Bio
I started playing guitar at the age of 16. I played in local bands and found my niche writing songs from day one. Musicians such as Elton John, The Cars, AC/DC and Kiss from an early age heavily influenced me. My outlook on music and the guitar changed when heard Van Halen on the radio. I became so intrigued by the tone and sounds that Eddie Van Halen produced that I wanted to learn how to play like Eddie!! I then found Ozzy and Dokken and I was hooked on the Heavy Melodic Rock scene. At an early age, my playing style and writing emulated George Lynch of Dokken more than any other band. Then came Bon Jovi and the commercial 80’s era, which I will admit, I became hooked on. It was not until I started to take music lessons that I was introduced to musicians like Stevie Ray Vaughn, Elvis Costello, among other various Blues and Jazz artists. This enlightenment came from my long time musical mentor, not to mention the best musician I know, Bill Courtman. Bill and I became good friends. Bill was not only my guitar teacher, but he taught me the art of songwriting, recording, and how to “be professional” in all musical situations. At that point, I stopped worrying about the “flash” and starting worrying about the song and the parts that make the song. This has proved to be a valuable lesson and molded me into a well rounded musician.
I've played in several local original and cover bands such as, “Diver” and “Rough Housin” which got me up in front of people playing my guitar. We did a few demo tapes and I really found myself liking both the live and studio environment. I then met John Taglieri through a friend who knew I was looking for a singer to put a band together with. John and I started the band “Big Trouble”, and from 1990 – 1993, we played successfully in the NY, NJ, PA area, touring constantly and opening for many major acts. Big Trouble made two demo tapes that peaked the interest of record labels, but then grunge came in and changed the climate of the music scene. Big Trouble eventually split up and we went in separate directions. I joined an existing band looking for a guitar player. After a few weeks of no chemistry, I figured it was time to do something else. I took some time off and after sitting around the house my wife said to me “ you haven’t played in a band in a few months and you are so much happier when you play”. I knew it was time to start another band. I started a cover band with the former bass player from Big Trouble. This is when “Mr. Chubby” evolved from 1994-1996, as a hard rock cover band, playing everything from Alice in Chains to the Doobie Bros. After my first child was born in late 1996, I stopped playing in the cover band to spend some more time at home. For the next three years I spent time writing and playing with various musicians and projects. Nothing ever materialized from the projects.
It was not long after that that John Taglieri contacted me in 1999 and said that he had recorded a CD, “Leap Of Faith”, and wanted to do an acoustic tour to show off his latest creation. II performed from 1999 to 2003 in many clubs and venues on the east coast. In 2004 I was contacted by a former bass player I played with in John's band. I then joined "Bachelor Party" a high energy cover band.