Tom Lister Bass / MC
Hi I'm Tom, the bass player and general organiser /
MC for the band. As a bass player I have heard all the
rib-tickling jokes about only being able to handle four strings
etc. and it still hasn't put me off wanting to get up there and
perform at every possible opportunity. What we can do with our
strong and adventurous fingers leaves little to the imagination,
ask those that have first hand experience.
I guess I am an old time performing junky that needs a fix from
the buzz that only live performances can give you. Sure I've
played all styles of music over time, from heavy metal to big
band and I have to say I enjoy it all equally. Today our mixture
of material with The Travelling Raspberries calls on the
experience and styles learnt over the years from these diverse
fields, and I am pleased to say I am still learning. To keep me
on my toes, (who says I can't dance) I am the one that audience
watches to feel how things are going and to decide on the next
number to play. If I let the pace slacken or don't slip the slow
one in at the right time I run the risk of losing the momentum
that we pride ourselves on.
I usually gig with Fender guitars, I have both Jazz and
Precision running through Trace Elliot amplification. For that
punchy sound I have a Trace Elliot Compressor, pulling the notes
in whilst allowing a full range of equalisation.
There is no way I would have believed back in 1970 that I would
still be up there in 2006 performing and enjoying it as much now
as I did then. Along the way I have had the privilege to work
with so many good people, met thousands who came to watch and
hopefully left them all with a little bit of me.
