Performing in over 120 events a year ranging from corporate events to local venues, Long Island's own local Billy Joel Tribute Band is probably as close as fans can get without listening to Joel himself.
Mike DelGuidice, 40, a Miller Place resident, had a talent for music since high school where he was exposed to a mixture of rock and pop, while his parents influenced differently. According to DelGuidice, his mother listened to Barbra Streisand style music, while his father listened to Billy Joel and Chicago among others. The Miller Place resident played piano bars for ten years before he formed the band Big Shot in 2000.
“I knew that the tribute band thing started to happen,” DelGuidice said. That’s when he called a long time friend and formed the band.
Since there was already a Dave Matthews Tribute band on Long Island at the time, and DelGuidice was most familiar with Billy Joel’s music, he decided a Joel tribute was the better alternative, “and it went from there,” he said. All they needed was a name.
“You’ve got to pick one of the songs and you don’t know which one to pick," he said. "At some point we picked it and just lived with it."
Now, he said, the band is "making a turn."
Currently he is writing more original music based on his everyday busy life as a married man with four kids, ages seven, 10, 12, and 15. He recently released an album titled “Miller Place” geared towards a country and pop genre. DelGuidice is also releasing a new album next week but was extra careful not to release its name too early.
DelGuidice’s message to aspiring musicians: "be realistic,” and if you have the talent, “just keep going with it. Believe. Music is all about dreams.”
You can see Big Shot on June 24. The Town of Babylon Concert Series is held at Overlook Beach, in Babylon. Visit www.bigshottributeband.com for details.
