Five Firsts: Andy Campolieto of Jo Henley
BAND AFFILIATION: Jo Henley
INSTRUMENT: Vocals, rhythm guitar
1. THE FIRST ALBUM I EVER BOUGHT WAS … First album I ever bought for myself was a Beatles compilation called “Beatles Love Songs.” It’s out of print now, but I must have worn that tape to shreds. I actually almost picked up a copy of it last week on eBay, coincidentally.
2. THE FIRST CONCERT I EVER SAW WAS … My first real concert was Lynyrd Skynyrd at SPAC, probably in ’89, I would say. I still can picture when they closed the set with “Sweet Home Alabama” and dropped the most gigantic Confederate flag behind them. The biker chicks, the tailgating, the loud guitars, the beauty of SPAC, the sense of freedom – yeah, it was love at first sight!
3. THE FIRST INSTRUMENT I EVER OWNED OR PLAYED WAS … My first instrument was a cheap Vantage acoustic guitar that my mom bought for me at Drome Sound when I was in high school. My mom couldn’t afford much more that a $99 dreadnought, but I made sure I put it to good use. Many guitars have come and gone over the years since then, but I still have that Vantage. Can’t seem to part with it.
4. THE FIRST SONG I EVER PERFORMED IN PUBLIC WAS … The first song I ever performed publicly was “Jesus Doesn’t Want me for a Sunbeam,” which was a Nirvana cover. I sang backup with a friend of mine at an open mic night at some bar in Troy.
5. THE FIRST BAND I WAS EVER IN WAS … My first band was called Old Janx Spirit. We were around from 1996-1998. The funny thing about that is my current and longtime bandmate Ben Lee, who plays lead guitar in Jo Henley, was also in OJS, as was drummer Mike Dingley, who – as luck would have it – is joining us on drums at Caffe Lena on Friday. Small world!!
Andy Campolieto and his Jo Henley bandmates will play at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs at 8pm on Friday (February 5) celebrating the release of their new CD, “Inside Out.”
Comments are closed.