His instructor made him focus his studies on classical music and standards. "I wanted to quit. I didn't want to play that stuff. I wanted to play songs that were on the radio. I wanted people to walk by me playing the piano, stop and say, 'Hey, I know that song.'" It was this direction that helped him identify his ear for music. Rather than learning his assigned Bach and Mozart music, he found himself sitting down next to the piano listening to the local radio station and figuring out songs by ear. Eventually it got to the point where he could learn a song before it finished playing all the way through.
In middle school, he could often be found in the auditorium during lunch time, playing the old upright piano. He performed in school talent shows and theater productions all throughout middle school and high school.
Inspired by the stories of his father, a former bass player, he wanted to experience "the band" lifestyle himself. It was in middle school where Tony first began playing with other musicians in his first band. In high school, Tony joined up with the band "Breakthrough," based out of Syracuse, NY. "We played graduation parties, a few bars, and a local coffee shop. Some of my best times I had were in that coffee shop playing music with my friends. We didn't get paid for that recurring gig. Heck, we are probably the only group that can say we were the house band at a coffee shop. We had a tip jar that barely filled up with enough cash for us to buy a coffee after the gig. Still, it was awesome. This was mostly a duo group, consisting of Brian Alexandar (Guitar, Vocals) and myself. Eventually we added (the late and great) Jay Wilhelm on drums and Al Cutri on sax."
While attending his friend's high school graduation party, Tony ran across the director of his junior high school drama production, Jonathan Dean Belt. Jonathan, a former professional comedian who shared the stage with some of the biggest & hottest names in the industry today (such as: Chris Rock, Jimmy J.J. Walker, Ray Romano, Kevin James, Kathleen Madigan, John Penet, Mario Joyner, Lisa Ann Walter, Rita Rudner, Ralph Harris, Tommy Davidson and the late Richard Jeni) had an original band playing music that was labeled as "Funky, Rock & Soul." Tony hopped up on stage for a few songs with the band and was then asked to join the 9-piece band as their keyboard player. Tony played with "The Jam" for a couple of years before venturing off to college. "It was a great experience. Jonathan is not only a remarkable person and friend, but he also wrote all the music we played. You knew his music came from the heart," Tony says. While attending college, Tony played the college's upright piano that was located in a sound-proof room on campus. It was here where Tony ran into drummer Eric Putrello who was tinkering away on the piano in between his classes. Eric said that he played drums in a band that was looking for a keyboard player.
Tony joined the modern rock band, "The Morning After" (TMA). Members included Luke Markis (Lead Vocals), Gary Johnson (Guitarist), Eric Putrello (Drums), Ryan Putrello (Bass). Tony played with TMA across Central NY throughout the duration of his college years. TMA was featured on MTV in late 2006, and TMA (or its members) played events with artists such as Taking Back Sunday, Story of the Year, Charlie Murphy (Eddie Murphy's brother), members of the band BOSTON, and others. Tony would later find out that his father and Eric Putrello's father, coincidentally, also had once been in a band together.
TMA split in late 2006, as most of the band members were graduating from college and heading all over the US for their "career" jobs. In early 2007, Tony was offered a corporate position and moved to Atlanta, GA. He discovered a local band called Nelsonbrownstone, who was luckily in need of a keyboard player. Members include Dennis Brown (Lead Vocals, Guitar), Corey Nelson (Guitar), Jake Kitchen (Bass), and Eric Putrello (Drums). Tony says, "I have been honored and blessed to have played with such fine musicians throughout the years. I enjoy playing music a great deal. It truly is an activity you can do whether you are in a good or bad mood." Tony continues to play with Nelsonbrownstone and also plays solo. Each year, Tony donates a portion of his music proceeds to charitable causes.
Ron Burgundy, Age AMAZING!Piano, Keyboard, Vocals
Tony shares a plane with Queen Latifah
LONG Bio
Inspired by the legendary musician, Ron Burgundy, Tony tried to master the art of the jazz flute.
The Morning After (TMA) band with comedian Charlie Murphy
Tony, Age 2
MEET TONY
It was a failure. Tony was in a glass case of emotion. At age 2, his jazz flute career was shot. Since cool kids usually learned to play with drums, guitar, or marijuana, Tony took the only logical course of action...he learned the piano - an instant repellant to woman.
Tony was first introduced to the piano when he saw his babysitter's son play. Tony's first piano was an upright Wurlitzer, provided to his parents by his aunt. "I wanted to play it so badly. I was fascinated by Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera music. I wanted to play it on the piano, but I did not know how to play. Since I had no formal training, my babysitter took Post-It Notes and placed them on the piano keys with numbers (1,2,3, etc.) so I would know the correct order to push each note. This was how I learned to play my very first song on the piano at the age of 6."
Tony asked his parents for piano lessons. Tony explains, "They allowed me to take lessons. And...It was awful. My instructor was an elderly woman who picked her nose during my lessons. If I played a wrong note, she would grab my hand and show me the correct key to press. All I could think about during those moments was that she just had that finger up her nose. Just thinking about it caused me to make more mistakes. I had to sterilize my piano and hands after each session."