caption website associated_acts years_active birth_place label article_title background birth_date instrument genre image origin name occupation
pat at bar anticipation in belmar , nj on august 24 dinizio , 2012 . and severo jornacion of the smithereens performing -lsb- http://www.patdinizio.net patdinizio.net -rsb- the smithereens 1980 -- present scotch plains , new jersey , united states fuel/universal enigma , little ricky records/capitol , bmg/excelsior , velvel records/koch , records , e1 music , warner bros. , d-tone east west records , koch records , pat dinizio
 solo_singer 12 october 1955 guitar , harmonica , vocals rock , power pop pat dinizio.jpg carteret , new jersey pat dinizio musician politician , songwriter , actor , film producer ,
pat dinizio

pat dinizio -lrb- born october 12 , 1955 -rrb- , of scotch plains , new jersey , is the lead singer , songwriter , and member of the band the smithereens , which he formed in 1980 with jim babjak , dennis diken and mike mesaros , from carteret , new jersey .
in addition to the smithereens ' body of work , dinizio has also released a number of solo albums , `` sounds and songs '' -lrb- 1997 -rrb- , `` this is pat dinizio , '' a collection of cover songs arranged for piano and vocals -lrb- 2006 -rrb- , `` revolutions '' -lrb- 2 cds plus 1 dvd , limited edition of 300 copies , 2006 -rrb- , `` pat dinizio '' -lrb- 2007 -rrb- , and `` pat dinizio/buddy holly '' -lrb- 2008 -rrb- .
an expanded 2-cd version of `` this is pat dinizio '' was issued in 2011 .
in 2000 , dinizio made an unsuccessful run for the new jersey seat of the united states senate , running on the reform party ticket .
the campaign was chronicled in the 2001 documentary film `` mr. smithereen goes to washington . ''
the same year , he launched the `` living room tour , '' a five-month jaunt where he performed solo , by request only , in the homes of fans .
the tour was a success , and he still occasionally books similar concerts for a nominal fee .
in 2001 , he was one of the first musicians to throw his support behind xm satellite radio , becoming host and program director for the xm radio unsigned station .
dinizio was also an inaugural member of the independent music awards ' judging panel to support independent artists .
in 2006 , he was the focus of `` 7th inning stretch , '' an espn2 reality special .
the special focused on dinizio 's recovery from a `` life-threatening and debilitating nervous disorder '' by training and attempting to try out for a minor league baseball team -lrb- the somerset patriots -rrb- , along with tales of baseball folklore from other musicians such as joan jett , gene simmons , and bruce springsteen .
dinizio also released an audio book , `` confessions of a rock star , '' and continues to perform both solo acoustic shows and with the smithereens .
from november 2011 to june 2012 , dinizio presented a condensed , live adaptation of the book -lrb- with storytelling and full band accompaniment -rrb- in nightly performances at the the riviera hotel & casino in las vegas .
