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06/28/2017 07:00 AMAfter leaving a career in the banking business, Sal Anastasio wasn’t sure what he wanted to do next. Acting on the advice of a friend, Sal now gets bookings around the state as a musician and entertainer, and also wants to share his story to help others who may be going through a similar situation.
“Everything happens for a reason,” Sal says, “I didn’t think I’d ever revisit the music, which, in my heart-of-hearts, I would’ve taken that before even writing or anything else—not to be famous, just to do it and make a buck.”
When he started taking music lessons at a young age, Sal actually began with accordion lessons. Wanting to play rock and roll music as a teenager, he saved his money and bought a keyboard and an amp.
“When I was a kid, I tried doing the band thing, but I never got the right people,” says Sal.
He eventually sold all of his equipment, and bought a piano, which he kept at his parent’s house while he was single, and then brought it with him when he got married.
Sal says he didn’t set out to be a banker. With a degree in English, he wanted to be a writer, looking for anything from journalism to writing public relations for businesses, but couldn’t find a job in that field out of college.
After trying his hand at teaching for a while, Sal eventually got a job at a bank. It was a field he stayed in for about 30 years, with 20 of them as a branch manager.
Around 2011, he was offered a buy-out from a bank for which he was working in New Haven after a merger. Getting tired of the pressure and stress, he accepted it. Being 55 years old at the time and with a college degree and plenty of work experience, Sal hoped to parlay that into a non-banking job with the skills he had.
“For a while, I’m looking for regular jobs,” Sal says. “[I] didn’t find anything, couldn’t even get interviews really.”
His outlook changed when he spoke with an old friend of his, John Paolillo, who Sal says has always been playing music.
“One day we were talking and he said, ‘You know, you were a pretty good piano player when you were a kid. Why don’t you think of doing music?’” Sal says.
Paolillo told Sal he also had to sing, which Sal had never done before, and to play songs that people like. Paolillo gave Sal advice on how to get gigs at many communities and centers for senior citizens, such as assisted living communities, retirement communities, and adult daycare centers.
After learning songs and practicing, Sal says he was able to book 40 gigs in the second half of 2012. Last year, he says he had about 225 bookings, and has had more than 200 for four years in a row. While Sal says he doesn’t make as much money as he did in the corporate world, he’s happy doing what he does, and happy making other people happy.
In addition to playing at senior centers and communities, Sal has also played for private parties and events, weddings, and at restaurants and country clubs.
He says he typically starts off with “the crooners” such as Dean Martin and Tony Bennett, but can also play Beatles songs, country music, and will even play songs related to a theme if there is one. He also enjoys adding jokes and humor into his performances.
Sal says that performing for seniors offers a special reward.
“I think we bring value,” Sal says, “If we can bring a smile to their face for an hour, or two, or however long we’re booked for that day...that senior is feeling good for the rest of the day.”
Sal says that an elderly gentleman at a place in Wallingford said he liked the way Sal sung ballads, and asked him to record a song about his wife who had passed away, which Sal did.
In addition to his paid performances, Sal also volunteers at Connecticut Hospice in Branford every Monday and Wednesday to play on the piano in the lobby as staff, patients, and families pass by. He says he loves it, and some people will even sit and listen to him for a while, and some will give a thumbs-up as they walk by.
Sal says he also tries to be a mentor. He uses his Facebook page not only for marketing, but if there are any other people in his age range facing a similar situation to his, they can see he’s doing something different and could make a similar change in their lives as well.
His family has been very supportive of his career change, and Sal says he’s proud that he was able to build a good, consistent business on his own.
“When work is fun, as I say, it’s not work,” Sal says, “This is the best job I’ve ever had; this beats banking by a mile.”