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Santa Cruz, California
Classic Rock · Blues · Americana

Santa Cruz, California
American Underdog was founded in Santa Cruz, California by singer-songwriter Tommy Dunlop and multi-instrumentalist Tony Fleig. The band is made up of veteran players who have decades of musical experience performing in and around northern and central California including Thomas Hartnett on lead guitar and vocals, Don Jacobs on drums and Kimberly Parrish on vocals and percussion.
Genres include: Original material, Classic Rock, Blues, Folk Rock and Americana with an emphasis on toe tappin' danceable melodies. We love to get the audience up and dancing!
Over the years American Underdog has played shows at many of the clubs and restaurants in the Santa Cruz and Monterey-Bay area including Stockwell Cellars, Kissed by an Angel, Henflings, Whale City Tavern, Brookdale Lodge, Music at Skypark, Community TV, Santa Cruz Beer Garden, Laughing Monk Brewing and numerous outdoor festivals, celebrity parties and corporate events.
“We love to get the audience up and dancing!”
Meet the Band
Classic Rock, Blues, Folk Rock and Americana with an emphasis on toe tappin' danceable melodies. Original material plus the songs you know and love.
Catch Us Live
Catch American Underdog live in the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay area.
On Stage & Off
Bookings & Inquiries
Singer-Songwriter, Guitars & Vocals
California singer-songwriter and frontman for American Underdog whose songs draw from a lifetime of work, travel, and everyday experience. Past roles: truck driver, pilot, author, actor, husband, father, musician. In the 1970s-80s worked with Norton Buffalo, Bobby McFerrin, Brian Auger. In the 2000s toured with Arthur Godfrey. Music style rooted in folk, country, and Americana tradition.
Bass, Guitar & Vocals
Professional performer since 1972 in Northern California and The Netherlands. Previous bands: Two Foot Daddy, The Cherry Brothers, Foxfire, The Bottom Dollar Band, Snakefarm Confidential, Johnny Reyes and the Blues Crew, The Last Minute Band, Cabin Fever, Whiskey Moon, The Bandits, Broken Shades. Also performs solo.
Drums
Over thirty years of drumming experience. Portland, Oregon background: R&B, Blues, Country Western, Soul bands. Notable bands: Blues Ranch (three-time Vancouver Battle of the Bands winner), The Slicers, The Inclusions, Disorderly Conduct, Spring Fever, Mahayana, The Thundering Love Hammers. In Santa Cruz: Cleveland Cowboys, Bump, Sound Squad.
Lead Guitar & Vocals
Tom Hartnett is a guitarist shaped by the electric spirit of the San Francisco Bay Area in the ’60s and ’70s, when music was rebellion, language, and life. That era’s spirit still hums through his playing: expressive, fearless, and just a little unruly. Rooted in classic influences yet unconstrained by nostalgia, his sound is honest, lived-in, and quietly adventurous.

Vocals
Kimberly Parrish is a vocalist rooted in shared song, first singing at campfires and family gatherings. After studying voice and guitar she helped formed Whiskey Moon, a local Santa Cruz Band. Now playing with American Underdog, and Bird in the Hand, her performances—whether intimate or high-energy—are infused with sincerity, soul, and joy.
Members have performed with
Decades of combined experience across Northern and Central California's live music scene.
Available for clubs, restaurants, private events, and corporate functions in the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay area.
Contact for Booking