Born Dominic Giuseppe Italiano (his real name) with a hair lip/cleft palate in South Wales UK, the singing guitarist avoided speech therapy as a child by mimicking Shakin' Stevens and ABBA songs (and his mum).

Moving to Australia 1987, Dom wanted a skateboard for his 12th birthday but got a guitar instead; he never looked back.

A music lover and student of song-craft ever since, Dom pored over Paul Simon, Billy Joel & The Beatles records as a teen, as well as learning to play Metallica guitar solos behind his head.

Making fast friends with a few other long haired rockers Pete Joacobson, Ivan Bilic, Warren Groot and Brett Rerekura (now singer in Teramaze), they started their first band at age 14: Black Rain.

Dom studied classical guitar briefly at the Melbourne Conservatorium before switching to a contemporary music degree. This is where Dom's interest in writing and performing his own material was honed & fostered.

Paying his way thru uni playing cover shows and working as a cinema projectionist, Dom released his first indie CD '241 Dead End' in 1999.

Alongside friends Matt Bradshaw, Matthew Robinson and Steve Virgona, Dom formed insidezero in 2001. The band recorded and EP and single.

Two more solo indie releases followed: 'Part 1: I Guess You've Gotta Start Somewhere...' in 2004 & 'Raising Revenue: Busking CD' in 2005.

Dom joined Ezekiel Ox (Mammal, Over-Reactor, Full Scale) as lead guitarist in 'The Ox & The Fury' and recorded and released 'Guitars Die in Hot Cars' in 2009.

Dom's career is on the move again in 2012. He released the single Never Going Back in April (it has a music video that was film entrely backwards).

In September, Dom and his Upbeat Mafia cohorts (Rory Chambers, Robert J Powell and Fabrizio Giorgio) released their first single 'Once Upon A Time' which was accompanied by a wonderful stop animation video created by Saraj alkemade of Aziz Light.

Dom Italiano & The Upbeat Mafia will relaese their first EP in early 2013.
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