Dashboard Lights - Frank Bonvenuto

I grew up in Southwestern PA. My first musical influences were listening to my older siblings play the great music of the 60's and 70's. At 8, I asked my Dad for a guitar and I started lessons. I kept at it and in my early teens, the light bulb just went on and I abandoned lessons and used my God given talent to learn to play by ear. My older brother encouraged me and bought me a Gibson SG. As the 80's emerged, I embraced the great guitar rock of that time, incorporating the speed and whammy bar techniques used by the top players of that time. I found myself playing Frat parties and bars in a number of bands during my college days at WVU in Morgantown WV. I also was a regular house guitarist for jam nights at The Omni, which was Morgantown's best rock club at that time.
I relocated to Ohio in 1986. Soon after, I joined a bar band for a handful of gigs in late 1986 and then left for the band Roxx as Lead Guitarist in early 1987. I had a blast with Roxx, playing in The Flats and several other of the classic Cleveland bars of that time for 3 years. As grunge took over, I then took the 90's off from music, starting a family with my wife Traci.
I started to get the itch to play in a band again in the 2000's. One of our neighbors mentioned to my wife that his friend was looking for a guitar player to jam and start a band. It was great to get back and play again and I wondered why I had not done it sooner! Shortly after, I met Todd McClead and joined his band CLASSX.
Now, Dashboard Lights presents a unique opportunity for me to display the diversity of my guitar playing.