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NEW HOPE, PA \u2014 Bucks County native Thomas G. Waites, a Julliard School-trained actor who has starred alongside Kurt
Russell and worked with legendary horror film director John Carpenter, is preparing to take the stage with his quartet, Heartbreak Waites at New Hope Winery.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Set for June 7, Waites said the concert, as well as the East Coast tour that the band is launching, is in response to the \u201cpolitical situation we\u2019re in.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy music is an attempt to bring us together,\u201d he said. \u201cWe often try to get the audience singing along.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
In fact, Waites sometimes attends open mics to try out new songs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey start singing to the hook,\u201d he said. \u201cThat makes me so happy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
If given the chance to soak in that experience or receive a $1 million check, Waites said he would wholeheartedly \u201ckeep the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Waites cut his teeth in the 80s music scene as frontman for new wave punk band The Pushups. During shows at notorious venues including CBGB, Waites was known to do one-handed pushups.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The Heartbreak Waites performs Americana music for the soul.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t take it as seriously,\u201d Waites said, noting that Heartbreak Waites is a different musical vibe. \u201cIt\u2019s
Americana music for the soul. A blend of 60s harmonies. It\u2019s quite dramatic considering I\u2019m the frontman. It\u2019s very lyric heavy, but a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The 3-year-old band is touring in support of its self-titled album.<\/p>\n
When he\u2019s not taking the stage with his band, Waites continues directing, producing, teaching acting and continuing his five-decade-long acting career, which includes roles in \u201cThe Thing,\u201d \u201cWarriors,\u201d as well as stints acting alongside Al Pacino in \u201c\u2026And Justice For All,\u201d and \u201cRichard III\u201d on Broadway.<\/p>\n
Waites stars in the upcoming horror film, \u201cThe Block,\u201d as well as the 2027 release of \u201cThe Silver Game,\u201d which he describes as a \u201cscrewball comedy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never done a comedy on film,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m really, really excited about that. It was fun as hell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yet for all of his arts-related accolades, Waites credits his Bucks County roots for inspiring him to think beyond working at the steel mill. At 14 the Bishop Egan High School freshman was a \u201cterrible student\u201d and a \u201cgeneral ruffian,\u201d who was constantly getting into trouble.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
After getting hit by a car, snapping his femur bone and spending six months in the hospital recovering, Waites accompanied his sister to a showing of \u201cRomeo and Juliet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat film just made me weep profusely,\u201d he said. \u201cThat completely changed me. I no longer wanted this life in the streets and getting into trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next day, he went to the library and memorized both characters in the balcony scene. His portrayal of Shakespeare\u2019s famed Romeo landed him a full scholarship to The Julliard School.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrowing up in Levittown I think we were subconsciously limited by our parents\u2019 and neighbors\u2019 expectations. We expected so little of ourselves,\u201d Waites said. \u201cTo make a big leap to New York City to be on Broadway and be in movies was a gigantic leap from working in the steel mill. It\u2019s not the
circumstances that make the man, it\u2019s the man that makes the circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you go<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n