Dennis Belisle
On the dusty streets of Puerto Vallarta, an ocean of dark skin and jet black hair, small children look and point and laugh... they've never seen anything like it. Dennis can't help to stand out in the crowd with his head of brilliant, blazing red hair. Similarly, he is nothing less than a standout with music.
Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, the son of a Navy man, Dennis moved around frequently until settling down in Jacksonville, Florida at age ten. Five years later, a boating accident put him in the hospital. It was during his 14-month recovery that his love of playing music blossomed. Although proficient on alto and tenor sax, Dennis choose to strap a keyboard around his neck while a member of the Orange Park High marching band. (Pity the freshman who followed behind pushing the amps!)
Dennis attended Jacksonville University on a music scholarship, playing with local bands Deus ex Machine' and Creative Illusion at night and recording his first album. In 1989, he transferred to the University of North Florida, studying music performance with an emphasis in jazz studies. He was exposed to such greats as Bunky Greene, Jack Peterson, and the late Rick Matteson as well as having the opportunity to play baritone sax with Maynard Ferguson. At this time, Dennis was also the Catholic Music Minister and Choir Director at St. Paul's church and the principal piano player for San Jose Catholic church.
Heading south after school, Dennis found work with Second Glance, a top forty workhorse in Orlando. They traveled up and down the East coast from 1990 to 1991. In 1992, Dennis began work for The Source, a seven-piece show band that allowed him to show off his programming skills and front the band as a vocalist and rapper at some of Orlando's hottest clubs. He was offered a job with Dad's Car in the summer of 1993 and jumped at the chance to play the Hard Rock Cafe circuit in Mexico, traveling to Cancun, Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta. Each night after laying down some alternative rock keyboard grooves, he would grab his horn, run down to the jazz hot spot, Si Senor, and sit in with the popular trio Hielo Negro (Black Ice). "What a great experience Mexico was. The different culture really opened my mind. The musicians in Hielo Negro were unbelievable." When Dad's Car headed back to Orlando, Dennis and the band's singer, Julie Montgomery, waved goodbye at the airport and were promptly hired by the trio, playing for packed houses for the next year in Puerto Vallarta.
Landing back in Jacksonville in the summer of 1994, Dennis was quickly scooped up by the well-known reggae outfit Pili Pili, and toured the southeast. Two years later, he stepped into Mystic Dino and Phenomenon One, sharing the bill with reggae greats Black Uhuru, Steel Pulse, Yellowman, Pato Benton, Shaggy and Supercat. "Reggae changed my life. Until the time I started playing reggae, it was a foreign language to me. I learned so much about the silent part of music and when not to play. That knowledge has stuck with me and influences me to this day".
Also in 1994, Dennis met Matt Butler, a well-known improvisational guitar player and composer who served as an immense source of inspiration. Matt was working on some original material with great players like Joe Cohen, Ed Richardson and John Otto (Limp Bizkit's drummer) and invited Dennis to sit in with them. This resulted in several years of mind-blowing music and a few live recordings. "The two or so years I played gigs with Matt were some of the most educational and real experiences I've had. I owe a lot of who I am as a musician to Matt." Dennis would also frequently sit in with the Glass Camels-- one of the best Grateful Dead tribute bands in the southeast.
In 1995, Dennis again joined forces with vocalist Julie Montgomery to create APT.407. APT.407 consists of an incredible roster talent, including Carlo Mercieri, Ed Richardson and Kenny Nasta. These players were formerly with the Fenwicks, touring the East Coast while their album found itself on the college Billboard charts. APT.407 created a solid fan base while performing in the southeast. "I wanted to do something for me. APT.407 was that something, opportunity for growth through original music." APT.407's debut CD is scheduled for release in 2010.
Wanting to escape the unbearable Florida humidity, Dennis headed north to Cincinnati in the fall of 1997 and was only in town for two weeks before being hired by The Websters-- undeniably the area's most popular cover band. Pushing the group into new territory, Dennis was instrumental in organizing the Websters' talents to record the band's first CD of original music, "Via Satellite". He also used members of The Websters to record a remake of Jeff Buckley's "So Real", with APT.407's Julie on vocals. The remake had been considered for the soundtrack of a documentary film about Jeff.
Dennis is a gifted musician and composer who has terrific energy and enthusiasm for everything he does in life. He is committed to standing out as someone who gives his all to every facet of his career.
