"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."

-- Hunter S. Thompson

I learned in high school about the incredible power of music at a gig we played. Our high school rock band (which also featured Greg Upchurch of 3 Doors Down) played an event before the student body more or less. At that time, we had put together a demo that everyone knew about and supported for the most part. When the song came up in the set which I sang, as I was mainly a guitarist, it was a crowd favorite due to the sing a long nature. We didn't know this, because we'd never really had a crowd like that. Anyway, when the chorus came up I could hear the large group of kids singing over the top of me. It was a heavy and intense moment in my life. Total clarity at long last.


At that moment I knew what I wanted to be more than anything. It was a combination of pride that people enjoyed a song I was co-writer on, and the warmth between music fans and musician. If you are a person who feels like you've never got that much love in your life, all it takes is one dose of what I just described to make you feel like you might be someone after all. That connection, where people sing your songs or tell you they mean something to them.........you can't put a f***ing dollar sign on that shit.


The next day in our Business class at school, the teacher asked us to write 3 things we want out of the careers we may choose. Out of 30 students, I'm the only one who didn't write money first. I wrote "To enjoy what I do."


Music is the Alpha and the Omega. It is every emotion wrapped in a melody and delivered to you by various artists in their own blend or style.


Thundercracker's music is the collective of influences that made me want to live another day, got me through a bad time, or simply put icing on the cake when I was living a priceless moment. You can see the list of influences on this page, and for every one there are 10 more I didn't list.


I want Thundercracker to be what Rock and Roll once stood for, rebellious and realistic, instead of processed factory radio rock. I want it to be a full wall of sounds, with bits of my heritage wrapped inside. Metal, Rock, Grunge, and Americana....with a Southern Vibe. I want the words to be cool but identifiable, maybe sometimes poetic but always from the heart. Whether it's a song about a love long lost or a fast mothertrucker of a car, I want people to enjoy it in their own ways.


In closing, I'd like to say that maybe I haven't gotten the breaks that others have. I may not have the skill on any given instrument that will make you a hot commodity. I don't have bandmates to help fund big endeavors or marketing strategy. I don't have a studio or jack sh*** really. All I have is myself, my mind, my love for Rock Music, and a bad attitude that fuels it into overdrive. But I do have a lot of great friends and some fans, here on Myspace especially, that convince me to keep writing and keep shooting for the stars. Thanks to those of you who visit the page and listen to the rock and roll. I appreciate every one of you.

J. Thomas/songwriter