Growing up to his parents’ Steve Miller, Carly Simon, Elton John, Steely Dan, and Fleetwood Mac albums, Tony always had a fascination and desire to be a performer and musician. At the age of 6, his parents took him to see his first ever concert, featuring Prince, and it would captivate Tony to pursue his dream of being a musician and performer. When he was 8, his parents gave him his first drum kit, and he began to mimic the solos and beats of Phil Collins, as well as busting every skin on the kit. By the time he turned 12, he first tackled the keyboard, playing songs by ear, and beginning to compose his first pieces. Eight years of lessons, from three different teachers and styles, would follow, further mastering his technique, something he continues to do this day. During his high school years, Tony became heavily influenced by jazz, classical and progressive/art rock, and would over the next four years stock his record collection with albums from artists like Genesis, ELP, Rush, Yes, Sting, and Bruce Hornsby. He would also study the works of various classical and jazz composers like Frederic Chopin, Aaron Copland, and Keith Jarrett. These early influences helped spawn a wide variety of pieces, some lasting more than 20 minutes. As college life started to change his musical life around in 1996, he didn't stop from looking for opportunities to play. In early 1997, a year after becoming a Christian, he started playing extended keyboards with the orchestra at his church, and quickly earned a reputation for his highly energetic, and at times crazy, piano playing. But knowing that church performances alone would not get him to where he wanted to be, Tony began to pursue other options. In 1998, he posted an ad at the FSU School of Music looking for work, earning him a summer job as a music director for a small play. Through the same ad, he met bassist and FSU student, Jeff Davis. In mid-1999, he met Jeff again briefly, watching him perform at a crawfish festival with a band known as Briarglass, which featured drummer Steve Shellman and guitarist/vocalist Justin Brogdon. However, despite more opportunities to continue writing through courses like MIDI and Film Scoring, by the time Tony was a junior, he grew cynical and despondent of the music scene, particularly the mainstream scene, and refocused his time and energy into completing his education. Graduating from Florida State in December 2000 with a Computer Science degree, he found himself in the middle of a long period of writer's block that would not end until May 2001, all the while questioning his future in music. In September 2001, Tony got a call from Jeff Davis for the first time in more than 2 years, and was asked to play keyboards for his Briarstone band, which changed their name to the Justin Brogdon Band. Although still uncertain about his musical future, Tony nevertheless took the opportunity. Since then, Tony's musical appetite has returned in full force, rededicating himself to music and composition. Today, he says the creative juices are flowing like his high school days, and he is not only more intent than ever on living his lifelong dream of being a musician and performer, but also on achieving his goal of making, what he calls, a "much-needed dent" in the music scene. INFLUENCES
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Last Modified - April 19, 2003
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