Welcome to "Accordion2Me"!

I starting taking accordion music lessons at the age of 10 after being inspired by various family members and television personalities that I grew up watching. My family roots are tied to the Abruzzo region in Italy and to this day much of my family still resides there. The accordion has always been "front and center" at family functions whether it was to entertain a close friend who was visiting or simply to remind us of our roots at family occasions. As family moved further and further away from each other and the "old neighborhood", I longed for a way to keep this tradition of music alive.

 

In 1988, I attended a wedding reception and brought along my accordion (at the insistence of my parents) and played a few tunes on stage with a band that I thought was missing something....an accordion! The next year, the band leader of OMNI 1 called and offered me a job. I performed at countless functions throughout the Washington/Baltimore/Virginia areas and worked with some of the best musicians until 2006 when the music group officially disbanded.

 

In 1999, I released my first recording entitled "Dedicato A Voi" (Dedicated To You). Still yearning to carve a niche for myself, I began singing a few songs (in both English and Italian) and teamed up with Bill Gallerizzo (guitar and mandolin) to perform at various dances and festivals.