Tom Brislin
Tom Brislin (born October 5, 1973) is an American keyboardist, songwriter, singer, producer, and author. In December 2018, American progressive rock band Kansas announced Brislin as the group’s keyboardist; his playing, vocals, and prominent songwriting contributions are featured on the band’s most recently released studio album, The Absence of Presence (2020). Biography Early Life Brislin was born and raised in New Jersey, the youngest of five children in a musically inclined household in Dunellen, New Jersey. His older siblings provided his first exposure to music, which consisted of album-oriented 1970s rock acts such as Foreigner, Yes, and Led Zeppelin. As a young piano student in the 1980s, he drew inspiration from pop acts such as Prince, Men At Work, Duran Duran, and The Police, as well as keyboardists like Keith Emerson and Herbie Hancock. Brislin formed his first bands with childhood friends at the age of 10; by 12, he had cemented his aspiration to be a professional musician. Education Brislin graduated from Immaculata High School in Somerville, New Jersey, and was inducted into the school’s hall of fame in 2016. He went on to study classical and jazz piano performance at William Paterson University under the tutelage of notable