Today we’d like to introduce you to Tony Camponovo.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Tony. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I moved to DFW at age 23 from Texarkana, TX. to pursue a career in music as a guitarist. I had no formal training and was entirely self-taught, so I found a job at a local music store in Garland, TX. Called Zoo Music, owned by Dave Anderson. I figured this was a good way to network as well as earn a living being around music for someone my age that had no degree and didn’t really know anybody in the city.
In 2006 I began taking music classes at Richland Community College in Dallas. I studied Music Theory and Aural skills with Dr. Jerry Wallace, as well as; classical guitar with Jan Ryberg, Jazz guitar with Joe Lee, and piano with various teachers including Brad Williams. This was around the same time I got my first gig working full-time as a professional guitarist in a Dallas based cover band owned by Addison Kelley. This was the most money I had ever made in my life and it was more than enough to pay for my classes and still live quite comfortably for a young single person. It was also a challenge because of the late nights and early mornings that go along with playing music in clubs and taking college classes, but I was determined to further my formal music education.
In 2009 I was accepted into the Jazz Studies Program at the University of North Texas in Denton. This is the oldest program of its kind in the US as well as one of the most highly rated college music programs in the world. I grew more there than at any other point in my life. By this time, I had begun teaching guitar lessons locally as well as freelancing with several working bands in the DFW area.
In the spring of 2015, I released my first recording project entirely comprised of original material titled “Tony Camponovo’s Super Collider”. The following summer, I was approached by Line 6 Inc. (a branch of Yamaha Guitar Group) to join the company as a Product Specialist. This enabled me to stop playing music full time as my primary source of income and actually perform at large expos all over the country as well as musical instrument retailers demoing amps and effects for guitar. This also gave me an opportunity to perform my original music for large audiences directly connected to the music business as well as different social media platforms. I have since recorded several other singles available on all streaming music platforms and am currently working on my next EP.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not necessarily been a smooth road for me. I grew up in a small town with no resources for young musicians and very little support or encouragement. I paid my way through college by playing guitar in working bands.
It was hard to dedicate myself to the bands I played in because my heart and soul were completely invested in my studies at UNT and it consumed most of my time. It seemed like I was exhausted every minute of the day and it affected my performances on stage. The hours and late nights I put in onstage affected my performance in the classroom. This led to a low point when I was fired from the band I was primarily playing in and suddenly had no income. I struggled to find work all summer and was so stressed out that I had a panic attack during a performance for a Jazz Improv class. I felt humiliated and ashamed in front of a room full of young, world-class musicians and professors that I respected and admired. I left the class and ran home like a child who had just gotten beat up by the school bully. I did not return for that entire semester. I felt like I didn’t belong in this place and that I was a failure at the only thing I had ever been passionate about in my life. I needed to regroup.
I spent that semester buried deep in my practice and returned to UNT in the spring. I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies with an emphasis in guitar performance in the spring of 2013. As far as writing and releasing original music, that’s pretty much a gamble you take on yourself. Usually it costs much more to record and release the material than you will ever make back.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
My business is my music: either performance, writing, recording, or sales enablement through my live performance demos. I think I am most proud of the original music I have released over the last year and being able to perform each year at the NAMM show in Anaheim, CA.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
As an artistic person, I think success is measured in reaching large numbers of people with music that I create and being respected by my peers. Money is honestly not what I crave the most, although it is nice and makes it easier to do what I love. I really just want people to enjoy what I create. I know my music is not for everybody and it’s OK if some people don’t care for it. I like to write music that intrigues the ear, so perhaps my “fans” are mostly other musicians or just music enthusiasts. I’m happy with that, but at the same time, the more people that like it, the better!
My musical abilities are a God-given gift, and it is only through His grace that I have managed to do anything. So I suppose the ULTIMATE success will be when I fully realize how to let him play THROUGH me (a process that I am working on every day).
Contact Info:
- Email: Tonycamponovoguitar@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tony_camponovo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TonyCamponovomusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TonyCamponovo
- Other: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TonyCamponovomusic
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