Tommy Clufetos’s unbreakable pulse – Detroit Metro Times

Former Ozzy Osbourne drummer Tommy Clufetos plays with the same forces that shaped his hometown of Detroit — pride, grit, and resilience.

“Detroit is where rock ’n’ roll is really true,” Clufetos says. “Detroit’s approach to rock ’n’ roll is in my blood. The edge of Detroit is in my blood. I’ve lived in Los Angeles, and now I live in Nashville, but the approach to music is unto itself. 

“In Detroit, it’s known for its hard, fast, driving rock ’n’ roll. That is really what gets to me. I can play with energy when the music calls for it. I can play with energy at a whisper. I can play with intensity in a quiet setting. I always work hard and try to give the audience the best I can.” 

A veteran of Black Sabbath, Dead Daisies, and Ted Nugent’s band, the Rochester Adams High School alum is sharing this musical message with Tommy’s RockTrip. He’ll bring the band — which also includes guitarist and lead vocalist Max Frye, bassist JT Shea, and guitarist Kyler Brinker — to Westland’s Token Lounge on Thursday, April 23. 

“They’re long-haired skinny dudes, and I’m just a drill sergeant to them,” Clufetos says without missing a beat. 

“I’m like, ‘This is what rock ’n’ roll is supposed to be.’ You gotta get your hands dirty. You’re going to cut yourself. You’re going to bleed.’ I rehearse the hell out of them. I won’t take their second best. It’s not good enough for me.”

Clufetos grew up on Detroit’s west side, where music was the family business. His father, Tommy Sr., was a working drummer who ran a music school out of the house. His mother handled the business side. As a youngster, Clufetos sat behind a kit, learning the craft the old‑school way: by doing it nightly. 

His big break came from a fellow Detroiter, the Motor City Madman Ted Nugent, after meeting him through Bob Seger’s sax player, Alto Reed. Clufetos has since joined Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie, alongside fellow Detroiter John 5. He left Zombie’s band for Ozzy Osbourne in 2009, replacing Mike Bordin, who reunited with Faith No More.

Clufetos is aware that many bands mellow with age. He’s determined not to. “Whenever you watch bands, you watch the videos from when they were 22, and they were great, but then you go see them years later, and they lost that charge,” he says. “I don’t want to lose that charge.”

He points to Osbourne as the model. “He had all the money in the world, and he could have just quit, but he always went up there with that grit. I’m here to carry that torch in my own little way.”

That said, he recently detoured from his RockTrip to honor Osbourne during the Brit Awards. Joining him on the song “No More Tears” were his former Ozzy bandmate, guitarist Zakk Wylde, as well as English pop singer Robbie Williams, and Metallica bassist Rob Trujillo. 

“You want to come off great for him and for his legacy,” Clufetos says about the tribute. “It was nice to see everyone again, Mrs. Osbourne, all the band guys, and the people in the organization.

“It was a nice moment. When you’re on tour, you’re always traveling. We went to dinner the night before, and we talked about Ozzy. It was a little calmer and, personally, maybe a little more interactive, which was nice. It came off great on TV. He deserves all of it and more.”

He admits, however, “No More Tears” was difficult to play without the Prince of Darkness.

“Everything was the same,” he says. “You’re getting on the plane. You know you’re gonna see this guy. You know you’re gonna see her. You’re gonna see him — but he wasn’t there. It’s sad, but it’s part of life.”

Clufetos holds onto the way Osbourne went out: triumphant, adored, and unmistakably himself at the July 5, 2025, “Back to the Beginning” benefit concert at Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham, England. Metallica, Yungblud, Gojira, Pantera, and Guns N’ Roses were among those hitting the stage. 

The night ended with a set by Black Sabbath’s original lineup — Osbourne, guitarist Tommy Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler — performing together for the first time since 2005.

“What a great last gig he had in Birmingham [England],” Clufetos says. “He went out like a king… the outpouring of happiness he brought people after that gig was so wonderful to see.”

Tommy’s RockTrip is a new challenge: leading a band from behind the drums. The band has been recording in Nashville, working on a new album rooted on Clufetos’s no‑tricks philosophy. So far, the act has recorded five “all-organic rock songs, written by us, that are rootsy, straight-ahead rock ’n’ roll.” 

“No electronics besides amps, drums, and speakers. No click tracks. We don’t even wear headphones in the studio. We play all together as one group,” Clufetos says.

“What comes through the speakers is what’s on tape. I like getting the feel of a live band, and you try to get that one take. It doesn’t have to be perfect, because perfect isn’t perfect. It’s got to be ‘perfect’ where it has the vibe and the edge. Rock ‘n’ roll is supposed to be in the moment. I once had this famous producer say to me, while listening to Ozzy, ‘Oh, man, you guys play that song fast.’ Is said, ‘Yeah, we sure do, don’t we?’ At the Token, we will rock your block off. I guarantee it.”

Tommy’s RockTrip performs Thursday, April 23, at The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; tokenlounge.com. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $18.73.

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