Tom Draper — Bay Area Session Guitarist

Tom Draper is a British-born guitarist based in the San Francisco Bay Area, available for session recording, live work, and touring. With over 25 years of experience spanning traditional heavy metal, classic rock, prog, AOR, and beyond, he brings a melodic sensibility, broad stylistic range, and a reputation as a reliable, quick-learning professional to every project he takes on.

Tom’s career has taken him from the London underground club scene to some of the biggest festival stages in the world. As touring guitarist with Carcass – one of the most influential metal bands in history – he performed at Download, Graspop, Hellfest, and Psycho Las Vegas, as well as international dates spanning the globe. Prior to that he spent a year and a half as second guitarist in NWOBHM legends Angel Witch, performing across Europe including at the Up the Hammers festival in Athens and Muskelrock in Sweden. More recently he served as lead guitarist and full member of Spirit Adrift, contributing solos to their album Ghost at the Gallows and touring extensively across the US and Europe with the band.

Alongside his work with established acts, Tom has been an active presence in the Bay Area metal and rock scene since relocating from London in 2014. He is a founding member and lead guitarist of Hands of Goro, whose debut album received strong critical notices and who have performed at Frost and Fire festival and on a self-funded Scandinavian tour. He has also recorded guitar for all three Pounder albums, and contributed guest solos to a wide range of artists including Hammers of Misfortune, Star Circus, Black Sites, Cartilage, and Griev, among many others. He currently plays with Bay Area prog band Birth and continues to work with Canadian band Spell, including a guest appearance on their 2026 album Wretched Heart. Tom is also a regular presence in the Bay Area cover band scene, playing with bands such as The Butlers and Union Jack & The Rippers.

In the studio, Tom is comfortable working remotely or in person. His home setup allows him to deliver fully produced guitar tracks, dry stems for re-amping, or anything in between. He is equally comfortable with a high gain rock or metal sound, clean and semi-clean tones, and everything in between.

Tom’s influences span a wide range – from the foundational rock and metal players who shaped his early playing (Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Iommi, David Gilmour, Michael Schenker, Gary Moore) through AOR and melodic rock (Neal Schon, John Sykes, Steve Lukather), more shred-oriented territory (John Petrucci, Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert), and into jazz fusion and funk (Larry Carlton, Guthrie Govan, Al Di Meola, George Benson). That breadth shows up in his playing – melody-first and lyrical rather than flash for its own sake, but with the technical foundation to go wherever a track demands.

He maintains an active Instagram presence where he posts covers, original music, and his popular “how to ruin a song” series – rearranging well-known tracks into unexpected genres with results that have recently gone viral. It’s a good place to get a sense of his range and musical personality before reaching out.

Tom is professional, well-prepared, easy to work with, and takes every gig seriously regardless of size or profile. If you’re looking for a guitarist who will treat your project with care and deliver something worth hearing, get in touch.

http://www.instagram.com/tom_draper_guitarist