Michele DiSisto
"I wanted to play the flute originally, but my twin sister got the first dibs on that," says Michele DiSisto, drummer for the Mark Allen Band. "There was nothing else on my list of musical instruments that I was interested in so I almost gave up. But then, my older brother was playing the drums and I thought 'how cool', so I started banging away at his snare drum." Hence the beginning of a long-term relationship with the skins for the Berklee College of Music graduate.
Following college, DiSisto gave private lessons where she realized a big gap in the number of women interested in pursuing the drums as their instrument of choice. It made her want to make a statement with her musical talent. In 1995, the demure, raven-haired New Yorker packed her bags and headed west to Los Angeles for a change and to pursue her musical career.
It was the old friend of a friend scenario that introduced DiSisto to Mark Allen and his band. The first time they played together was "interesting" according to DiSisto. "Everyone was very nervous and on edge so we weren't quite in synch, but the second time...we hit it off." As a player, DiSisto is clean, precise and shows no mercy when striking a beat. "It's a great release that just happens to be my passion."
When not playing with the Mark Allen Band, DiSisto keeps herself busy with two other bands including 'Sister', a band started by her twin sibling, Renee.