stompboxfreak72
Well-known member
Im definetly a member of the " Full Circle Tribe"........
I became completely consumed by music by the age of 11. My grandfather played and I just grew up with it. I caught on quick and as a kid everyone knew that I played. It was ( and is) my identity. Problem from me was a vicious home life. It was so bad that I left high school a year early Just to escape. I was accepted to Berklee but could not fund it. My guidance counselor gave me career guide to go through and I saw " pharmacist" and I had remembered reading that Ronnie James Dio was supposedly a pharmacist ( turns out he has a degree in pharmacology but is not a pharmacist). I was able to get a virtual free ride through pharmacy school as misguided as my reasons were for being there. I had no idea what a pharmacist did nor did I know anyone ( except for RJD of course) who worked in the field. I barely was 17 when I ran off to college.....
Fast forward and now I am out of college. I am now a health care professional licensed by the state. I played in a few bands with old friends but they were all into drugs which I now could not be around whatsoever. I pretty much went on hiatus for 8 years. By 30 I thought I was too old and would never gig again.
One day my wife comes home with a flyer that says " Now accepting students " that she picked off the wall at Sam Ash. It was Neil Zaza who I had heard of but really did not know much about. I joined another cover band and studied with Neil for three years. I had some really bad habits that I never realized until Neil opened the musical doors for me. I was off and running in the local scene. I started working on original recordings etc etc and was more plugged in to my guitar then ever before.
We had a sound guy who ended up being Doug Aldrich's guitar tech when he was playing with.....guess who....... Ronnie James Dio. I never got to meet RJD even though I easily could have. But the feeling of having gone full circle was already there. Thank you Ronnie for misguiding a stupid kid into a career that I would have never chosen..... and thanks to Neil Zaza for making me realize that you dont have to sell a million records to feel like a rock star.....
I became completely consumed by music by the age of 11. My grandfather played and I just grew up with it. I caught on quick and as a kid everyone knew that I played. It was ( and is) my identity. Problem from me was a vicious home life. It was so bad that I left high school a year early Just to escape. I was accepted to Berklee but could not fund it. My guidance counselor gave me career guide to go through and I saw " pharmacist" and I had remembered reading that Ronnie James Dio was supposedly a pharmacist ( turns out he has a degree in pharmacology but is not a pharmacist). I was able to get a virtual free ride through pharmacy school as misguided as my reasons were for being there. I had no idea what a pharmacist did nor did I know anyone ( except for RJD of course) who worked in the field. I barely was 17 when I ran off to college.....
Fast forward and now I am out of college. I am now a health care professional licensed by the state. I played in a few bands with old friends but they were all into drugs which I now could not be around whatsoever. I pretty much went on hiatus for 8 years. By 30 I thought I was too old and would never gig again.
One day my wife comes home with a flyer that says " Now accepting students " that she picked off the wall at Sam Ash. It was Neil Zaza who I had heard of but really did not know much about. I joined another cover band and studied with Neil for three years. I had some really bad habits that I never realized until Neil opened the musical doors for me. I was off and running in the local scene. I started working on original recordings etc etc and was more plugged in to my guitar then ever before.
We had a sound guy who ended up being Doug Aldrich's guitar tech when he was playing with.....guess who....... Ronnie James Dio. I never got to meet RJD even though I easily could have. But the feeling of having gone full circle was already there. Thank you Ronnie for misguiding a stupid kid into a career that I would have never chosen..... and thanks to Neil Zaza for making me realize that you dont have to sell a million records to feel like a rock star.....