He grew up on Disney compilation records, was turned on to The Beatles in grade school, his father played piano, he eventually discovered the soothing tones of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Kiss…and then he became the guitarist of No Doubt.

Tom Dumont’s path of musical discovery is by no means typical (then again whose is?) and that’s exactly why he adds such a unique sound and style to the music he now plays for a living.

Born on January 11, 1968, in Los Angeles, California, Tom has been a resident of Southern California for his entire life and currently resides in the nice coastal town of Long Beach. It was not long after moving to Long Beach that Tom began to fall victim to three new addictions that have interfered with his personal life and may soon affect his life with the band as well.

At the age of 30, Tom Dumont has rediscovered a love for surfing. While this may seem harmless and enjoyable to most, it is an addiction that those closest to him see as potentially hazardous to his mental state. Each morning Tom finds his way to the ocean not long after sunrise, often to meet friend Donnie Spada, to indulge in several hours of water pleasure. This wouldn’t be a problem, assuming he had the rest of the day free to redevelop lost social skills…but the truth is that he does not have the rest of the day free.

After several hours meditating with Mother Ocean, Tom returns home for a quick shower then is off to meet the band to work on new material. This is a daily process that can easily last ten hours. On weekends, Tom’s other addictions begin taking a hold of him. Lately he has been overcome by the obsessive compulsion of home decorating. This debilitating compulsion consists of taking a simplistic room in his new home that has been tastefully decorated and adding a thousand more items to it. While this may sound cluttering to you or me, it makes perfect sense to Tom. It is his representation of true Americana. His third and final addiction is not as controlling, and that is the collecting of old radios.

Tom has been playing guitar for more than half of his life. Originally influenced by the likes of Rush’s Alex Lifeson and Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore, it might seem unlikely for a man of his influences to be playing in a band that is rooted in the ska and pop genres. If you haven’t already gathered, not much about Tom has ever followed the rhythms of “likely.”

In Early 1989 Tom was playing in a metal band at 21 and over clubs to crowds consisting of bartenders, bouncers, and personal friends. It just so happens that the rehearsal studio that his band practiced at in Anaheim was the same rehearsal studio that No Doubt was working out of.

Growing weary of the music of his teenage years, Tom started listening to material by Oingo Boingo and Steel Pulse. At this same time he worked up the strength to quit playing in his metal band. It just so happens that one week later No Doubt would post flyers in search of a new guitarist. He responded to the flyer and received a call-back. He continued to jam with No Doubt and play to a whole new crowd of people. To this day, Tom has never officially been welcomed into the band; he just keeps playing with them. However, taking into consideration that he struggled through No Doubt’s formative years and all that he has contributed musically, it’s safe to say that his status isn’t in question.

Tom plays Hamer Guitars. Please check out their website.

— Written by Matt Sharkey