Hello, and welcome to my musical home on the internet(s).

Those of you who know me as "Tom" might be wondering about this "Diss" name thing.

Well, I"ll keep a short story short. Years ago, I was in a band called "The Dissidents." When I began to get active online (also years ago), "dissident" was a part of my e-mail address, and people started calling me "Diss" as a nickname.

What can I say, I liked it.

So, when putting out my solo work, I decided to go with that simple moniker rather than the full-on name with which I was born. Who knows, that might change in the near future, but for now, that's the deal.

I'm a guitarist first and foremost, but I play many other instruments, too (or dabble in them), and all the music you hear on this page (for the most part) was played and sung solely by me, for better or worse. (Although, that's my wife joining me on the Big Country cover "Belief in the Small Man" on my playlist.)

What does it sound like? Well, you're here, so why not listen?

I don't like to make comparisons, but I can tell you what I've been influenced by. Probably my greatest musical influence was the Scottish band Big Country and the writinig/guitar playing of Stuart Adamson, which I still rank as absolute genius. In fact, he and that band made what still remains my favorite all-time album: "Steeltown."

I was very influenced by that guitar-driven, anthemic stuff from bands like Big Country, early U2, the Who, but also hard-edged folky stuff like the Pogues. When I was younger, it was "metal" all the way, from KISS to Judas Priest. Those bands would hardly characterize my "sound" today, neither lyrically or musically, but the influences surely seeped in somewhere. I also love a great many female artists, from Kate Bush to Yeah Yeah Yeahs (possibly my favorite current band) to Bat for Lashes to ... well, there are just so many.

Basically, I enjoy music that lifts you up, music that veers toward the melodramatic, bigger-than-life side of things, music that inspires, and that inspiration can be joyous, it can be angry ... it can be anything, as long as it's powerful, as long as it makes you aware of the blood running through your veins, maybe even sends that shiver down your spine that reminds you of how special it is to be alive.

That's the kind of music I like to listen to, that's the kind of music I try to write.

I've recorded three full-length albums in the recent to not-so-recent past, and now enjoy taking things a song at a time and releasing a new opus every so often. There probably will be another full-length on the horizon, as I just about have enough recorded tunes.

With many other commitments in life these days, it's more difficult, but I have to make one thing clear: music is NOT a hobby to me. It's a vital part of my life, something I desperately need every day, whether just listening or actually creating. And it's always been that way. And it always will be.

It's been really rewarding to be able to write and record a song, make it available online, and have people from faraway lands (or across town) tell me they enjoy it. There's nothing sadder than a song - or any art form - that stays in a basement. So, to all of you who have listened and who keep listening ... thanks so much. It MEANS so much.

By the way, you can find me on I-tunes if you wish to purchase anything from my last CD, "Greenhorn." Just do a search for "Diss" and look for the "Greenhorn" album name. OR, just click the link at the top of this little bio thingie.

That's all for now. Thanks for listening. There will be more to come.