Formative Years  - 1980 to 1990

Growing up on the Jersey shore, Santo honed his vocal and percussion skills by playing with many gifted local musicians and participating in the Point Pleasant Boro band and chorus. He jammed with such talented friends as John Anan, Jimmy Coyne, Bob Deleo and Jason Cohen to name just a few.

But he really began to develop his jamming and songwriting style when he started playing with Bryon (guitar) and Chris (bass) Anilonis, childhood friends he knew since kindergarten! Usually Chris would write his own songs and Bryon and Santo would collaborate. Bryon would write the music and Santo would write the lyrics. And so, “Image” was born.

While Santo enjoyed singing, he wanted to focus on just being a drummer and singing back up vocals for a while. Upon going to see some friends in a battle of the bands competition, he heard a singer that he thought would fit nicely in “Image.” So he approached Rhys Chittick and invited him to join the band. Rhys accepted the invitation and “Image” became a quartet.

Rhys soon introduced the band to keyboard player and songwriter, Joe Evans who joined the band in time to play a Point Pleasant Beach High School Dance. This became the only performance that was recorded on a cassette tape for posterity. The recording quality was very poor but it captured Image’s typical performance at that time pretty well.

This lineup didn’t last since Santo was itching to step out from behind the drum set and focus on being a lead singer. When he heard that Tommy Contreras (a drummers he looked up to as a youth) was currently not in band, he went to his house, introduced himself and asked him if he was interested in joining a new band he was forming which featured Bryon on guitar, Chris on bass and Santo on lead vocals. To Santo’s surprise and delight, Tommy said, “why not?” They decided to call themselves, “Wavelength.”

Although Santo was fairly proficient on drums and vocals, the instrument that really captured his heart and imagination was the electric guitar. When he heard such guitarists as Brian May (Queen) Eddie Van Halen, Alex Lifeson (Rush) and many more too numerous to mention, he longed to make the guitar sing like they did. As he had opportunity, he'd ask friends to show him a few chords on the acoustic his brother in law lent him. 

It was during this time period that Santo not only continued to collaborate with Bryon but also wrote some of his own songs on guitar and piano. Three of those songs (“He Loves You” “Window Pain with a touch of Spain” and “Grace to the Gentiles”) would later appear on his solo CDs with new lyrics. Eventually the members of Wavelength went their separate ways and unfortunately Santo plunged himself even deeper into a destructive, hedonistic lifestyle.

But in September of his 19th year on this planet, something happened that changed his life forever: He came to know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Not only was his lifestyle radically changed, but so was his reason for living. No longer was it his goal to make it big in the music industry so he could indulge in sex, drugs and rock and roll. He now found that he agreed whole-heartedly with these words written by Dr. J. I. Packer:

"What makes life worth while is having a big enough objective, something which catches our imagination and lays hold of our allegiance; and this the Christian has, in a way that no other man has. For what higher, more exalted, and more compelling goal can there be than to know God?”

With this new purpose to live for, he began playing solo acoustic shows at coffee houses and churches until Jackie Duffy Anilonis joined him and they began ministering together as a duo known at that time as "In His Name."

Although they each brought their own originals to the group, they also wrote some songs together. Santo learned a lot about song writing from Jackie and also began to work on his lead guitar playing while ministering the gospel through music with Jackie. 

It was during this time that he met his wife Mary Ellen. They married, began a family and moved to Lookout Mountain, GA in order to attend Covenant College.

While living in the Chattanooga area, Santo and his family were privileged to worship and serve at a cross-cultural church called New City Fellowship. It was there that Santo had the opportunity to fill in on drums and guitar for the NCF praise band and choir. He and music director James Ward even played his version of Psalm 40 together one Sunday morning. Other than jamming with the Henning brothers and some other friends, Santo kept his music low key since being a husband, father, student, waiter and volunteer at NCF kept him pretty occupied!

While attending Mid America Seminary his guitar playing became even more sporadic since formal theological training was very intense. But it was at this time that his wife bought him a Fender Stratocaster.    

According to Santo, "it was my time as Associate Pastor of Grace Ref. Pres. Church of Relay, MD that I really started to develop as a lead guitar player. You can literally hear me develop on "Light of the World" which I actually recorded at a studio in Silver Springs, MD and later appeared on my first demo CD "Anything." I also recorded Psalm 40 there and had to come up with a melodic guitar solo. It was a joy to belong to a congregation where music was appreciated and developing talent was actually encouraged. It was a joy to jam with some great local musicians like the broadwater brothers, the Heiligers, Greg Fenlon, Dan Chapman, the Romero sisters, Johnny D, Erin Pryor Gill and many, many more. It was also at this time that I had the honor of leading the worship at Jr. Camp where Mary and Michele Higgins joined us and helped us rock out to "Pharaoh, Pharaoh" and "Deep!" (which has become a staple at all of my live gigs). This was a very productive time for me musically."

The years between 2000 and 2009 were extremely active for Santo's music ministry. In early 2000, Santo and his good friend from College David Chew formed 'Hagios Rock Records." Through David's incredible generosity, Santo's first CD "Anything" was recorded and produced at Rockwell Productions. It featured songs that Santo had written throughout the years while living in NJ, GA, MD and NY. In 2002 they produced Santo's second CD, "Window Pain." Kerry Livgren of the band Kansas graciously added  some tasty lead guitar work to the song "Where." 

Santo put together a live band and played at coffee houses, churches, outdoor events, a bar and private parties. Although the personel varied now and then, the lineup eventually became Santo on guitar and vocals, Ben Carter on Bass and Matt Willey on drums. The trio would be known as the SG band to locals in upstate NY. It was while jamming with these two incredible musicians and close personal friends that Santo forged his own brand of lead guitar playing.

While in NY, he had the privilege of playing with many fine musicians of all ages. Nancy Schworm, Joe and Jen Sell, Krista Waring, the guys from 11th Hour, Ryan Hughes, both of his sons Collyn and Caleb, Steve Smallman, Mike Yerrid, and lots of others. But it was in 2006 that Santo's musical dreams would come true. He was able to fly out to California to record his third CD "Further Up and Further In" with none other than Matt and Gregg Bissonette. These guys played with Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Ringo Starr, Maynard Ferguson, Rick Springfield, Ty Tabor, Santana, etc., etc.,! Guitar Shredder Mike Campese even traded licks with Santo at the end of the track, "He Loves You."   

Since relocating to the Atlantic City area Santo has played at the Bach to Rock outdoor concert in Relay, MD and led worship on guitar in a number of churches in MD, NY and NJ. He has been writing some new material as well as reworking some older songs that deserve either a better performance and/or better mixing. Check the news every now for updates.