Tom Brislin

His older siblings provided his first exposure to music, which consisted of album-oriented 1970s rock acts such as Foreigner, Yes, and Led Zeppelin.

Tom Brislin (born October 5, 1973) is an American keyboardist, songwriter, singer, producer, and author.

As a young piano student in the 1980s, he drew inspiration from pop acts such as Prince, Men At Work, Duran Duran, and The Police, as well as keyboardists like Keith Emerson and Herbie Hancock.

Brislin formed his first bands with childhood friends at the age of 10; by 12, he had cemented his aspiration to be a professional musician.

Education

In 1996, Brislin also played keyboards for fellow New Jersey resident Glen Burtnik (formerly of Styx).

Brislin produced 3 recordings with You Were Spiraling, including a self-titled EP distributed via the Hello Recording Club (a subscription record label launched by TMBG’s John Flansburgh) in 1997.

Burtnik connected Brislin with Meat Loaf (through musical director Kasim Sulton), which led to him joining the singer's band as keyboardist for three years (1998-2001).

His tenure with Meat Loaf encompassed concert tours of Europe, the United Kingdom, and the US, as well as numerous television appearances, including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, and a 1999 episode of VH1 Storytellers.

During this period, Brislin released 30 Day Keyboard Workout, published by Alfred Music in 1999.

Late 90s-2001

As an undergraduate at William Paterson, he formed a recording project with fellow student musicians which evolved into the live band You Were Spiraling.

With Brislin as frontman, keyboardist, and songwriter, the group performed throughout the New York City metro area and toured nationwide as a supporting act for They Might Be Giants throughout the late 90s and early ‘00s.

Positive reviews for the book in Keyboard Magazine led to his contributing a monthly column entitled “Keyboard Basics” and working for the publication as a senior correspondent and contributing editor from 2001-2014.

Prog Rock Notoriety & Spiraling (2001-2009)

In July 2001, Brislin came to notoriety within the progressive rock sphere as keyboardist for Yes, joining them on their YesSymphonic tour in support of their nineteenth studio album, Magnification.

The tour covered North America and Europe, and ran from July to December 2001.

Two performances featuring Brislin on keyboards were recorded at Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam and released as the 2002 DVD and 2009 CD Symphonic Live.

As his time with Yes and Meat Loaf concluded, Brislin resumed the helm of You Were Spiraling.

The group solidified its longest-lasting four member lineup (with Marty O'Kane on guitar, Bob Hart on bass, and Paul Wells on drums) and shortened its name to Spiraling in 2002.

The band independently released its first full-length album, Transmitter, in 2002.

The New York Times praised the album for “show[ing] off [Brislin’s] talents on synthesizer in 80's-flavored modern rock numbers like The Girl on Top of the Piano and '' Lightning Twice.

” As the album gained traction with national college and commercial radio airplay, The Aquarian Weekly hailed the Transmitter'' as “an instant classic.” In support of the album, Spiraling played to nationwide audiences, often as an opening band for acts such as OK Go, They Might Be Giants, and The Violent Femmes.

Through his work with Yes and Keyboard Magazine, Brislin was drafted as the keyboardist for English progressive rock band Camel for select dates of their Farewell Tour, with Spiraling as support act on selected dates.

Brislin’s piano work is featured on the artist’s 2003 album, Couldn’t Have Said It Better.

Brislin’s time with Camel culminated in the band’s headlining performance at NearFest 2003.

In 2004, Brislin was a member of the house band featured on the pilot of John McEnroe’s short-lived CNBC talk show, McEnroe.

The episode also included bandmates Glen Burtnik and Patti Smyth, with guest star Sting lending backing vocals to the group.

In August 2004, Spiraling released its sophomore recording effort, Challenging Stage, marking its launch at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey.

The album was listed as the #1 indie album of the year by multiple press outlets, including Upstage Magazine, The Courier News, and Aquarian Weekly.

Brislin spent 2007 serving as musical director and keyboardist for Deborah Harry during her supporting turn in Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors concert series, followed by her own headlining Necessary Evil concert tour, both encompassing North America.

Spiraling alums Hart, Wells, and guitarist J.P. Doherty collectively joined Brislin on the road as Harry’s backing band.

Spiraling’s 2008 album, Time Travel Made Easy, was to be the band’s swan song to date.

The Daily Vault praised TTME’s “audacious” directive of “[capturing] an audience with an extended narrative of...pop songs”, describing it as “a fairly aggressively uncommercial album, full of smart, challenging...ideas that force the listener to...think and appreciate the larger vision of the artist.” The band quietly disbanded months after the album was released.

Brislin graduated from Immaculata High School in Somerville, New Jersey, and was inducted into the school’s hall of fame in 2016.

He went on to study classical and jazz piano performance at William Paterson University under the tutelage of notable musicians Harold Mabern, Norman Simmons,Rufus Reid, and others.

During this period, Brislin performed in a variety of venues and styles, ranging from solo piano, jazz quartets, rock bands, church music, and dance bands.

In December 2018, American progressive rock band Kansas announced Brislin as the group’s keyboardist; his playing, vocals, and prominent songwriting contributions are featured on the band’s most recently released studio album, The Absence of Presence (2020).

Early Life

Brislin was born and raised in New Jersey, the youngest of five children in a musically inclined household in Dunellen, New Jersey.