Move to Iowa brings music to forefront for Doubting Thomas
McGregor musician Rick Thomas—who performs under the moniker Doubting Thomas—has become a fixture on the local music scene since moving to Iowa in 2021. (Submitted photo)
By Audrey Posten
McGregor musician Rick Thomas didn’t know playing gigs around the area would become such a big part of his life when he and his wife moved from Colorado to her family’s farm in 2021.
“It’s one of those things that kind of appeared,” recalled Thomas. “Before you know it, you’ve got a little audience.”
Thomas—who performs under the moniker Doubting Thomas “because I’m not very gullible,” he joked—was born and grew up in California, before moving to Colorado Springs in 1977. His mom lived in Albuquerque, N.M., so he’d often go back and forth between his parents.
His was a musical family.
“My dad, uncles, grandfather, they all played. Back when my father was a kid, there really wasn’t a lot of TV, so the family would be all fiddles and mandolins, guitars and basses, so I kind of grew up around that,” Thomas said. “But I really didn’t get interested until I was a teenager, about 15 years old.”
Although his father showed him a few cords, Thomas was largely self taught. He played in a couple bands in the 1980s, but music took a back seat when he had a young family to provide for.
It wasn’t until the move to Iowa that music came to the forefront, as Thomas started getting into the scene in Prairie du Chien and McGregor-Marquette.
“I started going to the open mic at The Tavern [in Prairie du Chien]. They call it open jam. That’s every Thursday and you can go in there and play whatever you want,” Thomas said. “They also have a songwriter thing they do every fourth Tuesday. That is strict all-original music, and gives you a chance to spread your wings a bit and get things out in the open, practiced in front of an audience.”
It was there Thomas befriended fellow musician Dylan Harris, who runs various open jams and songwriter nights in the area. Thomas also began to learn just how extensive the music scene was in northeast Iowa and southwest Wisconsin.
“In Iowa, you have stuff going on in Manchester, Calmar, Elkader, too. In Wisconsin, you have Viroqua, Soldiers Grove, Gays Mills. It’s really surprising the musicians and artists who are around here,” Thomas said. “It’s kind of an artistic area.”
Soon, he was playing professionally.
Thomas is heavily influenced by classic rock, like The Beatles and Rolling Stones. He also favors Grand Funk Railroad, Bob Seger, Led Zeppelin and grunge mainstays Pearl Jam and Nirvana.
His rotation includes 300 to 400 songs.
“I don’t like to do the same songs at every show, but I do have my favorites,” Thomas said.
He’s always adding more.
“I’m all by ear—I can’t read music—so I’ll hear something and pick up a guitar right away and start picking until I get it figured out. Some I get right away,” he shared, “but it could take anywhere from hours to days. It’s all about practice and staying with it.”
Thomas also writes songs of his own. By this fall or next spring, he anticipates releasing his first album.
It’s an exciting step for the musician who performs at least once a week during the summer. The Tavern is one of his favorite venues, as are the Old Oak Inn in Soldiers Grove, Deb’s Brewtopia in Elkader and Jade’s River Queen and Big Buoys Tiki Bar in McGregor. Earlier this summer, Thomas was even part of filming a commercial at Big Buoys.
“I was told it would only be an hour or so, but the place was so packed I just kept playing,” he recalled.
Thomas has also started playing at Great River Care Center in McGregor.
“Those are only hour shows, but everyone seems to like them,” he quipped.
But he’s content to keep his schedule casual. Playing every day can turn into work, and Thomas wants to continue enjoying music.
Being a solo artist allows him to do that, even if it means all eyes—and ears—are on him at a show.
“It’s kind of liberating when you only have to worry about yourself. No one is going to tell you, ‘I don’t want to do that song,’” he said. “You try to please the crowd. And the more people there are, the easier it is for me. It’s easier to get that energy going.”
Thomas has found the past three years of performing rewarding. He still gets butterflies every time he takes the stage.
“I always look forward to shows, whether it’s at the care center for an hour or a four-hour show at nighttime. I just love to play music,” he said. “It’s very gratifying to see people enjoying it, especially when they start to sing along or get up and dance.”
Follow “Doubting Thomas” on Facebook for a listing of upcoming shows.
McGregor musician Rick Thomas didn’t know playing gigs around the area would become such a big part of his life when he and his wife moved from Colorado to her family’s farm in 2021.
“It’s one of those things that kind of appeared,” recalled Thomas. “Before you know it, you’ve got a little audience.”
Thomas—who performs under the moniker Doubting Thomas “because I’m not very gullible,” he joked—was born and grew up in California, before moving to Colorado Springs in 1977. His mom lived in Albuquerque, N.M., so he’d often go back and forth between his parents.
His was a musical family.
“My dad, uncles, grandfather, they all played. Back when my father was a kid, there really wasn’t a lot of TV, so the family would be all fiddles and mandolins, guitars and basses, so I kind of grew up around that,” Thomas said. “But I really didn’t get interested until I was a teenager, about 15 years old.”
Although his father showed him a few cords, Thomas was largely self taught. He played in a couple bands in the 1980s, but music took a back seat when he had a young family to provide for.
It wasn’t until the move to Iowa that music came to the forefront, as Thomas started getting into the scene in Prairie du Chien and McGregor-Marquette.
“I started going to the open mic at The Tavern [in Prairie du Chien]. They call it open jam. That’s every Thursday and you can go in there and play whatever you want,” Thomas said. “They also have a songwriter thing they do every fourth
