Tom Dumont
Encyclopedia
Tom Dumont is an American
guitarist and producer. Dumont is a member of third wave ska band No Doubt
, and during the band's hiatus, he began Invincible Overlord
as a side project and produced Matt Costa
's Songs We Sing
.
. Tom was the only adopted child in his family and has two siblings. Dumont's father, who played the piano
, gave his son a guitar
at age twelve. Dumont practiced by strumming folk
songs by the likes of James Taylor
. Dumont was influenced by heavy metal
bands such as Iron Maiden
, Judas Priest
and KISS
. He joined his older sister's heavy metal band Rising, but left in 1988 for third wave ska band No Doubt
. He has one sister named Gina and a brother named John.
Dumont studied music theory
for five semesters at Orange Coast College
. When the band moved into a house on Beacon Avenue in Anaheim, he wrote a poem about being addicted to television. He took the poem to Eric Stefani
, who put the poem to music and came up with the song "Trapped in a Box". The song was recorded for the band's self-titled debut album and was the album's only single.
The band later self-released The Beacon Street Collection
in March 1995. The same month, Dumont left his job as a file clerk at a mortgage company. He had "a good feeling" about having finished recording Tragic Kingdom
and planned to fall back on promoting rock concerts if the album was not successful. Tragic Kingdom became a commercial success, certified diamond in the United States and selling sixteen million copies worldwide. When Eric left the band, Tom took leadership in writing and composing responsibilities.
After the Tragic Kingdom tour, Tom returned to his home in Long Beach, California
and started surfing in 1997. Dumont is a member of The Surfrider Foundation
, an environmental organization to preserve coastal life. Since Eric Stefani left, Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal and Gwen Stefani became No Doubt's primary songwriters.
During No Doubt's hiatus, Dumont produced Matt Costa
's 2005 debut album, titled Songs We Sing
, after hearing a demo tape by Costa.
was finished. In March 2008, the band started making posts concerning the progression of the album on their official fan forum. Stefani made a post on March 28, 2008 stating that songwriting had commenced but was slow on her end because she was, at the time, pregnant with her second child.
Manager Jim Guerinot said the yet-untitled album is being produced by Mark "Spike" Stent, who helped produce and mix Rock Steady. Between Stefani's pregnancy and recording, No Doubt did not tour in 2008, but Guerinot promised, they plan to hit the road hard in 2009 for their first full-fledged band tour in nearly five years.
No Doubt announced on their official website that they will tour in the summer of 2009 with Paramore
, The Sounds
, Janelle Monáe
, Bedouin Soundclash
, Katy Perry
, and Panic at the Disco. while finishing their upcoming album, which was set to be released in 2010 but has been delayed. Tickets for the tour went on sale March 7, 2009. As a special promotion for the tour, the band is giving away their entire music catalog free as a digital download with purchase of top tier seating.
In 2009, No Doubt made an appearance on the television series Gossip Girl
, playing a fictional band called "Snowed Out" in the episode "Valley Girls
". They performed their cover version of the Adam and the Ants
song "Stand and Deliver
".
representative, the couple was married in October 2004.
According to his No Doubt band mates, when Dumont drinks enough alcohol he becomes an alter-ego doppelganger
named "The Douche".
and favors vintage MXR
effect pedals. During live performances he uses Divided by 13 amplifiers, but has also used Soldano, Vox, Fender, Matchless, Fender and Silvertone
amplifiers while recording.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
guitarist and producer. Dumont is a member of third wave ska band No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
, and during the band's hiatus, he began Invincible Overlord
Invincible Overlord
Invincible Overlord is a side-project band by Tom Dumont and Ted Matson. Their only album, The Living Album, is available as a free download on the band's website. The first five tracks were released May 2005, and two new songs more recently in January 2006 and August 2007...
as a side project and produced Matt Costa
Matt Costa
Matthew Albert Costa is a singer-songwriter from Huntington Beach, California.He has five independent releases: two self-recorded EPs, and three full-length CDs released via Brushfire Records.-Life:...
's Songs We Sing
Songs We Sing
-2006 Brushfire Records release:Songs We Sing was re-released in 2006 by Brushfire Records, owned by fellow musician Jack Johnson and his wife. The album featured new songs and a different track list....
.
