Uncle Tom

Uncle Tom was formed after a bad record deal and a year and a half of constant touring with the Bogus Toms. After ridding themselves of the record company, along with two bandmembers and all the rest of the unwanted refuse that went along with the Bogus Toms, writing began for what was to become their 1999 self-titled CD. Uncle Tom consists of Louie "Woodshit" Shilling, who many think of as insane and many times a criminal drummer from North Dakota who was pretty much told to leave the state due to multiple convictions, the most memorable of which was for off-roading with a stolen school bus. He was previously in the band the Bogus Toms, along with singer and guitarist Robert "Beast" Best. He incorporates an interesting aspect of setting his drums on fire and sometimes himself as well at live gigs. His interest are women, water skiing, vinyl records, and the taste of lighter fluid. His dislikes are work, small talk, and music with more than four chords. Fling, the bassist for Uncle Tom, knew he was going to be a bass player from a very early age. He got his name at the age of 13 because of his obsession with Flea and Sting. Fling was dropped from Uncle Tom after the completion of the new album, primarily because he was deported back to England for not having a work permit. He found his way to the U.S. with his parents and stayed behind to be a rock star. The last thing the band heard, he was trying to find out how Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols got to stay in the country. Robert "Beast" Best has a vague memory if his name came from school yard teasing, or if it is in reference to his eating habits, food or otherwise. He grew up just north of New York City and has a master's degree in clinical psychology; school is where he started writing songs, music is where he needed psychology. His passion is for music, his obsessions are guitars and muscle cars, of which he's got some real cool ones. He spent numerous years recording and touring with the Bogus Toms, but that band was just the seed of what was to become Uncle Tom. He wrote, produced, and recorded Uncle Tom's 1999 self-titled debut CD. Uncle Tom is a guitar-oriented, hard-edged power pop/rock band that writes and plays melodic catchy singalong songs that very often have a tongue-in-cheek comedic flair to the lyrics. Some of the influences the band lists are the Beatles, early Cheap Trick, Sex Pistols, the Monkees, and Tom Petty. Uncle Tom's music packs a powerful punch that has a strong dance groove, which is sure to get any crowd bumping and grinding on the dance floor.