Stylestop first spotted Tom pumping gas at the Amherst Mobile in mirrored sunglasses and a vintage concert tee. We met up with him at Birdcage Guitars to talk a little bit more about his groovy threads and approach to life.
Occupation: Besides moonlighting at the gas station, Tom has a custom guitar company called Sandhill 6 strings, and is in a band called 3 the Hard Way.
How he got here: “I’m from Framingham, I went to UMass and never came home.”
Sunderland proud: “While at UMass, I bought a property in Sunderland. Over the last 10 years we have built an amphitheater, and we’ve started to have shows there. We call it Sandhill Stadium and that is where the name for the guitar company comes from.”
The guitars: “They are custom guitars made with exquisite woods. This one has a turquoise stone inlay.”
His style: “I like a classic rock and roll appearance, and then I put some flave to it. I don’t want to be just another card in the box.”
His T-shirt: “I have a ‘71 Triumph Triple. I got this at the Tuesday night open mic at Bishop’s Lounge. It’s kind of like a ‘drink and draw.’ There is this guy Max Rudolph who does art stuff there and he made it.”
His coat: “This was my dad’s. He rides too.”
His ‘70s horn necklace: “My mother’s family is from Italy — Calabria, the tip of the boot. This was my grandmother’s.”
His hat: “It’s a Stetson, my best friend gave it to me.”
His Mobile look: “Well often I wake up on someone’s couch and run right in!”