| Thomas Fiss | |
|---|---|
Leaving B97 in New Orleans, Louisiana, following a live appearance with Varsity Fanclub on October 6, 2008 |
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| Background information | |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Instruments | Voice, guitar |
| Associated acts | Varsity Fanclub |
| Website | thomasfissmusic.com |
Thomas Michael Fiss (born December 7, 1986[1]) is an American singer. Fiss originally achieved fame as a member of Varsity Fanclub, a boy band signed to Capitol Records. Fiss left Varsity Fanclub in 2009 for personal reasons. In January 2010, Fiss released an EP called Waiting and in October 2010, he released his self titled EP, Thomas Fiss. In August 2011, Fiss released his third Extended Play (EP) record entitled RT/EP which was produced by Ryan Tedder.
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Fiss was born in San Diego, California. He attended Taft Middle School, part of the San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, California. At the age of 12, Fiss started his show business career in the young actors program at Multimedia Arts (MMA) of San Diego. Fiss's first acting job was playing the role of Nathan Lukowski in The Full Monty (musical), which opened in San Diego.[2] Fiss remained with the production when the show traveled to New York City, and celebrated his thirteenth birthday on Broadway, alternating with actor Nicholas Castro in the Nathan Lukowski role.
On December 14, 2000, Fiss's Broadway (New York City) career received notice in the San Diego City School's Staff Bulletin. Volume 75, Number 10 of the publication reads, “The Full Monty has taken a hold of Taft Middle School student Thomas Michael Fiss. Fiss has the role of Nathan Lukowski in New York's Broadway production of the award-winning musical, which had its birth at the Old Globe Theatre. The play is adapted from the popular English film about a motley male troupe of amateur strippers. Fiss plays the son of one of the would-be strippers. It's not just fun-and-games. Nightly performances are preceded by a full day of backstage schoolwork handled by his mother.” On June 3, 2001, Fiss appeared at Radio City Music Hall for the 55th Tony Awards, performing a scene from The Full Monty (musical). A video of Fiss's 55th Tony Awards appearance can be viewed on the internet.[3]
As a high school senior, Fiss took part in a benefit to raise funds for the Coronado School of the Arts. The production was called "All You Need Is Love - Love of the Arts." The event was held at the Wyndham Emerald Plaza Hotel in downtown San Diego on February 12, 2005, and the students raised $32,000 for their school's programs.[4]
On June 16, 2005, Fiss graduated Coronado High School, a National Blue Ribbon School which is part of the Coronado Unified School District in Coronado (California). At the 7 p.m. ceremony, Fiss received the Coronado Longboard Surf Club Scholarship and the M.J. Brown Family Performing Arts Music Award. As part of the commencement exercises, Fiss accompanied himself on guitar as he sang his original composition, “Our Voices Are Meant to Echo”.
Fiss says that he “grew up on the beach, surfing and skating everyday.” In fact, Fiss started sailing at the age of six and eventually worked his way up to compete as a skipper in the Junior Olympics, in addition to taking part in surfing competitions. Fiss also enjoys fishing, camping, cliff jumping, and “anything outdoors.” Fiss is most proficient as an acoustic guitar player, having been playing that instrument since the age of ten, and honing his skills at open mic competitions in the San Diego area before the formation of Varsity Fanclub. Fiss has also played the drums for five years, the bass guitar for four years, and lists his piano playing and kazoo playing as “works in progress.” Fiss has eclectic tastes in music and enjoys “every type of music from classical to jazz to rock. Fiss lists Orange County, California's “Something Corporate” and Boca Raton, Florida's “Dashboard Confessional” as his favorite bands, but says that “all music gives inspiration.” Fiss says, “My family and friends back home mean everything to me. They've always supported me, even if I go against the grain.”
On February 17, 2009, saying, "I want to separate myself from the 'boy band' persona," Fiss announced a clothing line which he had designed. The clothing line (which debuted on April 21, 2009) is marketed under the name Adisson Apparel with the motto, "For the gentleman who wants to rock and the lady who wants to party." Fiss calls his recent foray into the world of fashion design, "Clothing I would want a potential girlfriend to wear. Cute and stylish".[5]
On September 25, 2009, Fiss hosted the second annual Teen Vogue / O'Neill (brand) Clothing "Generation Next" fashion show held in Laguna Beach, California.[6][7][8]
From 2006 through early 2009, Fiss was a member of Varsity Fanclub, a music group originally signed to Capitol Records. Thomas and the other group members were discovered at auditions held by production company. The goal of these auditions was to find five "triple-threats" as vocalists, dancers, and actors, each one of them groomed to "dazzle in the studio, on stage, and in every TV or film endeavor." The Varsity Fanclub audition process will be the subject of a reality show entitled "Star Makers", to be featured at cinsay.com. A trailer (film) for the "Star Makers" reality show currently can be viewed on the internet.[9]
Varsity Fanclub first gained public attention by giving a special showcase performance at the EMI Music Rooftop on August 19, 2008 in New York City. In 2008, the band made a series of appearances at pop music radio stations, giving live studio performances and greeting new fans. Fiss's Varsity Fanclub bandmates were Bobby Edner, Drew Ryan Scott, Jayk Purdy, and David Lei Brandt. Their debut single, “Future Love” (written by Ryan Tedder and Evan Bogart), is currently being marketed on iTunes by Apple Inc. The "Future Love" music video premiered October 14, 2008 on Varsity Fanclub's Official MySpace, and was posted on YouTube two days later. The video shows Fiss and his bandmates performing a futuristic digital concert. Each of the band members' names appears on the screen, and a dance break occurs midway into the song.
In October 2009, Fiss announced that he would be embarking on a solo career. On January 19, 2010, Fiss released an Extended Play (EP) record entitled Waiting, which is available on iTunes. The songs were written by Fiss and produced by Gabe Lopez. On October 26, 2010, Fiss released his self-titled EP, Thomas Fiss, now available on iTunes. Fiss collaborated with Gabe Lopezon his third (EP). which was released on August 16, 2011 with the name RT/EP ( RT stands for Ryan Tedder). (RT/EP is produced by Ryan Tedder of the pop rock band OneRepublic) During the summer of 2011, Fiss was touring with Shop Til You Rock the United States, performing concerts at venues in Georgia, California, Indiana, New Jersey, and Minnesota.[10]
Waiting
Thomas Fiss
RT