LACE DRAGON [NY] - Vision of Nahum 2025

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LACE DRAGON [NY] - Vision of Nahum from the upcoming "LACE DRAGON" album oon Heaven and Hell Records

OVERVIEW:
Thomas Italo Ciampoli was born on March 2, 1962, in Rockland County, New York, to parents Italo Rocco and Lillian Ciampoli, who migrated to America in 1956 via touring the world with the Italian Carabinieri Band. He would grow up in a very musically enriched house. When Thomas was a boy, he played guitar for his father, Rocco’s barbershop band. By nine, Thomas wanted to quit and give up the guitar. Around this time, his cousin Giulio would come to his house with a Stratocaster and Marshall half-stack. This visit would introduce the young Thomas to a lifelong passion for guitars.

The first song the cousins jammed to was ‘All Along the Watchtower’ by Jimi Hendrix. Thomas was amazed that someone could play a guitar in such a way. He was hooked on the guitar from that moment on.

By thirteen, he had his own Strat and a Marshall amp. In eighth grade, Thomas would be in the second band that his seventh-grade teacher, Mr. Armeda, put together. The band consisted of classmates Billy Arcembalt on bass, Gretchen Tanhauser on drums, Mr. Armeda on piano and Ciampoli on guitar. The band would go on to play a talent show in the state capital of Albany.

“It was a huge event. We came in second place in our category. I remember we played John Denver’s ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane’, Ricky Nelson’s ‘Garden Party’, and ‘Revolution’ by The Beatles.” - Thomas Ciampoli

That event would also see Ciampoli meeting with a group of high-school teens also performing that evening. This chance encounter would become his third band, RUDE AWAKENINGS.

“They came and got me as soon as we finished our set. I ended up playing out with these guys. Billy Mowerson was on vocals. I can’t remember the other dudes’ names.”

“When my friends started coming out to see us, within weeks, I was getting offers to make a band with this guy and that guy. I jammed with a bunch of different guys. After a few years of working with other people, various band line-ups and gigging, I had gained a lot of experience.”

In 1980, Ciampoli would find himself in his first year of college in Rockland, New York. There he would make friends with many new people and meet other musicians.

Now, with the moniker LACE DRAGON, Ciampoli would search for the right musicians for his heavy metal vision. The first lineup would consist of drummer Hal Maddax, bassist Tony Monti, and vocalist Mike Pitilli. This lineup would be short-lived. However, Ciampoli's persistence continued as he searched for new players.
Eventually, his efforts would pay off when he found drummer Christian Van Den Heuvel, bassist Jimmy Mute, and voca Rich Ceccehtti.

"I was very happy with these guys; both their music skill level and dedication were what I had been looking for."
Gig after gig, trying to push original tunes out to the cover band-dominated music scene was not easy for the band. Still, LACE DRAGON kept moving forward.

In 1984, the band went into Black Creek Studios to record 6-songs. Ciampoli will fully finance the EP. The recording process would be no easy task while keeping to a tightly knit schedule over the next four months. The handful of songs chosen for the sessions were regular additions to the band's live sets.

"We wanted to record more, but the budget we had did not allow for it. This was basically my band. So, I handled everything. I mean, everything."

By the time LACE DRAGON was able to return to the studio to begin recording a second release, the lineup had begun to change. At this time, the all too familiar vices of rock n roll, such as drugs, alcohol, and women, began to take effect on the band. And loyalty within the group started to waver. Due to these issues, LACE DRAGON would break up. Those last recordings would remain unreleased.