Tom Batchelor Band at the Dormont VFW

Tom Batchelor Band rocks the Dormont VFW with original tunes and unique covers.

Tom has been playing guitar and singing/writing music for 35 years. As a graduate student at West Virginia University he formed a band called Rasta Rafiki, which has put out three full length releases and played 175 touring dates nationally per year. In 1997 Batchelor and Rafiki went their separate ways and Tom became a member of ”The Recipe” Two years later he broke away from them and formed his own group Tom Batchelor Band, which played a wide array of music from reggae, rock covers, and many originals.

The band consists of Tom on guitar and vocals, David Haley on keyboards, Robert DeSutter on bass, Will Oxley on saxophone, Tina Shank on trombone and Gregg Lowley on drums. Each member brings many years of experience on their instrument, and extensive knowledge of wide ranging musical styles to the band. They regularly perform songs from diverse performers such as Bob Marley, The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Max Romeo, The Rolling Stones, and Toots and the Maytals. Original compositions range from straight forward rock and funk, to reggae and island romps. Live we enjoy exploring all the realms of improvisational possibilities within the song structures, delving into genres as diverse as jazz, ska, and country. They\\\\\\\’ve released two full length CD’s 2004, “Runes” and 2017’s “Moon vs Mars.”