changing Times, The Stoned Crow, andAntone’s. A lot of area bands, and some pretty lasting friendships, owe their beginnings to those crazy Tuesday nights over a stretch that lasted nearly ten years! I miss doin’ the Open Mic thing, the players and the Patron, but it sure was tough getting up for work on those Wednesday mornings! The Connection published it’s last issue in 2001, and folks are always askin’ me when we’re gonna crank it back up. I usually tell ‘em that we’re ready to go, if they’re ready to put in some really long hours and help pay for some press time!

1 year ago