Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

One of my former bosses gave me the nickname “Gimme DelPonte” because whenever he started the sentence, “Does anybody want this?” I’d say “yes” before he even finished the question. I didn’t even care what it was as long as it was free.

Well, about 60 years ago the nuns at St. Clement were getting a new piano and they were going to give the old one to one of the families, first come first served. My father was an usher at the church because he got free breakfast in the rectory. He heard about the piano and immediately said, “I’ll take it!”

My brother Joe and I both learned to play on the piano. We took lessons from Lillian LeCouffe on Simpson Ave. I used to take two or three of my friends with me for the lessons because I hated going. I had already taught myself how to play pretty well anyway.

We kept that piano until 2001 when we bought a new one. And on that piano my two sons learned to play. Last Thursday we finally had that piano removed because it wouldn’t hold a tuning anymore, plus we have a couple of pretty nice electric/digital pianos that are easily connected to our recording devices. Plus, we needed the extra room.

It cost me $200 to have the piano removed and I’ll tell you it was a little emotional saying goodbye to the piano that my sons learned to play on. Hopefully, a new family will restore it.

My youngest son Jimmy wrote a song on it when he was about five years old. He didn’t have a title for the song but every time he sat at the piano he’d play that particular one. So his brother Joe and I referred to the song as Boint D Boint, mimicking the rhythm of the tune. We still call it that to this day.

When the boys were at the West Somerville Neighborhood School, I think it was 2004, we had a talent show and Jimmy played the electric piano while Joey played the bass guitar and I played the drums. It was their debut performance, which would be the first of many to follow.

We called the band Electric Smile. We wrote a song called Boy’s Night, and we have it on video. It went over really well. They were so small and it was so long ago. The boys went on to form the band Stainless, then The Poison Girls Club and finally their current band, Mallcops.

My mother used to come home for brunch when she was working close by. Mom never failed to ask me to play the song Angel of the Morning for her.

She got a lot of joy out of having me play for her friends. Probably around the same amount of enjoyment I get seeing my sons play music that all started on the old piano.

My sons’ band, Mallcops, have won two Boston Music Awards and a New England Music Award.

We had the St. Clement piano from 1964 through 2000. We bought a new one for the boys. That one lasted from 2002 through this year. Both sons started their music careers on the family piano. We sure got our money’s worth out of both instruments.

When it’s repaired, I hope the old piano can bring some music and joy to another family. If you have young children, a piano could change their lives. If someone offers you a free piano, say yes, and call Mt. Auburn Piano Movers!