BLIMEY ... IT'S DA LIMEYS !
And There Ain't A Bloody Brit In Sight . These Guys Are All Italians !!!!
On The Bass Stirring Up Some Serious Mud With His Gibson Violin Model & Ampeg Amp Is Ronny Altaville
Hittin' The Toms & Everything Else Around Him, Tommy "The Twirler" Castagnaro
Tearin Up The Tele, Jimmi Accardi
Sending Out Messages On The Congas, Dennis "Big Chief" Carbone
The photo was taken in Patchogue circa 1972
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Jimmi Accardi and I may of never crossed paths during the years I was playing in bands on Long Island. but after being contacted by this current California Rocker, the fact remains we sure knew a whole lot of same musicians and others in the biz and we also played in many of the same places. As I have often said It's A Small World, But I Wouldn't Want To Paint It ! When I got Jimmi's first e mail a few days ago, he rattled off a half dozen or so guys I knew well, The Marchiano Brothers. The Realander Brothers, Sonny Styles, Lou LoFredo, Wally Bone, Tommy Castagnaro and Dennis Carbone. Not only did he know them, he wasted no time at all aiding in the reconnection with of some of them. I got a great phone call the other night from Dennis Carbone. Besides sending me the photos you see on this page Jimmi also contributed an MP 3 of "I'm Taking It Home " by the Down 5, a record I have been looking to re ad to my collection for years. It's people like Jimmi along with the others who have sent stuff to share that are making this website grow and the effort it takes to build it worth it. So if ya got the goods get in touch with me
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THE WILDCATS
Jimmi's first band 1965. This photo answers the musical question why we probably never met. Jimmi is a wee bit younger than yours truly and by the time he was working in the L I Bar Band circuit,with a lot of the same guys I used to know, I had retired from that scene and was doing the folk circuit. The Wildcats were one of the thousands of bands all across the USA that sprung up thanks to the Beatles.
Jimmi writes "This was our first gig. It was at a Knights of Columbus type hall for someone's party. All we knew were Beatles songs. After about the 15th Beatles song, we were offered more money if we would leave earlier. Later we were in a battle of the bands in 1965 at the Patchogue Knights of Columbus Hall. We beat out a band called The Long Island Sounds which included a guy named Gene Klein. He later changed his name to Gene Simmons and was part of Kiss."I think that's Bob Paul or Billy Siebert on bass to far left off screen Frank Parisi is on drums, Mike Picaninni plays accordion (we didn't have an organ). Charlie Silhan is on rhythm guitar, and me on lead guitar - before I used a pick.Notice the cool Premier Reverberation box to the left in front of the stage. Other members at times included Gary King on drums, Billy Siebert, and Jimmy Campbell aka "Greaseball" on bass."
These guys remind me of my first group the Islanders ( espec the accordian) That Premier Reverb Is Priceless ... at one time probably every band had one or two, they were affordable, around 40 bucks about half of what the Fender Reverb cost. Premier's reverb springs seemed extra sensitive and boinged like crazy. And like all spring reverbs they also made crashing thunder like sounds whenever you walked near them or tapped your foot.
I "SPRUNG" FOR THE EXTRA BUCKS & GOT MYSELF A FENDER
THEY LISTED 1N 1962 -63 FOR $129.00 - IRV SOLD ME ONE FOR $90.00
TODAY ONE WILL SET YOU BACK ABOUT $600.00
THE WINDS OF CHANGE ARE BLOWIN' AT "THE OFFICE" In St. James circa 1968-69
Like me, Jimmi found himself sitting behind a Hammond for a time. That's a funky looking, Hammond C, which was the church model. A B & C model Hammonds were all the same as far as layouts & sound goes. They were virtually indestructable. With Jimmi "THE WIND" was Albee Mannino Bass (not shown), John Scaduto on drums and Dick Realander on guitar heading up the neck here, where your fingers get wider & the frets get narrower. I knew Dick from early '60s , he was a gear freak and probably had the first Rickenbacker 12 String around. An excellent mechanic, Dick also was a gear head and drove a mighty fine ride he built himself a Candy Apple Red '53 Stude with a hopped up '58 Pontiac engine.
INTO THE STUDIO
Ubiquitous Booking Agent - Music Manager Lou Lofredo whose face is on page one of this site, teamed up with engineer producer Bob Gallo in the latter '60s and built a studio or two on Long Island mainly for the bands Lou managed. Aesops Fables. The Smubbs, The Sounds Of Modification. all recorded albums there, as did Jimmi with his groups like Mud In Your Eye. The Mandala Label if I recall, was a joint venture Lofredo & Gallo had with Monument Records. Lou later moved to Nashville for a time in the '70s and started doing records for K -Tel. He was gone by the time I arrived here in 1987.
I need to call Lou and see if he will cough up some photos for this site, I know he has them
as he must of managed a Million bands.
REUBEN FOX
Was John Scaduto, Joey Todaro (from the Music Bachs) and Jimmi.
Jimmi was also in The Rainy Days, The Laughing Dogs and more. You can find him on Face Book still rockin'
And Hey : TOMMY CASTAGNARO. IF YOU SEE THIS GET IN TOUCH WITH JIMMI