D Street Band                      

I guess I can say polka music has been in my family for many years.  I’m the third generation to be playing polkas from my father’s side of the family. My grandfather played accordion and concertina, my dad plays bass and guitar…heck my mother even plays accordion!! So it’s safe to say that polkas were in my blood.

I picked up the drums at a very young age of say 7-8 years old.  I remember sitting in with the Chicago Push as kid back in the early 80’s. Since my childhood I was influenced by the likes of Dave Bruzdzinski, Bobby Zima, AJ Lankarge and Jerry Tokarz.  While growing up, all I did was watch and listen to each of them play...do a live recording of them and go home to drive my parents nuts.

Since the age of 12, I’ve played with several different bands most notably Chicago ’s Milwaukee Avenue (CMA) and Tony Blazonczyk’s South Side Sounds.  CMA took me on at the ripe young age of 14 years old.  I’ll never forget my 1^st job with them was the USPA convention. However nothing compares to the weekend I played with Marion Lush the year he passed away. If I’m correct I played the last Chicago appearance with him.