I originally started out intending to become a session player and to be as diverse as possible, playing as many types of music as possible. Echo the Band, a five-piece wedding band, was my first real gig. They specialized in traditional Polish music and top 40 songs ... and a lot of polkas! They consisted of an accordion player/ lead singer, trumpet/Flugelhorn/ keyboardist, a lead singer/saxophonist, and a drummer. I played guitar on one album and gigged every weekend, sometimes opening up for Polka legends Walter Ostenak and Eddie Blazonchyk.