A native of Verona, NJ, Tom Hayes picked up bass guitar 14 years ago with a desire to join the high school jazz band. Within a year, he was the second-rated high school jazz bassist in the state, and then took top honors the following year. Since then, he has held down the low end for prog-rock, funk and pop-rock groups in high school and college. He also spent two years as principal bass of the University of Notre Dame Sympony Orchestra and won multiple outstanding soloist awards at the school's prestigious annual jazz festival. His jazz gigs may be behind him, but they continue to inform his melodically intriguing and rhythmically intense style of bass playing.
After relocating to Chicago, Tom spent six years playing venues such as the Double Door, Hard Rock Cafe, Cubby Bear and Taste of Chicago with pop-rock group The Stone Puppet and pop-punk outfit New Aesthetic. Currently, he performs with high-energy cover band Part Time Models, 70's show band Capt'n Groovy, and as a member of the bass section of the Chicago Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.
