Today we’d like to introduce you to Tony Natalizio.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
It’s really a typical love story. Haha. I’m from Ohio. Grew up in the woods and farm land. I ran off to the Marine Corps at 18. Served a couple tours in Iraq. Met the love of my life while back home on leave. Left with an Honorable Discharge to chase the guitar dream. Started a family. Been traveling around with my wife and 4 boys. Chasing dreams, living life, gathering experiences.
I’ve been hustling musician gigs as a guitar player/singer/sound man for about 17 years. Played thousands of shows big and small, cover and original music, supported amazing artists, had some great times, and still do.
The adventure really began when my wife and I left Cleveland, OH and moved to Burlington, NC. We lived there for about 8 years as my wife finished her PhD and I completed my degree in Recording Engineering and B.A. in Business. We had our first two sons. I taught guitar lessons at Shomaker Guitars, played shows backing incredible artists (Megan Doss, Todd Johnson, Sentenza, Crossing Yellow Lines, Matt Bell, Hip Pocket Band running monitors), and played with the super tight party band, Spare Change. I met a lot of great people and friends there and that town is bursting with musical talent. I feel like we’ll end up back in North Carolina at some point. It was a really great time!
From there, we moved to Houston, Tx. It’s an amazing city with a lot of opportunities. I played with a few great bands around Houston and ended up with The Slags Band. They took me on full time playing home games at NRG for the Houston Texans, The 2017 Houston Astros World Series Parade broadcast on National Television, casino gigs, tons of local corporate and bar gigs, and I filled in gaps with solo/duo/trio gigs, wedding bands, and church gigs. Our family grew and we had another boy.
After a few years we moved the operation to Detroit, Mi. It was great to be back in the Midwest and be close to a lot of our family in Ohio. I started working into bands around Detroit while recording songs in my basement. Detroit is full of incredible musicians and I learned a lot being there. COVID hit, the world changed, and so did our goals. We galloped back to Texas.
We had another son and I picked up where I left off with gigs around Houston. I started a screen printing business in my garage. I quickly outgrew the garage shop and moved into my production facility in Spring, Tx. Ink Sounds was born. We’ve built a great roster of clients and family doing our best to deliver a quality product, quick turn around, and attentive customer service. (School of Rock, Mo Jiles Band, Houston Skateboards, Will Carter, Jason Padilla, Lone Star All Stars, Gary Kyle, Thrive Juice, Chip Oliphant, Cody Kouba, Whiskey Tango Bar and Grill, Oak And Brazen, Molecular Mom, Cade’s Boards, Stretch N Grow, Rich O’Toole, Jordan Tydings, Jessica Stacey, to name a few) Thanks again y’all!
Now I’m running the business, playing tons of shows around Houston, and spending as much time as I can with my wife and kids. I’ve got some new music coming out with Josh David Walker. It’s a pretty wild ride!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Well, it hasn’t been easy. I wouldn’t say its been hard either. Its just a lot of work, time, and planning. Late nights, early mornings, long hours. I just figure things out as I go and do what I gotta do. I know that I can adapt to new situations so when I face a problem I’m not afraid to change they way I think or do things to get it done. There’s new challenges everyday but its just another thing that needs done and requires some effort to address the necessary problems and solutions.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a musician first and foremost. I’ve been performing since 2007 in many different musical situations from wedding bands, acoustic shows, being a hired gun, fronting my own band, church gigs, tv gigs, recording studios, you name it. Having small children makes that a difficult life. In an attempt to be home more and create a second revenue stream, I started Ink Sounds. We specialize in custom merchandise via screen printing, embroidery, and vinyl products. It’s been and still is a ton of work to get this company rolling but I enjoy the fast paced environment and never ending learning.
I have a pretty strong drive to get things done. I’d say that is one of my defining qualities and probably sets me apart from others. I’ve lived by the motto, “Hard works beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” You can’t go wrong living within those parameters.
Ink Sounds goes hand in hand with my music career, which was one the main goals for the company. I make a lot of merchandise for bands, businesses, bars, and festivals and I happen to also perform in that same realm.
Big shout out to all the bands and businesses I’ve worked with. I truly appreciate it!
I have new music coming out soon!
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I perform music all over Houston so come say hey. Find me on Facebook or instagram. I’ve teamed up with Josh David Walker Music to put out a few tunes so be on the lookout for new music very soon!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected] / [email protected]
- Website: www.tnatmusic.com / www.inksounds.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/tnatmusic / www.instagram.com/inksoundshtx
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/tnatmusic / www.facebook.com/inksoundshtx
