It all started in 1979 at the Painesville Agora with the band Crystal Rain. When I returned to the Cleveland circuit from Houston, Texas in 1987, I was in the band Lunatic Fringe, which frequently played at the Sahara Club in Willoughby Hills. It was then that I realized that I was right where I wanted to be. MSB was on a hiatus after their final show at the Front Row Theatre in 1986 and being a fan for years, I decided to form an MSB tribute band, Stagepass. With Michael’s blessing, we went on a 13 year run that was one of Lake County’s biggest draws. Our bassist, Colin Fitzpatrick, left the band as he was recruited by a company on the west coast. We kept the core of the band together and added the “The North Coast Horns”, Doug Powell on guitar/vocals and Victor Manfredi on bass, who was an integral part of marketing the band regionally, and formed the Stone Pony Band after the club in New Jersey, playing Columbus, Michigan, New York, Chicago, and Youngstown where we opened for the Little River Band. We kicked the door wide open playing the best from Bruce and SSJ, selling out the House of Blues in 2005 with Stagepass as an opener (I am still exhausted from that show – lol) and in 2007 with Pieces of Eight. We were asked to open for the Knack and Raspberries at the Nautica Pavilion , which to me is our highlight. Drawing over 1000 people at the Pericii Amphitheatre in Twinsburg for the late police officer Josh Miktarian was another proud moment. I also co-front another popular local dance band, Festivus, that also opened for Stone Pony at the House of Blues for over 1000 people. We are still rocking strong, having played the Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town albums in their entirety.
I am still in the mortgage finance and automotive industry as my “day gig”. My daughter, Kelsey, now lives in L.A. and my son, Mark, attends Ohio University and I live in Willoughby with Julie, who I have been with since 2008. As Michael Stanley would say, Keep Rockin’!