Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Nick Diiorio Expands his Musical Repertoire
by Sarah Tither-Kaplan

GRAMMY Camp® bassist Nick Diiorio, a native of Petaluma, CA, came to camp without really knowing what he was "getting himself into." However, he kept an open mind and has now unexpectedly discovered that GRAMMY Camp is actually "very cool." Like many campers, Nick is a multi-instrumentalist.

He started his musical career playing drums, but is now devoted to playing bass, an instrument he has quickly found an affinity for. After only playing for a few years he is already in both a metal and a reggae/ska band. Nick, whose favorite groups range from Megadeath and Iron Maiden to Matiyahu and Avenged Sevenfold, was pleasantly surprised to find out that the manager of Avenged Sevenfold was one of GRAMMY Camp's guest panelists and he took time to speak with him after the panel. Nick's unique taste in music and his ability to play many different genres has allowed him to thrive in the GRAMMY Camp environment.

He gives credit to his instructor for "making [him] work on scales and technique" and believes that this extra practice will "make me a better musician.” And he’s taken full advantage of the many GRAMMY Camp opportunities, even performing a Kelly Clarkson song with one of the combos for a mini-concert. He laughs when he explains the process of performing a Clarkson song, admitting that although it was something he "wouldn't ordinarily play," it was still "pretty great.”

GRAMMY Camp is certainly not a place to get complacent, and Nick is more than happy to expand his musical repertoire when he teams up with a combo for the final showcase or recording at Capitol Records.

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