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I was born in Sicily and moved to the Charlotte, NC, USA with my family when
I was four. I never even thought of playing an instrument until my senior year in high
school, but back then I wanted to play the drums. Of course, my parents never even
let me entertain the idea, but I later learned that was for my own good! As fate would
have it, my cousin picked up the bass around the same time… He let me borrow
his right-handed short scale Memphis bass with little a battery powered amp, and I
literality “banged• on this thing for the next year. I guess it was when
I began to show some potential that I decided it was time to buy a left-handed bass.
My dad took me to a local music store and we bought the only left-handed bass in stock:
an Ibanez SR series bass along with a 50 watt Crate combo amp. The moment I began to
play an actual left-handed bass, things really fell into place with my learning and
enjoyment of the instrument. I also came to the “false• realization that
I was no longer oppressed by the same “right-handed society• that has been
bringing left-handed musicians down for years! Much to my surprise, when it came time
for me to upgrade to my second bass, I quickly learned that I had been under a false
sense of liberation.
I’ve played various styles of music, but rock is my preferred style. Rock just
seems to agree the most with my abilities and interests; in other words, it just draws
the most honesty out of me. When I play, I take a minimalist stance by trying to concentrate
on burying myself deep in the “pocket.• And where I’ve lacked in my
technical abilities, I’ve had to learn to make up for it with dynamics, groove,
and feel…
I got married on Nov 8th, 2003 to my wonderful wife Rachael. She is a huge supporter
of music and the arts in general and has put up with all my crazy musical endeavors!
By day, I am an admin assistant, and by night I am a part time student with a near
degree in graphic design... My hope is to find a niche where I can blend my musical
interests with design. So, if anyone out there needs logo, promotional, or CD packaging
design, etc…, please feel free to email
me, I would be more than happy to show you my work thus far.
Here is list of bands, projects, and people that got me where I am today:
- Harmony Sparks : Awesome singer-song writer. www.harmonysparks.com
- Jon Phillips : Awesome singer-song writer. http://www.myspace.com/carlislemusic
- Jason Hausman : An incredible singer-song writer and creative person. See Jason at
www.jasonhausman.com
or www.orheusarts.com
- The Traveling Public : Rock, recorded a 5 song EP with Chris Garges before we broke
up.
- Chris Garges : Phenomenal sound engineer, producer and drummer. See Chris at www.chrisgarges.com
- Brian Doyle : Americana rock. See Brian at www.briandoyle.com
- Karaoke anyone? : I recorded a slew of “sound-a-likes• which were intended
for karaoke use. As silly as it sounds, recording a slew of these songs contributed
to my ability to learn songs quickly and accurately.
- Charlotte Vineyard Church : I play in my church’s worship band. See us at www.CharlotteVineyard.org
- Static... : My first band. We cut a record back in 1996 called “City Limits.•
Credited for being the launch pad of my carrier as a bass player, where I’ve made
many valuable connections with other talented musicians and friends.
MY BASSES
Lefty 62 reissue Fender Jazz (Japanese)
Upgraded with Bartolini active pickups, Bad Ass Bridge II and Gotoh tuners
67 Hofner
Lefty Vienna Munich upright bass
MY EQUIPMENT
Amps:
Eden WT 800 head
SWR 350 head
Cabinets:
Ampeg PortaBass 2x10
Ampeg 4x10 SVT HLF
Ampeg 8x10 SVT
EFFECT / ACCESORIES
70’s Big Muff Pi fuzz pedal
Aguilar DB-924 pre-amp
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