Tom Brislin is an American keyboardist, songwriter, singer, producer, and writer.
Biography
Brislin was born in New Jersey into a musical family. The youngest of his siblings, he first played the piano at home and practiced by reciting theme tunes to television shows. He then received formal lessons. Before he could play, Brislin drew album covers and devised song titles. An early influence came from his sisters who played 1970s progressive rock albums which introduced him to keyboardists Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman. He gained further inspiration in the 1980s from music by Duran Duran, The Police, and jazz musician Herbie Hancock. Brislin graduated from Immaculata High School in Somerville, New Jersey in 1991; the school inducted him into its hall of fame in 2016. Brislin was part of several bands as a teenager and attended William Paterson University, where he created You Were Spiraling. Brislin's first concert tour took place as the pianist with Meat Loaf, from 1998-2001. In the 1990s, Brislin was a member of You Were Spiraling which was initially formed of a "rotating cast of local musicians" that eventually turned into a full-time band. In 2002, Brislin reformed the group and renamed them Spiraling which was followed by their debut album, Transmitter. Brislin was the sole songwriter for the group. The band toured in support of They Might Be Giants, Violent Femmes, and OK Go. Brislin gained wider recognition when he was hired as a touring keyboardist for the progressive rock bandYes for their 2001 YesSymphonic Tour. He also became known for his work with Meat Loaf, Debbie Harry, and Renaissance. Brislin is the author of 30-Day Keyboard Workout, and was a writer for Keyboard Magazine from 2001-2014. Brislin released his debut solo album, Hurry Up and Smell the Roses in 2012. The album, which Brislin describes as "Cinematic Pop", was written, produced, performed, and recorded by Brislin. In 2013, the album was released in Japan on Powerpop Academy/Thistime Records. A vinyl edition of the album was released at the end of 2013 on the Plane Groovy label. Brislin was chosen as the piano faculty for the spring 2014 semester at Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music, a contemporary music college outside Chennai, India. In 2017, Brislin co-formed the international supergroup The Sea Within. In December 2018, Kansas announced that Brislin had joined the band, replacing David Manion. Brislin's tenure began in February 2019.
