Concert stage with dramatic red and amber lighting

tommyfabjams

Tour Manager · Front-of-House Engineer Monitor Engineer · Production Management event planning & marketing talent buying recording mixer/engineer Travel & logistics

Profile

Tom Fabjance is a touring and live-production & event professional with more than 25 years of experience working with nationally and internationally recognized artists across a wide range of genres.

Northern Wisconsin-based production leader with 25+ years across touring, venues, and festivals. Hands-on experience as talent buyer, FOH and monitor engineer, tour manager, and production manager — from intimate clubs to Red Rocks, Bonnaroo, and Newport Folk Festival. Skilled at negotiating artist agreements, managing crews, and turning artistic vision into safe, well-run events.

Rock · Folk · Americana · Jazz · World · Electronic · Classical

Signature Credits

Red Rocks Amphitheatre · Farm Aid · Saturday Night Live · Bonnaroo Music Festival · BottleRock Napa Valley · Telluride Bluegrass Festival · MerleFest · Newport Folk Festival · Hardly Strictly Bluegrass · Life Is Beautiful ·Late Show With David Letterman  · MTV Music Awards  ·KROC Christmas

Core Competencies

Front of House EngineerMonitor EngineerTour ManagerProduction ManagerPromoter RepTalent Buying & Artist NegotiationsVenue & Festival OperationsEvent Planning & Production ManagementArtist Settlements & PayoutsCrew, Staff & Volunteer SupervisionVendor, Sponsor & Partner CoordinationBudgeting & Expense OversightRisk Management & Safety PlanningMarketing & Community RelationsSOP & Policy DevelopmentBoard & Committee Leadership

Selected Touring Experience

Trampled by Turtles

2010–Present

Duluth, MN

Tour Manager · Front-of-House Engineer · Monitor Engineer

Long-running relationship with one of Americana's most celebrated touring acts. Managed all aspects of touring logistics while mixing front-of-house and monitors at venues ranging from intimate clubs to Red Rocks Amphitheatre and festival main stages.

Emel Mathlouthi

2015–Present

Tunis, Tunisia

Tour Manager · Front-of-House Engineer

Toured internationally with the Tunisian singer-songwriter whose performance at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony brought her global recognition. Managed production across Europe, North America, and the Middle East.

The Jayhawks

2011–Present

Minneapolis, MN

Tour Manager · Front-of-House Engineer

Worked with the seminal alt-country band across North American and European tours, handling both front-of-house mixing and full tour management responsibilities.

Hippo Campus

2016–2018

St. Paul, MN

Tour Manager · Front-of-House Engineer

Supported the indie rock band's rapid rise, managing tours across North America and Europe as they graduated from clubs to theaters and festival stages.

The Manhattan Transfer

2008–2012

New York, NY

Front-of-House Engineer · Monitor Engineer

Mixed front-of-house and monitors for the Grammy Award-winning vocal jazz group across domestic and international engagements.

Smashing Pumpkins

1988–1994

Chicago, IL

Monitor Engineer

Served as monitor engineer during the band's formative years in Chicago, working club and theater dates as they built toward mainstream breakthrough.

Tracy Chapman

1995

Monitor Engineer

Served as monitor engineer on the New Beginnings Tour for the Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, in support of her fifth studio album.

Catherine Wheel

1992–1993

Great Yarmouth, England

Front-of-House Engineer

Mixed front-of-house for the British indie shoegaze band during their North American touring, supporting their rise on the alternative rock scene.

Low

2004–2016

Duluth, MN

Front-of-House Engineer

Mixed front-of-house for the influential Duluth slowcore trio across more than a decade of touring, working venues and festivals throughout North America and Europe.

Ike Reilly Assassination

2000–2003

Lake Bluff, IL

Tour Manager · Front-of-House Engineer

Served as tour manager and front-of-house engineer for the Chicago-area rock band, managing touring logistics and mixing live sound across club and theater dates throughout North America.

Additional Artist Experience

Astrud Gilberto - Tito Puente - Mazzy Star - The Screaming Treas - TAD - George Clinton- The Pixies - George Benson - Charlie Parker - Freddie Hubbard - David Gray

Select Festival Experience

Bonnaroo Music Festival · BottleRock Napa Valley · DelFest · Farm Aid · Hardly Strictly Bluegrass · Homegrown Music Festival · Isthmus Jazz Festival · Life Is Beautiful · Lollapalooza · Lowell Folk Festival · Luck Reunion · Mariposa Folk Festival · MerleFest · Milwaukee Summerfest · Minnesota State Fair · Moondance Jam · Newport Folk Festival · Northside Festival · Okeechobee Music Festival · Pickathon · Red Wing Roots · Roots N Blues N BBQ · Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival · Solid Sound Festival · Stagecoach Festival · Telluride Bluegrass Festival · Thunder Bay Blues Festival · Tucson Folk Festival · Twin Cities Jazz Festival · Waterfront Blues Festival · Winnipeg Folk Festival · XPoNential Music Festival · and many more

Venue Experience

Big Top Chautauqua

2006–2014

Bayfield, WI

Production Manager · Front-of-House Engineer · Monitor Engineer

Managed production for a 2,000-capacity outdoor concert venue. Responsibilities included crew hiring and management, advancing, scheduling, hospitality, catering, stagehands, audio and lighting, guest lists, security, settlements, merchandise, sponsor functions, and meet-and-greets.

Double Door

1992

Wicker Park, Chicago, IL

Front-of-House Engineer

Served as front-of-house engineer at one of Chicago's premier rock venues, located in the heart of Wicker Park. The Double Door hosted national and local artists across rock, alternative, and indie genres until its closure in 2017.

