Today we’d like to introduce you to Dino “Milk Man” Nassios.
Hi Dino, “Milk Man,” we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I’m Dino Nassios. I’m 22 years old and was born and raised here in Knoxville, Tennessee. Nowadays, people call me “Milk Man” because of my band: “Milk Man & The Big Band.” I’m the “Milk Man,” and 13 of my best friends comprise “The Big Band.” Why have such a large band? Well, why not? The thought of a 18-piece band would scare most people– but frankly, I want to keep adding more and more people. The visual of a huge band has always excited me. With my band, I want to play my music in the way it sounds on the records we’ve recorded and put on a great visual display. This band has only been around in this current form for over a year, but the story of how it got to be this way is far longer. My whole life, I’d always known I had to do something involving music and showmanship. It took me a long time to realize what I wanted and then get where I wanted to be. Some of my earliest memories I remember being taken to Chuck E. Cheese on Kingston Pike as a three-year-old and seeing the animatronic band on the stage (which is sadly gone as of a few months ago) and seeing the lights and being mesmerized. Throughout my childhood, I remember hanging blankets on my parents’ mantle across the fireplace, pretending it was a stage, and hanging Christmas lights and stuffed animals about pretending I was with my band. I’d hold a little ukulele my grandmother had gotten me at a garage sale and dance about. I’ve never told anyone about those times. Still, in reflection, I realize how important it was to me to realize that I wanted to put on a great show—listening to James Brown, Ray Charles, Neil Young, Beatles, and CCR CDs in the car as a child was also a considerable influence.
Still, I didn’t pursue anything in music until I was 11, when I started to play trumpet in West Valley Middle School’s concert band. I played all those three years, then in the spring of my first year at Bearden High School. I’ll admit it: I wasn’t good at trumpet because of this; I shoved my trumpet in my closet and didn’t play it (or any instrument) for three years. However, when I was 16, I was really into Eric Clapton and Cream. I saw online that he was doing a 50th-anniversary farewell tour (which, of course, wasn’t his farewell tour) and begged my parents to take me to one of the concerts. Where was it? Madison Square Garden, of course. What a big first concert to attend, huh? I knew that I had to start playing guitar. Not to be Eric Clapton-level of skill, but to be able to sing the songs that I knew were in my heart and to put on a great show. After that, I was hooked on going to concerts. Later that summer, I went to see Paul McCartney in Duluth, Georgia, and that changed everything again. After a few months of guitar lessons, I immediately switched to bass guitar after seeing Sir Paul play. For a few years after, I almost exclusively played bass, and in my senior talent show, I dressed up as Paul and convinced my friends to help me perform a few Wings and Beatles songs. The thrill of playing in front of a crowd overtook me, and this was the first step in realizing I had to pursue this from then on; at 18, at the suggestion of my friend’s father, I went to see Steely Dan. That was another life-changing concert and seeing Steely Dan’s big band involving their phenomenal horn section made me realize what I had to do. I had to put together a big band of horn players that could play rock n’ roll and jazz—and do it well. After these early days in my musical career, nothing else seemed to matter. Not video games, not school—nothing. It was all about (and frankly still is) putting on a great show and writing songs worth remembering.
By 2021, I had started to write some pretty good tunes with my main collaborator: Rion Tabor. By this point also, I had amassed a large collection of recording equipment and knew I wanted to compile these songs into an album with session players from around Knoxville. Playing live was important, sure, but I considered myself a “solo act” (despite embarrassingly not having any merit or material worth recalling). And I was fine with just having people we knew to come on down, lay down some saxophone, and then leave. But, while recording these songs, I went to lunch with my friend Daniel Rehberg (now our euphonium player) and suggested that we go to one of the local open mic nights to try out some material. On a whim, I quickly assembled a bunch of guys I barely knew to go down with me to the Open Chord to play a few of the songs we had recently written in June of 2021. There were 8 of us, which is somewhat unprecedented for an open mic night. We didn’t even have a name on the way there. While discussing names, I spouted out, “Well, what if we’re Milk Man & The Big Band?” And everyone in the car loved it, and it stuck. See, I’ve always drank a lot of milk since I was a child. I know that’s a bit of a weird sentence to read—but yes, I love Weigel’s 2% milk, and I pretty much drink it with every meal (or any occasion) I can. That’s why I’m the “Milk Man,” and they’re “The Big Band.”
