Check out 'www.nickkepics.com' too.
I was born April 22 (Earth Day), 1949 in Tarentum, Pennsylvania. I am the grandson of Hungarian and Slovenian immigrants. I spent the first 10 years of my life growing up on or around farms in Western Pennsylvania.
My father, a career Navy man, gave me my first guitar when I was 14 (1963, the year Kennedy got shot). I learned how to tune it listening to Surfin' USA by the Beach Boys. I played by ear until about 1980 when I decided to teach myself how to read music.
The very first band I was in was called "Quagmire" (I was still in high school). It was Bill Gaunce on Bass and vocals, Russell Scarborough on drums, Fred Gray on rhythm guitar, Steve Wilson on lead vocals and harmonica and me on lead guitar. We played Stones, Yardbirds, Kinks, Hendrix, Iron Butterfly, Van Morrison, Them, The Animals, etc.
We played lots of gigs at the Portsmouth Light House and a place called The Happening in Five Points in Norview (Norfolk, Virginia). The most memorable place we played was a place called the "Jamaican Room" in downtown Norfolk but it's not there anymore.
Growing up I listened to absolutely everything, which is not necessarily the best way to learn guitar. I listened to everybody from Kenny Burrell to Jimi Hendrix. I also listened to a lot of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Hubert Laws, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock and Oscar Peterson.
So far I have music in a travel video about Costa Rica, a movie called "Mini's First Time", another movie called "The Last Christmas Party" a TV show called "Beautiful People" and a PBS series called "Spain, on the road again". I publish under my own label called "Patiwak Publishing".
====================
I've learned that one of the things I'm good at is bringing talented people together. Whenever I work as a leader I always hire the best sidemen I can find. Any band is only as good as its worst player. I'd love to do some more writing and recording. There's still a lot of great music that hasn't been composed yet.