Life and career
The Dumont family lived in Irvine, CaliforniaIrvine, California
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
. Tom was the only adopted child in his family and has two siblings. Dumont's father, who played the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, gave his son a guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
at age twelve. Dumont practiced by strumming folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
songs by the likes of James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
. Dumont was influenced by heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
bands such as Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
and KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
. He joined his older sister's heavy metal band Rising, but left in 1988 for third wave ska band No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
. He has one sister named Gina and a brother named John.
Dumont studied music theory
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
for five semesters at Orange Coast College
Orange Coast College
Orange Coast College is a community college in Orange County, California. It was founded in 1947, with its first classes opening in the fall of 1948. It provides two-year associate of art and science degrees, certificates of achievement, and lower-division classes transferable to other colleges...
. When the band moved into a house on Beacon Avenue in Anaheim, he wrote a poem about being addicted to television. He took the poem to Eric Stefani
Eric Stefani
Eric Matthew Stefani is an American musician, composer, writer and animator, best known as a former member of the pop rock band No Doubt. He is the older brother of Gwen Stefani and is also a former animator on the animated sitcom The Simpsons.-Biography:Stefani attended Loara High School in...
, who put the poem to music and came up with the song "Trapped in a Box". The song was recorded for the band's self-titled debut album and was the album's only single.
The band later self-released The Beacon Street Collection
The Beacon Street Collection
In 1994, before recording of the album had even begun, No Doubt released two seven-inch singles for their fans. The first was "Squeal", a song written by Eric Stefani, detailing a criminal's reaction to her partner's betrayal to the police. They had agreed to be "in this together" but, after he...
in March 1995. The same month, Dumont left his job as a file clerk at a mortgage company. He had "a good feeling" about having finished recording Tragic Kingdom
Tragic Kingdom
Tragic Kingdom is the third studio album by the American third wave ska band No Doubt. It was released on October 10, 1995, on Trauma Records, a division of Interscope Records. The album was produced by Matthew Wilder, mixed by Paul Palmer, and recorded in 11 studios in the Greater Los Angeles Area...
and planned to fall back on promoting rock concerts if the album was not successful. Tragic Kingdom became a commercial success, certified diamond in the United States and selling sixteen million copies worldwide. When Eric left the band, Tom took leadership in writing and composing responsibilities.
After the Tragic Kingdom tour, Tom returned to his home in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
and started surfing in 1997. Dumont is a member of The Surfrider Foundation
The Surfrider Foundation
The Surfrider Foundation USA is a U.S. 501 grassroots non-profit environmental organization that works to protect and preserve the world's oceans, waves, and beaches...
, an environmental organization to preserve coastal life. Since Eric Stefani left, Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal and Gwen Stefani became No Doubt's primary songwriters.
During No Doubt's hiatus, Dumont produced Matt Costa
Matt Costa
Matthew Albert Costa is a singer-songwriter from Huntington Beach, California.He has five independent releases: two self-recorded EPs, and three full-length CDs released via Brushfire Records.-Life:...
's 2005 debut album, titled Songs We Sing
Songs We Sing
-2006 Brushfire Records release:Songs We Sing was re-released in 2006 by Brushfire Records, owned by fellow musician Jack Johnson and his wife. The album featured new songs and a different track list....
, after hearing a demo tape by Costa.
Reunion with No Doubt
With Stefani promoting her second solo album, No Doubt began initial work on a new album without her and planned to complete it after Stefani's tourThe Sweet Escape Tour
The Sweet Escape Tour is the second concert tour by American pop and rock singer Gwen Stefani. The tour began in April 2007 in support of her second solo album The Sweet Escape.-About the show:...
was finished. In March 2008, the band started making posts concerning the progression of the album on their official fan forum. Stefani made a post on March 28, 2008 stating that songwriting had commenced but was slow on her end because she was, at the time, pregnant with her second child.
Manager Jim Guerinot said the yet-untitled album is being produced by Mark "Spike" Stent, who helped produce and mix Rock Steady. Between Stefani's pregnancy and recording, No Doubt did not tour in 2008, but Guerinot promised, they plan to hit the road hard in 2009 for their first full-fledged band tour in nearly five years.
No Doubt announced on their official website that they will tour in the summer of 2009 with Paramore
Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis, and guitarist Taylor York...
, The Sounds
The Sounds
The Sounds are a Swedish Indie Rock band. Formed in Helsingborg in 1999, the group's musical style has been compared to New Wave acts such as Blondie, The Cars, the Epoxies and Missing Persons....
, Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe is an American R&B/soul musician signed to Bad Boy Records and Atlantic Records.Monáe debuted with a conceptual EP, Metropolis: Suite I ...
, Bedouin Soundclash
Bedouin Soundclash
Bedouin Soundclash is a Canadian band currently based in Toronto. Their sound can be described as reggae and ska.-History:The band's current lineup consists of vocalist and guitarist Jay Malinowski, and bassist Eon Sinclair with Sekou Lumumba on drums. Their debut album, Root Fire, released in 2001...
, Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
, and Panic at the Disco. while finishing their upcoming album, which was set to be released in 2010 but has been delayed. Tickets for the tour went on sale March 7, 2009. As a special promotion for the tour, the band is giving away their entire music catalog free as a digital download with purchase of top tier seating.
In 2009, No Doubt made an appearance on the television series Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl (TV series)
Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007...
, playing a fictional band called "Snowed Out" in the episode "Valley Girls
Valley Girls (Gossip Girl)
"Valley Girls" is the twenty-fourth episode of the second season of the The CW Television Network television series Gossip Girl. The episode served as a backdoor pilot for a potential Gossip Girl spin-off series set in the 1980s, entitled Valley Girls...
". They performed their cover version of the Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants were a British rock band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The original group, which existed from 1977 to 1980, became notable as a cult band marking the transition from the late-1970s punk rock era to the post-punk and New Wave era...
song "Stand and Deliver
Stand and Deliver (song)
"Stand and Deliver" was Adam and the Ants' most successful single. It entered the UK Top 40 at Number One and stayed there for five weeks. It was featured on their Prince Charming album...
".
Personal life
Dumont and his wife Mieke have three sons together: Ace Joseph Dumont, born April 6, 2006, Rio Atticus Dumont, born June 18, 2008, and Koa Thomas Dumont, born February 19, 2011. According to the band's record labelRecord label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
representative, the couple was married in October 2004.
According to his No Doubt band mates, when Dumont drinks enough alcohol he becomes an alter-ego doppelganger
Doppelgänger
In fiction and folklore, a doppelgänger is a paranormal double of a living person, typically representing evil or misfortune...
named "The Douche".
Equipment
Dumont is endorsed by Hamer GuitarsHamer Guitars
Hamer Guitars is an American manufacturer of electric guitars. Founded in 1973 by vintage guitar shop owners, Jol Dantzig and his business partner Paul Hamer. Early instruments featured guitar designs based on the Gibson Explorer and Flying V...
and favors vintage MXR
MXR
MXR, also known as MXR Innovations, was a manufacturer of guitar effects units, co-founded in 1973 by Keith Barr and Terry Sherwood . MXR was based in the United States in Rochester, New York. MXR Innovations, Inc. was incorporated in 1974...
effect pedals. During live performances he uses Divided by 13 amplifiers, but has also used Soldano, Vox, Fender, Matchless, Fender and Silvertone
Silvertone (instruments)
Silvertone was the brand name used by Sears, Roebuck and Company for its line of sound equipment from 1915 to 1972. A hand-cranked phonograph was introduced under the Silvertone brand by Sears in 1915...
amplifiers while recording.
Guitars
- Hamer Standard natural finish
- Hamer Vector
- Hamer Korina Standard
- Hamer Korina Junior
- Hamer Newport
- Hamer Newport with humbuckers
Effects
- MXR Phase 90MXR Phase 90The MXR Phase 90 is a phaser effects pedal originally designed in the 1970s by MXR.-History:The Phase 90 was released in 1972. It was the first pedal sold by MXR and helped launch the company. The original came in a simple orange enclosure with MXR's "script" logo. In 1977 MXR changed its logo to...
- MXR Phase 100
- MXR Blue Box
- MXR Micro Amp
- MXR Auto Q
- MXR Bass Octave Deluxe
- Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
- Dan-Echo
- Eventide Time Factor
- Eventide Mod Factor
- Malekko Ekko 616
- Tone Freak Effects Buff Puff
- Tone Freak Effects Naked OD
Amplifiers
- Divided by 13 RSA 31 Heads
- Soldano SLO 100
- Matchless Clubman 35
- Fender Pro Junior
- Divided by 13 4x12 Cabinets equipped with 16ohm Celestion G12M Greenbacks.