I started playing piano and keyboards at a real young age.  I loved the sound of Stevie Wonder’s “I just called to say I love you” with the cool synthesizer sounds and the vocoder (robot voice).  I would listen to that song over and over – then anything that had a cool animated synthesizer sound (Genesis). 

Later in life during high school, I joined the school band to carry on a family tradition.  I learned how to play the trumpet, like my Dad and Papa did.  My Papa had a band long ago called “Matt Pasquale and his Orchestra”.  After a year, I became a fairly descent horn player playing in the Kirtland High Jazz band, Concert Band, Marching band and the pep bands as well as the Lakeland Community College Jazz Impact. 

In 2000 I formed a small jazz band called “The Green Road Trio” then “The Green Road Five” later.  It was a nice smooth jazz group that played at the House of Swing on every Wednesday for three years.  It was a great time with some of Cleveland’s best musicians.  After this band stopped playing, I got a call from Steve, a good friend that plays guitar, saying he wanted me to join him in a seven piece Motown band. 

Motor City Gold was a fantastic Motown group.  We played many places, had great times and made lots of friends.  The fun ended when I decided I needed a musical change of pace.  My drummer Mario from “The Green Road Five” band called and said his new band he was playing with needed a keyboard player for.  The band was “Ted Riser and the Marshall band”.  This band has a huge reputation and a great following.  I have played with Ted Riser for a year and have had a blast so far.  I will continue to play along side of Ted when I am not playing with my new band.

So in January, I get this call from Kevin Morgan, a long time barn band jam friend.  He tells me that his band “Stone Pony” may need another keyboard player.  I remember seeing his band as “Stagepass” when I was younger and have always wanted to be in this band.  I already knew most of the guys in the rhythm section and Kelly.  It felt like a natural fit.  In mid-January of 2008, I was given a rehearsal CD to learn three songs for an audition.  These guys picked some of the toughest piano songs Springsteen has.  ]

I played them to the best of my ability and was hired that night!  The rest is history! 

To pay my bills I work at State Farm Insurance as a house re-inspector and sell toy trains on ebay as a hobby.  I also fly small airplanes and am a part time aviation photographer for the Port of Cleveland.

To the band:  “I fed up – I trusted you…..”