Christopher William Tomson (born March 6, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the drummer for
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
-based
indie rock band
Vampire Weekend. He is also the lead vocalist and guitarist for a side project called Dams of the West, for which he writes and records the entirety of its music.
Background
Tomson grew up on a farm in the
Imlaystown section of
Upper Freehold Township, New Jersey, and later recorded parts of Vampire Weekend's first album there. His father is an engineer whose family is of
Irish and
Ukrainian heritage (he studied abroad in Ireland in college). His mother is an administrator whose family is of English and German heritage. He graduated from the
Peddie School
The Peddie School is a college preparatory school in Hightstown, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is a non-denominational, coeducational boarding school located on a campus, and serves students in the ninth through twelfth gr ...
as a salutatorian and then from
Columbia University where he studied economics and music. Tomson enjoys
photography and is an avid
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
fan; his favorite club is
Tottenham Hotspur. Tomson is also a huge fan of
Phish
Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...
,
The Band, and the
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements o