Relics

In the Beginning, Pre-1980 Founded in the shadow of the Iron Curtain, in Nuremberg Germany in 1980, Doubting Tomas has undergone a number of name and personnel changes on its journey through time. The one consistent throughout time has been its Hard Rock foundation, according to lead guitarist and vocalist Bill Brewster. We were fortunate to grow up while bands like AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Black Sabbath were hitting their stride. Those influences, coupled with some fantastic pop hard rock bands like Journey, Foreigner, Styx and REO Speedwagon, set in motion a 30 year journey from Air Band to Recording Artist. "We spent hours listening to and mimicking the members of the bands we loved. Any Friday and Saturday night you could find us in the attic of the former WWII German Army barracks practicing and jamming to music that probably came close to waking the dead." said Brewster. Living in Germany during this time, we also had the privilege of listening to and observing bands such as the Scorpions and Accept really make an impact on the world, with a fusion of pop and rock. High Voltage (The Air Band Years), 1980 - 1983 Originally conceived of as an Air Band called High Voltage by Billy Brewster and Johnny Anderson, the two went to immediate work improving their rock star moves and stamina as they searched for ways to buy those elusive first instruments. All along Billy Brewster, knew the guitar was his instrument despite years of playing piano and singing in a variety of shows and musicals. The mates played every Friday and Saturday night for a couple hours before settling down to a fantastic new creation, movies or concerts on the VHS (or Beta) tape. These years honed the on-stage skills of the two as they learned to perform for a growing group of fans in the large attic space above the barracks. The mates learned the art of drawing in a crowd during and between songs. Many an air string was broken in their search for excellence. The two also started writing lyrics and basic songs that would some day be put to vinyl. Wrath (The Garage Band Years), 1983 - 1987 During the middle days of eight grade, Billy Brewster met and befriended Eric Oppenheimer and Scott Wally at his new school in Northern Virginia. The three quickly decided it was time to form a right proper band and assigned the various position each would play. Eric was already an accomplished soloist and hard rock guitarist, while Billy and Scott, while both musically talented, had not yet purchased their first rock instruments. It was decided that Billy would pick up the vocal and rhythm guitar duties while Scott would pick up a bass guitar. A drummer was found and the four piece hard rock band was in play. Billy's first guitar ended up being an off-brand Les Paul hand me down from Mountain's Leslie West. This Les Paul, though eventually destroyed in a fit of rage, would become a staple and favorite style of Billy's throughout his rock career. A common feature of Wrath was its volume. This band was meant to play load and boy did it. At numerous shows in the mid-80s, the audience was observed taking numerous steps back as Wrath took the stage following a more moderate pop warm up act. As the band's popularity grew in Northern Virginia, so did its gear, adding more drums and amps to enhance the image of the loudest band in the area. As the years progressed and the performances increased, the band transitioned to a five piece act, adding 2nd Rhythm Guitarist Tony Burlbaugh and a permanent drummer Tony Orlando. This formation lasted for a number of years and created some notable songs such as The Call of Bosephus, co-written by Eric Oppenheimer, Scott Wally, and Billy Brewster. The First Void, Short Period 1987 The band was primed and ready to transition from Garage Band to Touring Band, when friction between the founding members started to unwind the delicate fabric of the band. Many bands have gone through this, most notably the Beetles, Journey and Foreigner, when either drugs, booze, girls or egos start to tear at the bands foundation. Ultimately the band unraveled and the members moved through various short term stints with other players in the area until finding more permanent homes a year later. Wrath Child (The Jam Band Years), 1987 - 1991 The band switched gears and moved to smaller performances while focusing on song writing and heavy drinking. Now a three piece group comprised of Billy Brewster, Rik Budd and Mike Carney, the band continued the tradition of loud and hard, writing songs such as All Night Long and She Looked at Me. For four years, the band played, practiced, wrote, partied and performed until careers and tragedy moved each of the members to take a break from the show. The Second Void, Long Period, 1991-2010 Sadly, Rik Budd's life came to an early end during this period. He is greatly missed and his musical inspiration continues to fuel the bands reincarnation. Mike Carney moved on to a professional career in accounting while Bill Brewster shifted into engineering. The long period had many completely music free months, but always the guitar and amp sat patiently waiting. Wrath, (The Song Writing Years) 2010-2012 Then in 2010, after a nearly 20 year hiatus, a new guitar brought life into the music again. Sporting a new Gibson Les Paul, Bill began practicing, writing and working towards releasing his first Single and ultimately an EP. The music flowed and nearly 30 riffs came to life during this creative three year period. Those riffs soon turned to songs and brought Bill to the studio for the first time. In a weeks time four songs were recorded and put into an EP format. The band became a three piece act during recording sessions, with two new recording artists filling the role of drummer (Jeff Rose) and bass (Dustin Chaffin) while Bill sang and played rhythm and lead guitars on all tracks. Doubting Tomas, 2013 In late 2012/early 2013 a new name, Doubting Tomas, revealed itself during a long hospital stay with his son, Matthew. The lead singer/vocalist struggled with great doubts much like the original scientist did during the first millennia. Fortunately for both, their doubts proved to be unfounded and their faith proved to be stronger than either expected. Representing the culmination of 35 years of hard work, practice, preparation and faith, Doubting Tomas is now ready to be introduced to the public. On October 31, 2013, the first EP, Relics, consisting of four songs, will be released on all music sites and its website, http://doubtingtomas.com. The songs in this first release represent each of the iterations of the band and will be joined by a second EP in late 2014. Doubting Tomas are: Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar - William "The Conquerer" Brewster Drums, Backing Vocals - Jeff "In the Name of the" Rose Bass, Backing Vocals - Dustin "The Wind" Chaffin