August 2026

Hey Folks, thanks for tuning in! I have a lot of exciting stuff to share.

*Remember to view this post in your Browser to see video content (Read on blog)*

My show Piano Bar at the End of the Universe happened on Thursday, July 30th, but it had been a dream of mine for many years before that.

I’ve always wanted to play a show where I take song requests from the audience, and live-sample the recordings of those songs into beats on the spot.
Last Thursday I did this by recording audio straight from my phone into my computer, then working with these live recordings in Ableton to turn them into otherworldly electronic interpretations that I could then play piano over.

It was an ambitious project, but it actually worked, and everyone had a great time! The night was full of surprises, humor, many deeply beautiful moments, and enough odd song requests to keep me on my toes.

Strange Rays was on visuals, blending NASA training footage with music videos from the requested songs to propel the whole event to the next level.

Some of my favorite song requests included:

Send in the Clowns

The Magic School Bus Theme

And Cordiero de Nana by Os Tincoas,
a beauitul Afro-Brazillian song my friend Mikey submitted.

I’m speaking with my friend TJ (who helps run Bar Freda in Queens) about making this a monthly thing.

~More to Come~

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We’re on to our third Synth Social in the series, happening in Bed-Stuy Wednesday 8/5/26 from 7-10PM (tomorrow night for you early readers), and a bunch of cool people (plus one really cool dog) will be hanging out and playing with synths/visual gear.

We’ve had a fun and supportive crowd come through each time, and I’ve really enjoyed making music with them. I’m excited to see how this event continues to progress.

You can get your tickets here if you haven’t already done so: 8/5/26 Synth Social Tickets

Our September Synth Social will be happening Wednesday 9/2/26 from 7-10PM.

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As August moves forward I have a couple more events coming up that I’m excited to mention: My 3rd Sync & Sequence is happening on Saturday 8/15/26 from 8-11:30PM at the Brooklyn Brewery in Williamsburg.

Sync & Sequence is a collaborative electronic music session, where anyone who brings an instrument (and their cables) can come plug in, midi sync, and help build the collective sound.

The vibe is relaxed, and the jam is centered around deep listening.

You can RSVP (or buy discounted drink tickets) for the August Sync & Sequence here: 08/15/26_Sync&Sequence_Tickets

Here’s a clip from a really wild beat I made with the crew at Sync&Sequence_02:

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And finally, the next Garden is happening Friday 7/21/26.
These Gardens are an ideal way to spend a summer night: hanging out with friends in the gorgeous backyard of an animation studio while witnessing some great music and art. Come for the tunes, stay for the trampoline.

For this Garden my friends and I will be in the gazebo making beats and live visuals. We will have featured artists doing sets, but things will also open up into a more improvisatory nature from time to time. If you have an instrument, bring it through. You won’t want to miss this.

Here’s where you can get your tickets: 7/21/26_Garden_Tickets

And here’s a clip of my band Sandbox Xtet playing my tune Apology Accepted at our last Garden:

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That’s all for now! Thanks so much for reading, listening, and supporting me on my journey through the independent music scene here in NYC. Come to a show some time, or for my non-New-Yorkers, don’t hesitate to give me a shout if you’re ever in the city.

And if you haven’t already, please subscribe!

~Stayed Tuned~

Thomas

July 2026

The Summer is off to a great start so far, with lots of sweat, sunshine, music, and at least 20 mosquito bites (I hope to double this figure after I visit Niagara Falls this weekend.)

*Remember to view this post in your Browser to see video content (Read on blog)*

There’s no better place to get bitten by mosquitos than the Nostrand Gallery, and the Sandbox Xtet performed a beautifully free quartet set there with Rootnotez on visuals in early June. Playing in a gazebo surrounded by trees, friends, experimental artisanal drinks, and lots of video feedback, we really felt like we could stretch out.

The Nostrand Gallery Garden is the place to be this summer, and our next Garden event is coming up in early August, so stayed tuned for more info and tickets on my calendar page.

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The following week the Sandbox played a more intimate trio set at Bar Freda, and the vibes were immaculate. We didn’t have our drummer with us, but we still got the crowd moving.

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I’ve been talking with Bar Freda recently and wanted to let y’all know about a new recurring residency I’ll be playing there starting on Thursday, July 30th from 8-10PM.

