Music

"Dark Night" is a song that celebrates my own sobriety and my experience as a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor. I hope that possibly someone lost in the darkness of addiction might hear this and realize they do have some options to change. I am very indebted to the musicians who helped me bring this song to life. Thanks, to Ernie White, Charles Laurita, Mike White and Lisa Bouchelle.

"New York City, 1969" is a true story. It is an account of how I met my beautiful wife Jean at a party in Greenwich Village, NYC on May 31st, 1969. We had actually met on one brief occasion over a year before. When I walked into a party on that Saturday night in 1969, I saw Jean and immediately knew I had found the girl I wanted to marry. We went for a walk around the Village, got together in the following days and were married on August 2, only 8 weeks after the party. Jean is the light of my life. The picture at the left was taken shortly after that party--you can see why I reacted the way I did. I want to thank Tom Reock and Johnny Di Bianco for making this song a reality. Tom managed to get me to do my own backup vocals and even play lead guitar, and for that I am very grateful.

I was born in 1944. My grandparents were immigrants. My paternal grandfather came here from Sweden. He was a hard working honest man who was totally devoted to his family. He worked for Hercules Powder Company as a steam pipe fitter. He and my grandmother lived in company housing, where they raised three children; my father, my uncle and my aunt. I don't think I ever appreciated how hard they worked or how humble their life was. It simply didn't matter to me, the love they showed was a treasure to me that I will never forget. I learned that people came to this country to find a better life, in a country where all people could participate in shaping their own destinies. A couple of years ago, while visiting with some people that perhaps don't share the same political views as I do, I came to realize how far from this dream we had drifted. I was unaware of who now President Obama was. But, I felt that we needed to find a leader who would bring us back on the path that we once were. "Came to Be" evolved over a period of time. In the months prior to the 2008 elections it was born in it's current form. I want to thank Anthony DeCarlo, whose youth and phenomenal lead guitar helped bring it to life. I also want to thank Ernie White for keeping me on track and helping me see my own vision. Mike White put the drums beat into a song that expresses a lot of my feelings and thoughts. I hope "Came to Be" will make people aware that it speaks to ALL people, we are all Americans and in this together.

I grew up around photography. My father earned his living as a photographer. During the day he was an industrial and scientific photographer and when he came home, he just changed cameras and shot the stuff he liked to do. I was always fascinated by the idea of capturing a moment in time. Now, as I reflect on some of the images I have taken I realize the power that an image can have. In this case it is one where someone close to you is able to communicate the bond of a relationship just by the way they look at you. When you look at that photograph, you are looking at a moment in time when someone connected with you. That is how I see photography. "This Photograph" expresses that moment, captured and brought to life again every time the viewer looks at it. The instrumentation on this one is very simple. It is just me and Anthony De Carlo on guitars. Anthony is the skilled guitarist playing those beautiful fills and leads. Again, I thank Ernie White for helping me bring this tune to life.

As a kid I grew up hearing about "The Big One"....and they were referring to an explosion that had ocurred at Hercules Powder Company in 1940. Both my Dad, my Uncle and my Grandfather worked for Hercules and like everyone in the area I was used to the explosions that sometimes happened. Later in life I did some research on the events of September 12th 1940. I was amazed to find that a significant event in the history of this country seems to have been burried in history. Today, in Kenvil, NJ (part of Roxbury Twp.) a plaque stands to honor all the men who were killed at a very important munitions and explosives plant. A lot of those family names were very recognizable to me. You can do your own research to come to your conclusions about why this spectacular event seems to not get too much attention, I think it is a combinatin of timing and the fact that it was never really solved and till today remains a mystery as to how it happened. During the War it probably seemed better to just move forward. This song is to honor all the men who served their country by working at a very dangerous job. It especially honors the 51 who lost their lives on that day.