China Club

1992–1994

Chicago, IL

Production Manager · Front-of-House Engineer · Monitor Engineer

Worked with national and international artists including Stanley Clarke, Stanley Jordan, Darryl Jones, Freddie Hubbard, Astrud Gilberto, Tito Puente, Toots & the Maytals, George Clinton, and Yellowman.

Cabaret Metro

1988–1994

Chicago, IL

Front-of-House Engineer · Monitor Engineer

Worked with artists including Nirvana, Pearl Jam, The Black Crowes, Screaming Trees, Lenny Kravitz, Nine Inch Nails, Peter Murphy, Soundgarden and more.

Events Coordination & Marketing

Earth Rider Brewery & The Cedar Lounge Taproom

Superior, WI

Entertainment Coordinator & Talent Buyer · Technical Director · Sound Engineer · Marketing Coordinator

Booked and programmed the live entertainment calendar, negotiating directly with artists, agents, and managers to secure talent and finalize performance terms. Managed artist settlements and band payouts, and oversaw live-event technical operations and sound production for all bookings. Developed crowd-control and event risk-management plans; coordinated logistics with venue staff, vendors, and event personnel. Drove event marketing, audience communications, and program promotion to build attendance and grow the venue's live-music brand.

Old Rittenhouse Inn

Bayfield, WI

Marketing Director & HOSPITALITY

Historic Queen Anne inn and fine-dining destination on the shores of Lake Superior. Directed marketing, guest communications, and event programming; developed staff training materials, employee handbooks, and standard operating procedures Creation & Coordination of weekend beer & wine tastings, murder mysteries and special events & promotions.

Hotel Chequamegon

Ashland, WI

Hospitality · Marketing · Public Relations · Special Events

65 guestrooms and suites in the heart of Ashland, Wisconsin. Managed hospitality operations alongside a full scope of marketing and communications work — writing newsletters, deploying website updates, managing mailing lists, producing graphics, and coordinating promotions and special events for one of the region's landmark lodging properties.

Television, Radio, Broadcast & recording studio

SELECT Broadcast Credits

Late Night with David Letterman · Saturday Night Live · MTV Music Awards · BBC John Peel Sessions · World Cafe · Al Jazeera Radio

Tent Show Radio

2009–2019

Producer · Mixing Engineer · Editing Engineer

Negotiated recording agreements, scheduled artists, developed show concepts, and managed multitrack mixing, editing, podcast production, and streaming for a 26-episode seasonal broadcast distributed by Wisconsin Public Radio and independent stations throughout the United States.

Sacred Heart Recording Studio

2001–Present

Co-Owner & Studio Manager

Duluth, MN

Manage all aspects of a professional recording facility, including scheduling, staffing, budgeting, marketing, and client and community relations.

Technical Proficiencies

Consoles

Avid VENUE | S6L, Avid Profile, Avid SC48, DiGiCo SD5, SD7, SD9, SD10, SD11, SD12, Midas Heritage, Midas PRO Series, Yamaha CL/QL Series, Yamaha PM5D, SSL Live, Soundcraft Vi Series, Allen & Heath dLive, Behringer X32/M32

Wireless

Shure Axient Digital, Shure UHF-R, Shure PSM 1000/900/300, Sennheiser 6000/9000 Series, Lectrosonics, Audio-Technica 5000 Series

Software & Systems

Avid Pro Tools, Waves MultiRack, Lake Controller, Rational Acoustics Smaart, Meyer Sound Galileo, BSS Soundweb, Dante/AES67 networking, QLab

Additional

RF coordination and spectrum management, system optimization and tuning, multitrack recording, broadcast integration, intercom systems (RTS, Clear-Com), video/audio matrix routing

Community Leadership & Governance

Bayfield Chamber of Commerce

President, Board of Directors

Bayfield, WI

Improved the organization's financial position from an annual loss of approximately $50,000 to a surplus exceeding $50,000 in the first year of leadership. Increased annual meeting attendance by more than 300% through a targeted membership-engagement campaign; led board and committee meetings under Robert's Rules of Order. Renegotiated the Apple Festival and Chamber contract with the city of Bayfield, reducing event expenses and eliminating unnecessary municipal spending; recruited and helped select a new executive director.

Gallery

Tom Fabjance at the mixing console during a large outdoor festival
Emel Mathlouthi and her ensemble on stage in Tunis
Sculptural architectural lighting fixture with warm amber glow
Close-up black and white portrait of an elephant
The Strand Theatre marquee lit up for The Celtic Tenors
Dubrovnik coastal fortress and old city walls along the Adriatic Sea
Duluth aerial lift bridge with a freighter passing through the harbor
Red Rocks Amphitheatre packed with concertgoers
The Colosseum in Rome at golden hour
Ornate concert hall interior with tiered balconies and warm lighting
Aperol spritz and fresh oysters on a sun-drenched table
Big Top Chautauqua striped tent at sunset
Emel Mathlouthi performing on stage with dramatic purple lighting
Portrait with swim goggles
Sacred Heart church interior with vaulted ceilings and pipe organ
Young Tom Fabjance at the mixing board for the Smashing Pumpkins
Seattle waterfront with shipping cranes and Ferris wheel
Turquoise open water stretching to the horizon

Contact

Cool people, doing cool things, with other cool people

Duluth | Minneapolis | Worldwide

[email protected]

Tom Fabjance

"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side" - Hunter S Thompson

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