Piano Bar at the End of the Universe is a live A/V performance series that merges audience interaction with real-time electronic music production. Guests submit song requests via phone through a QR code-based submission form, I pull the track from Youtube or Spotify, sample it live on stage in Ableton using my Push 3, and weave it into an evolving bed of original electronic beats — all while playing keys. It should be a pretty engaging show, so if you’re free that night come out and join me starting around 8PM. You can find more information as it comes along here.

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In late July (Saturday July 25th from 8-11:30 PM) I’ll be hosting the next Sync & Sequence, my monthly collaborative electronic music session at the Brooklyn Brewery in Williamsburg. You can get your tickets here.

Our first run this past month was such an incredible experience. We had a great turnout, with some really talented players rolling through.

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I will also be continuing to host a Synth Social at Dreamsong Music Labs in Bed-Stuy on the first Wednesday of each month, so this coming Wednesday July 1st, followed by Wednesday August 5th, from 7-10PM. If you’ve ever been curious about how to play synths, build beats via sequencer, or if you want a place to show off your gear while playing in a supportive environment, save the date(s)! Tickets are available here.

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To wrap things up I’ll leave you with a couple of videos from my last solo set. My Partner Strange Rays and I played this cool little music festival my friend Robin Wong put together at Side B in Queens. She was on visuals here. If you want to see more of me and her improvising over my original beats, you can watch the full set here.

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As always, I appreciate y’all taking the time to read about and see what I’m up to here in NYC. The continued support from my friends, family, and community, is a blessing for which I am truly grateful.

Come see me at some of the shows I’m playing, or come play at one of my jams.

And stay tuned next month for more updates on my music, events, and life in general.

Stay Cool,

Thomas

June 2026

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Hi y’all, this month has been absolutely hectic, but in a really good way. I have a lot of things coming up that I wanted to tell you about, so prepare your calendars!

*Remember to view this post in your Browser to see video content (Read on blog)*

First off, I wanted to let everyone know about a really cool event I’m hosting at Dreamsong Music Lab in Bed-Stuy this Wednesday (6/3/26): our first Synth Social!

Join me at my friend’s music studio for an evening of music and mingling — collaborate, improvise, make beats, and engage in deep listening with fellow musicians. All levels are welcome. It will be a lot of fun, and a very supportive environment, so don’t be afraid to come out and make some music!

You can purchase tickets here.

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This Friday 6/5/26 I am also hosting a Garden Party at the Nostrand Art Gallery in Crown Heights. My band Sandbox Xtet is playing, as well as my good friend Charlie McLaren. Artisanal Refreshments will be served by Elanitos.

The space is absolutely stunning now that the weather is nice, so be sure to RSVP HERE

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If you can’t make either of these dates my band is also playing a show (with some actual clowns) on Wednesday 6/10 at 8PM in Bar Freda in Ridgewood, Queens.

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And now for the biggest news of all, my band headlined Pass the Aux 09 this past month, and it was an incredible show!

It was a wonderful night, and a wonderful event series, but after nine iterations Pass the Aux is officially over.

In place of Pass the Aux, I am now solo hosting a new event at the Brooklyn Brewery on the third Saturday of each month from 8-11:30 PM.

It’s called Sync & Sequence.— an open electronic music jam session where producers, instrumentalists, beat makers, and sound explorers come together to make music in real time through deep listening and spontaneous collaboration.

From 8-9 PM I will play a solo set, and from 9-11:30 PM I’ll lead an open electronic jam, so bring your synths, laptops, or instruments with the proper cables to plug in and sync up for an immersive session built on experimentation, connection, and collective groove. All levels welcome! You can get your TICKETS HERE.

Here’s a little clip from our last jam at the Brooklyn Brewery to give you a sense of what the night might look like:

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I wanted to leave you all with news on some other recurring events that will be coming soon: I am in talks with Bar Freda about hosting a performance series called Cocktail Bar at the End of the Universe. This will be a recurring solo electronic piano gig in which I take song requests and play them on piano/live sample beats from the recordings. The details are still being ironed out, but stay tuned because this should be a really fun one!

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I also started a recurring series with my good friend BassBowWow called BIG BEATS in which producers from all over NYC get together one night per month to make the biggest beats around. The show involves a lot of improvisation and spontaneity, as well as high level production. Check out some videos from our last show at Young Ethel’s:

That’s all for now, thank you so much for reading! Please come check out some of my events and support the work I’m doing.

