Thomas Belhom is a french musician, born in 1969.
Thomas creates the music for Alexandre Iseli’s piece Tempo Rubato in 2023, produced by Tipperary Dance.
He played drums from 1991 to 1995 in a hardcore band from Paris called The Witches Valley and in the Musical Theater’s group “Generation Chaos”, directed by an ex-situationnist and Lettrist: Marc’O.
He also learnt “modern percussions” with Jean-charles François, a french percussionnist and composer who teached at the Universitie of San Diego-usa the “John Cage heritage”.
In 1996, Thomas Belhom moved to USA where he formed the AmorBelhomduo in Tucson-Arizona with the guitarist Naïm Amor. He also played percussions in Calexico (from Tucson) in the period of the “Black Light” album.
In 1999, AmorBelhomduo & Calexico made an album together under the name of the band : ABBC (Amor Belhom Burns Convertino).
From 2000, Thomas Belhom made solo albums, half instrumental / half songs, exploring others instruments than the drums : vibraphone, accordion, piano, guitars, voice.
2000, a very first cd : “mobile home passport” .
In 2003, he met the musician David Grubbs from Gastr’ Del Sol and went on tour with him and the guitarist Noël Akchoté. Thomas Belhom participated to “A guess at the riddle”, an album from David Grubbs.
The same year, Grubbs played guitars in the second album of Thomas Belhom : “Remedios”.
In 2004, he moved back to Europe, and Stuart Staples from the Tindersticks, invited him on a soundtracks for the movie “L’intrus” from Claire Denis. Thomas Belhom recorded on drums the 2 solo albums of Stuart A. Staples.
In 2006, he became a member of the “tindersticks’s new team” with the tindersticks album “The Hungry Saw”. He participated to two other soundtracks for the filmmaker Claire Denis with tindersticks : “36 Rhums”, “White Material”.
In 2007, “No Border”, the third album of Thomas Belhom contains featuring of members of Calexico, Tindersticks & Lambchop.
In 2008, Thomas Belhom recorded an album of percussions called “Cheval Oblique” on the label of Volker Zander from Calexico (Apparent Extent Records).
In 2010, he collaborated to the music of “Persecution”, a movie from the french film-maker Patrice Chéreau and “Soul Red”, a Japanese movie from Osamu Minorikawa.
“Rocéphine” is the new solo album with the french label “Ici D’ailleurs”, released in may 2012.
A concert : A monday night. La Laiterie, Strasbourg, France. The club is filled up. Used-to-be-ravers sit on the floor. The renewed folk thing. Belhom gets behind his set of drums. “When I live in France / it’s different” he starts singing. He records a guitar loop on his ancient loop-pedal, makes a 180° on his drum stool, turns his back to the audience, picks up his brushes and … that’s were the game starts. Belhom barely touches the drums and his birthday party of tools and things used as percussions. His drumming is in constant tune with the loop, but seldom a steady beat. It’s fluent, light, sparkeling drumming. This procedure (the loop, the song, the lush non-repetitive beat, the “gongs” and “blinks” ) continue for the next 50 mesmerizing minutes. Volker Zander
