Tony Giovannini

Drums/Vocals


 Sound Clip 1

Miles Davis had a saying… "The drummer protects the beat." The drummer sets the pulse and gets down to the very basis of music and drives the forces within the audience causing them and inexplicable reaction to the music whereby they just have to move and shake their bodies to the rhythm. This is Tony’s goal every time he plays. Rhythm is his business, and Tony does that quite well.

Tony Giovannini, drums/vocals, grew up in De Pere, Wisconsin and started playing drums at age 8… "my parents bought my brother a "kiddy" drum kit with the paper heads and tin cymbals. He never played the thing so I figured if he didn’t want to then I would." Tony attended De Pere High School and was given every opportunity to play drums despite the fact that he was playing tuba and trombone for the band. It was at the age of 17 that Tony began playing professionally. In 1992, Tony graduated from St. Norbert College, receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Music with an emphasis in education. As a low brass major (with a side of drums/percussion), Tony maintained a busy playing schedule during his college days playing with the SNC Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, Knights of Dixie, Low Brass Quartet, Abbey Brass and singing with the Oratorio choir and Pamiro Opera Company.

Tony has developed his chops over his 22 years of professional experience, performing with several local bands including SNC Community Band, The Juggling Penguins, The Receeders, aja, and The Groove Hogs all in addition Fat Brass and commercial recording and session work. Additionally, Tony has been sought after to play for several local musical productions and currently holds the drum seat for Music Theatre at St. Norbert College. In 2006, Tony also served as one of the drummers in the back-up-band for the Lakeshore Rising Stars competition, a local American Idol type competition. In addition to performing, Tony has also sharpened his musical ear as a sought after front-of-house sound engineer mixing for groups the likes of The Swinging Knights, The Groove Hogs, Music Theatre and many local bands and festivals.

When not performing, Tony can be found riding his motorcycle, or out and about taking pictures as a freelance amateur photographer, attending local sporting events (Packers, college or high school), reading, or umpiring a baseball game (it is a little known fact that Tony attended professional umpiring school in 2000… graduating in the top 3rd of his class of around 190 students… wanna start up a conversation? Just ask him about umping or baseball in general…he’ll bite!)

Tony works for Associated Bank as a Vault Operations Technician. What is a "Vault Operations Technician"? Well let’s just say that Tony rolls in the dough… he doesn’t OWN any of it… but he rolls in the dough all day long!