Do you know that my very first experience as a composer was a 'Concerto for Accordion?'
I've found that music allows years to fold like an accordion over each other, so I guess you don't feel the passage of time as much.
My music library is all over the place. I've got A$AP Rocky; I've got Billy Joel. I've got, like, Celine Dion albums that I just worship. There's all kinds of different stuff.
I'm a pretty good drummer. I'm pretty good at guitar, bass and piano. I can play accordion; I'm not virtuoso. I've played cello before. My sister played it, and I know how to play it, but I'm not the best. Violin is kind of the same thing.
I played trombone for 10 minutes, and then I was in an accordion band in school for even less.
I was never encouraged to do it and I played the accordion, which I hated. I wish I had taken piano because I definitely would have written more songs of my own, but I didn't.
I had different bands. I played with the Acoustic Warriors for the most part, without girl singers. It was the same kind of sound, acoustic guitar, bass, with violin and sometimes accordion, and the guys would sing, that kind of thing.
I told Celine Dion not to record that 'Titanic' song. That's about as big as you can get. 'Flashdance?' I thought, 'Welder by day, disco dancer by night - who wants to see that?'
I still see myself as the kid who plays accordion and tries to keep people happy for 45 minutes. And there's nothing wrong with that.
A rock-and-roll group needed a name that fit criteria in three areas: It had to be great for a bowling team; it had to be great for a gang; and it had to be great for a rock-and-roll group. So we called ourselves Dion and the Belmonts.
