I am a self-taught (professional musician, lyricist, artist, author, composer, photographer and instructor in each discipline. I teach music theory, guitar and bass technique, music sequencing, vocal technique, painting and drawing, Photoshop and smartphone/camera photography.
and even what to know to write music for a film. Please see my award at the bottom of this page!
I am a summa cum Laude graduate of the EEIPT (the Ear and Eye Institute for the Possibly Talented)
I have won many awards such as 4 Daytime EMMYs for original music for WPBT Ch. 2 Miami (PBS,) some film score awards for independent companies. In 1997 at the first Ft. Lauderdale Film Festival Short Film Competition, films utilizing my scores took 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th places and I received a special recognition award.
I also have won awards as an artist in shows and such.
My favorite musician is Paul McCartney and The Beatles overall but for guitarists I dig - Robert Fripp, Larry Coryell, Allan Holdsworth, Ritchie Blackmore, Joe Pass, Jan Akkerman and Joe Walsh.
As a guitarist, vocalist and bassist, I have performed and recorded with hundreds (maybe thousands) of people. I can't even document it all, but there's a list at the bottom of this box.
As a music composer, I have written songs and jingles for PBS, Times/Mirror, Legacy for Life, Chaos Films, RC Cola, The Discovery Channel and many, many more.
I have 2 listings on imdb.com for feature film scores.
As an author, I have written "The Guitar Explained", "The Art Of Pencil", "The Art Of Graphic Art" and "The Art of the Cross".
I have done mucho photography for personal and business applications, real estate companies, etc.
As an artist, I have my own photo restoration company which is called Trickphoto.com. I have created posters for bands and business cards, logos, etc.
I was born in Buffalo, New York a long, long time ago to the strangest people I have ever known...I don't know why I became such an artist except that my great-aunt on my mom's side was an opera star in the 1920's named Cosma Vullo, wife of Cosmo Vullo! Her brother, my great-uncle Anthony Gervase, was a concert violinist by age 15 I'm told, but he died from Spinal Meningitis by age 21 - a waste, but that's life. I tried to get his violin, but got nowhere. At least I can say I was born in a great artistic city like my hero V. Roger Lalli and Harold Arlen, the man who wrote the music to "Over the Rainbow"!
Mainly, it is all the fault of two people that I am the way I am -
Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Victor Roger "Doc" Lalli.
You know Sir Paul and how kids like me were thunderbolted by the Beatles on Ed Sullivan on February 9th, 1964, but "Doc" Lalli was my art teacher and he taught me that, artistically at least,ANYTHING was possible, and that if you could see it in your mind (or hear it in your crazy head) that you could paint it, draw it, compose it ... so I do! Note to students - you never stop!!
I consider it an honor to be able to do what I do, so I do not drink anything but filtered water and excellent coffee, I don't smoke anything and I don't do any drugs, and there you have it...so keep trying to do what it is that YOU do and get inspiration from me if you can, as I drew a lifetime of inspiration from Doc and Sir Paul.
BTW -
Here's a short list of some of the famous people I have played with and each name is linked to Wikipedia:
Tiny Tim (Brilliant, man!!)
Larry Coryell (Genius, man!)
Danny Gottlieb (Drums on Hendrix Recordings)
The Coasters ("Charlie Brown")
The Platters ("Earth Angel")
The Marvellettes ("Please Mr. Postman")
The Spiral Starecase ("More Today Than Yesterday")
Billy J. Kramer (first act signed by The Beatles)
Len Barry ("1, 2, 3" , "Somewhere")
The Box Tops ("The Letter")
Ray Catheline (Drummer on "Incense and Peppermints")
