Tommy Carroll

Tommy Carroll is a Chicago-based drummer, bandleader, and fearless innovator whose life and music are grounded in improvisation—whether he’s navigating the city’s busy streets without sight or creating bold, genre-blurring compositions.

Logan Cascio won the award for best music video at the 2010 MY HERO Film Festival. The video tells the story of Tommy - then a teen whose passion for skateboarding and drumming defied all odds. Casico depicts how with heart, courage, and relentless determination, Tommy pursues his dream and achieves it by meeting his hero, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk. This video includes an interview with Logan and Tommy at the MY HERO International Film Festival, where they shared insights about the making of the film and the inspiring friendship that grew from it.

Click to watch it here:

Today, Tommy continues his drumming career - a powerhouse behind the kit, Tommy leads multiple experimental projects, including the electro-acoustic ensemble Calculated Discomfort and the futuristic dance band Prosthetic. His work spans six albums and over 30 collaborations across an eclectic range—from Puerto Rican folk and indie rock to modern hip hop—pushing boundaries and defying stereotypes along the way.

Recognized by the Chicago Reader as a “workhorse drummer,” Tommy is a constant presence on stages across Chicago and the Midwest, from intimate clubs to major cultural institutions. His bands have headlined events like the Art Institute of Chicago’s Cripping the Galleries series, the Chicago Summer Dance series in Grant Park, and Steppenwolf Theater’s LookOut Series.

Each of his albums reflects a deep commitment to rhythm, storytelling, and disability culture. Highlights include Dances for Different Bodies (2021) and Not Amazing (2017), both of which weave narratives about disability into groove-driven frameworks; Listening (2019), a soulful vocal collection; and improvisation-focused works like Prosthetic (2022), Original Medicine (2021), and Calculated Discomfort (2018). His upcoming release, The Harmony of Rhythm, continues the journey started with Calculated Discomfort.

Beyond his own projects, Tommy is a sought-after collaborator, recording and performing with artists such as Raro, Piraguas y Piropos, Lyn Rye, and Victoria Djembe. Through every performance, Tommy uses his platform to celebrate the creativity of disability culture and the transformative power of art—not just making music, but reshaping the world in which we experience it.

In addition to performances, Tommy offers virtual and in-person lessons about topics including drumset performance, analogue synthesis, music history, screenreader useage and accessible web design. Tommy also offers group workshops about rhythmic techniques, music appreciation and designing and for accessibility.

For booking or general inquiries, email Tommy at [email protected] 

Find out more: www.tcdrums.com