Anyway, after this performance and a bunch of other open mic stints, we had gotten to 11 members—and everyone loved playing in the group. We also started bringing one of my 1960s Hammond organs to the shows to further the ridiculousness of it all. Just over a year later, with 18 total members, the band is alive and well, and we’re currently recording our first album, which should be out in late March of 2023. We still take a Hammond with us, and we’re here to stay. We spent most of 2022 performing live across East and Middle Tennessee, but I wanted to get us back to what this was all about: recording new music! It’s fun playing covers, and the crowd loves them, but I know we’ve got some great songs worth listening to. After August, we vowed to stay off the road until we completed our debut album. We’ll be back in a few months, album in hand. I can’t wait to share the music I’ve written with these great local musicians with everyone. I could not have done this without Rion and the rest of the band. Stay tuned!
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been a long and winding road, for sure. At our earliest stages, it took a lot of work proving people to join the band. Like I said before, I had no credibility. I knew in my heart what I wanted to do, but “selling it” to people was hard. Venues, too, naturally, as we don’t fit on most local bar stages. But as the ball started to roll, it only got bigger and bigger. We started with 8 members, and now we’re at 18. The band likes the songs I put together; they all see the potential in what we’re trying to do, which is not making money. It’s to have fun and make new music. There’s no money to be made in this. If you play in a three or four-piece band, it’s easy to go home with $100 or so after a gig. With 18 people—not so much.
Regarding these members, you can easily break the band into three pieces: the rhythm section, the horns, and the strings. 7 rhythm section players, 7 horns, and a string quartet. I play the Rhodes electric piano and sing primarily nowadays. On our records, I’m playing guitar a lot, but live, I like to get my Donald Fagen and Brian Wilson on and jam out. You can see the current lineup and what they do if you check our website on the “Meet The Band” tab at www.milkmanbigband.com. Since we haven’t been playing live, we’re trying to tackle recording this behemoth of an album. I’m shooting for about 40 minutes, and it looks to be about 11 songs as of this interview. The hardest thing is just making sure the songs are worth recording and that it all sounds consistent and arranged well. Most of these songs have over 150 stems (which are individual tracks that can be used in mixing to finish the song), so it’s vital to get good takes. By the time we hit the stage again, I want to ensure we’ve got all of our songs done and recorded and that we’re as tight as we can be.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m the bandleader, main songwriter, producer, and Milk Man of “Milk Man & The Big Band.” We’re a local, 18-piece band from here in town. We’re known for our unrelenting dedication to vintage analog equipment, horns, and original music. We primarily play covers of rock n’ roll, blues, jazz, and pop songs from the 1960s and 70s, but we’re currently recording our first album of all original music, due to come out in late March 2023. The goal is to keep making new music and playing at any venue that wants to hear what we’re about. People always ask: “Why don’t you guys use digital keyboards? It’d be far less heavy than bringing the Rhodes and the Hammonds with you.” Well, the truth is, even if these keyboards did sound as good as the originals (they don’t), it’s mainly out of principle. Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf didn’t bring a MIDI keyboard, nor am I. The music I love was made on all this old gear, and I want to ensure it doesn’t just sit in someone’s collection and gets played and seen. It’s both the sound and the visual. I am most proud of the band that I’ve put together. Without the dedication of every member, it wouldn’t be possible to do what we do. I am so thankful for this tight knit of friends I have put together for this project.”
I want to thank a bunch of these guys for all they do. Rion Tabor, our trombone player, and my main collaborator, for always believing in me and trusting me to take the reins; he also arranges all our horn charts and is a phenomenal player and songwriter in his own right. Ethan Chase, our Hammond organ player, has been around since the earliest days. Syd Warren, our alto saxophonist, and head mixing and mastering engineer on our album, for putting in long hours to ensure the songs are crisp and clear. And to Daniel Rehberg for finding many great musicians to join the band and always helping lift the 200-pound Hammond organ! Haha
We all have different ways of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I am being happy; I get so much enjoyment every Monday we meet to rehearse. That enjoyment multiplies exponentially when we hit the stage and see the smiling faces of our audience goers. I soar above the moon every time we enter the studio to start recording a new song. Despite every obstacle we face, I can’t wait for what’s next. So many good, honest, hard-working people are involved in this band. The relationships I have with every member are so important, and it makes me so happy that people believe in me and want to participate in what I’m trying to do. I can’t stress enough how happy I am that I have friends who want to be productive, have the same dreams that I do, and love and appreciate the same influences I have. This will never be a job to me, no matter where we go. I want to keep rockin’ every day in my own way. I know the band we’ve got right now will be along for the ride, too.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.milkmanbigband.com/members
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milkmanbigband/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/milkmanbigband
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKThjqe3mtV0PulkYbRKpWg
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/milk-man-the-big-band
Image Credits
All photos provided were taken by Madison Pearson.