Stay tuned next month for more updates on my music, events, and life in general.

Peace and Love,

Thomas

May 2026

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Hello everyone, and thank you for checking out my newsletter! A lot of exciting stuff is happening this month.

*Remember to view this post in your Browser to see video content (Read on blog)*

Firstly, I want to announce that my album ‘Strange Loops’ is now available on all streaming platforms. You can listen to it here: ‘Strange Loops’ by Thomas Woodward Davis on Spotify

For this release I created some fun little video bumps to promote the tracks using basic video camera feedback on my rear projection tv. Check them out:

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I’m also excited to announce that on May 15th my band Sandbox Xtet will headlining the next Pass the Aux at the Brooklyn Brewery in Williamsburg with visuals by Pupstar. Get your TICKETS HERE.

Here we are at a recent show playing a tune I wrote called ‘Cold Plunge’.

Pass the Aux is an audiovisual jam co-hosted by yours truly at the Brooklyn Brewery in Williamsburg. The jam runs from 8-10, and the featured artists play from 10-11.

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Some other performances coming up:

On Friday May 29th, my partner Strange Rays and I will be playing a 10 minute audiovisual set from 2:55 PM – 3:05 PM for the Internet Archive. The performance will be streamed online, and archived here.

On Wednesday June 3rd, I’ll be hosting the first audiovisual performance/jam of what may turn into a recurring series at Dreamsong Music Lab in Bedstuy. Check my Shows Page for more updates and details.

On Friday June 5th, my band Sandbox Xtet will be playing in a beautiful Garden in Crown Heights, with an opening set from Charlie McLaren. RSVP HERE for Address.

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To wrap things up, I just wanted to let y’all know that I’m working on a new release for my band Sandbox Xtet, as well as a collaboration with my friend Hari Nandu (BassBowWow), so keep your eyes peeled!

Here’s a little clip of Hari and I in my studio crafting a new beat using a granular synthesizer and some reverse delay effects.

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I think that’s all for now, thanks for reading/listening!

Stay tuned next month for more updates on my music, events, and life in general.

Peace and Love,

Thomas

I am One

April 2026

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Hello everyone, thanks for taking the time to read my newsletter.

*Remember to view this post in your Browser to see video content (Read on blog)*

First of all, the most obvious news: I am switching newlsetter platforms from Substack to my own personal website.

I’ve decided to make use of my own website for a lot of reasons, the most noteable of which being that I own this domain space and won’t have to rely on a third party to maintain my content.

I have fully revamped and updated my website (including an EPK (electronic press kit) for myself and my band Sandbox Xtet). Check it out! www.ThomasWoodwardDavis.com

If you need an electronic jazz band for any events, let me know.

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Other big news: I just remixed an album and released it via CD Baby. It will be live on all streaming platforms Tuesday May 5th, but in the meantime you can stream it and buy it here: ‘Strange Loops’ by Thomas Woodward Davis

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This has been a big month for virtual autonomy: Recently I’ve been building out my personal home studio, investing in some lighting and camera gear in order to create better video content of my production sessions.

I’ve also been working with different visual effects and video feedback in OBS lately (video software) and the process has been a lot of fun! More to come on this.

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Last but not least, I have two shows coming up this April.

The next Pass the Aux will be happening on Friday April 17th from 8PM to 11PM at the Brooklyn Brewery, featuring AJ The VJ @ajthevj and 3D Space Cadet @3dspacecadet.

Pass the Aux is an open audiovisual jam session (hosted by yours truly), followed by a featured performance. Bring something to plug in, or just come through and vibe.
More information and tickets can be found here.

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Later on the in the month, on Saturday April 25th, I will be hosting a show at my friends Garden featuring my band Sandbox Xtet. Charlie McLaren will also be playing an ambient solo guitar set, with William Laziza on visuals, and my friend Elan serving up his signature brand of Doritos flavored cocktails.

Here is a link to tickets and more information for that event.

And here is my band at a recent show playing a tune written by my good friend James.

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That’s all for now, thanks for reading/listening!

Stay tuned next month for more updates on my music, events, and life in general.

Peace and Love,

Thomas