Past Lives
Before I was a poet and professor, I was the lead singer of a
hardcore punk band and of a ska band.
Expletive Deleted

Founded in early 1985, Expletive
Deleted featured numerous line-ups,
featuring such musicians as Gabriel
Jarrett, George Tabb, Ned Brewster,
Danny Ogden, Adam Trece, and
Joshua Mancell. The band played its
first gig opening for Suicidal
Tendencies at CBGB in 1986 and after
years of playing live and line up
changes, broke up for good in 1989.

Here are a few samples of what we
did:
Expletive Deleted performing live at CBGB, 1986.
Tom Collins & The Cocktail Shakers

In late 1990, Tom Collins & the Cocktail Shakers
shook up the Midwest with its nine-piece funky
ska and reggae. They quickly became a
cornerstone of the third-generation American ska
scene, playing with the likes of Toots & the
Maytals, the Toasters, Bim Skala Bim, Bad
Manners, and numerous other memorable bands.

Fun and funky, brassy and shake-your-assy, Tom
Collins and the Cocktail Shakers got the
dancefloor skanking and stereos dancing with
their infectious carnival ska.