Unexpected spark leads drummer/writer Tom O’Leary down new path

​As Tom O’Leary begins his foray into music journalism, he finds himself in the company of some of his idols and major influences.

​After nearly two decades as a drummer, O’Leary is taking his passion for pounding from the drum kit to the newsstand. In four years he has had six interviews published in “Drum Head”magazine, a nationally-distributed publication that he grew up reading.

​“In 2018 I was sitting in my living room reading ‘Drum Head’ and the idea dawned on me that I could do an interview with a drummer and get it published,” the 32-year old recalls. “I really liked my English classes in high school (Bishop Stang), so it sparked an interest I had that I’d never capitalized on.”

​So O’Leary started local, contacting Nick Angelini of New Bedford, drummer for the globe-trotting punk rockers A Wilhelm Scream, a band O’Leary has admired since his adolescence. O’Leary also owns a snare drum designed and crafted by Angelini’s Wail City Drum company.

​“I went on Google and read some articles on doing good interviews,” O’Leary says. “Nick came over to my house and I set up an old school boom box with a cassette and did the interview. The next day I transcribed it and sent it to ‘Drum Head.’ About two weeks later they contacted me and said they loved it and they were going to use it. It took off from there.”

O’Leary would confidently pursue more interviews. In the coming years he would interview Matt Kelly of DropKick Murphy’s, Atom Willard of Offspring, Social Distortion and Against Me, and the local father/son duo of Jackie and Joaquin Santos. Eventually the editors at “Drum Head” would assign O’Leary an interview with punk icon Rat Scabies of the British band, The Damned. O’Leary recently did an interview with Jonathan Ulman, a Boston-based drummer who has achieved fame as a hip-hop percussionist. Notably, Ulman was so impressed after reading O’Leary’s interviews in “Drum Head” that he reached out to him to do an interview.

​“I found myself having one-on-one conversations with drummers who have been very influential to me,” O’Leary says. “I’ve been hanging out with these people I grew up listening to, picking their brains and asking them questions. I’ve been able to see up close what their drum kits look like.”

​The Kelly interview was a particular gem for O’Leary.

​“I got to go up to Boston to the Drop Kick Murphy’s practice space, just Matt and I for two hours. I was inches away from all of their equipment, it was a dream come true. I felt like I was in a secret club house.”

​Going into the virtual interview with Scabies, O’Leary was told he had 20 minutes to do his interview. Things went so well that the conversation lasted almost an hour.

​“I’m getting better with my interviewing skills,” O’Leary says. “But I want to branch out, I want to go beyond punk rock, and I want to start writing full articles rather than just interviews. I remember growing up and pleading with my parents to buy me drum magazines, and now I’m writing for one of them.”

​Based in Los Angeles, “Drum Head” features long-form interviews with drummers from around the world, and is published every other month. O’Leary hopes to begin writing for other music magazines. A native and resident of New Bedford, his day job is being a Music Teacher in the New Bedford public schools. He also plays drums for The J Kelley Band, the Tom Petty tribute band Rebels, and the U2 tribute band The Joshua Tree.

​“Tom definitely has a future in journalism, this is a new lane in life for him,” says Joaquin Santos. “He did an excellent job interviewing my Dad an I, his choice of questions and wording is amazing. On top of being a great writer, he is also a talented musician, and more importantly, he’s a great human being.”

​“Tom is a pleasure to work with,” Angelini says. “He has a genuine excitement that gets you pumped about your project, and puts you at ease at the same time. A vibe like that makes for a fun and interesting interview.”

“Every interview is different, depending on the personality,” O’Leary says. “I’m so happy to have these opportunities. I want to continue doing this and see where it can take me.”