Born and raised in Dracut MA, Dino started out as many kids do, local garage bands and the high school jazz band were he was awarded the Louis Armstrong Award for Best Jazz Bassist. After playing the New England club scene for 10 years, Los Angeles became his next target. He went Musicians Institute (BIT) in 1991 and after graduating, was asked to join the faculty. There he studied with Bob Magnusson, Putter Smith, Jeff Berlin, Gary Willis, Steve Bailey, Alexis Sklarevski, Jim Lacefield and Tim Bogert to name just few, and since he's been back in Boston, Bruce Gertz. 
He’s been around the world countless times with various groups as well as conducting his own instructional clinics under the auspices of Ampeg Bass Amplifiers. He has backed up players like Bernard Purdie, Efrain Toro, Maria Martinez, Doane Perry, Connie Francis, Steve Perry, Brett Garsed, T.J. Helmrich, Debbie Johnson, Tiffany, Chasity Bono, Greg Bissonette, Keith Wyatt, The John Leite Concert Winds, The Pepperdine University Orchestra, and The Black Sea Salsa Band to name just a few. He is also one half of the acoustic variety act “The Carl & Dean Show”. He also one fourth of the highly acclaimed World Music group “Balkanasia”.
He is the author of four books to date, “Odd Meter Bassics” (MonoTunes Music), “Essential Styles for Bass”(Mel Bay), “Mastering the Fingerboard”(Mel Bay), and “Electric Bass for the Young Beginner”(Mel Bay) as well as being the feature artist for the Mel Bay DVD, “Bass Chords Made Easy”
Odd Meter Bassics and Essential Styles for Bass have both been acclaimed by Bass Player Magazine, and Bassics Magazine among various other bass related periodicals and websites. He has been a longstanding columnist for both Bass Frontiers Magazine and Bass Guitar Magazine. More recently he has had his column published in Bass Player Magazine in the SoapBox section.
Dino is also the Senior Product Specialist for Ampeg, and has affectionately become known in the bass community as “The Ampeg Guy” for the last sixteen years.
Conducting in-store and in-school clinics and appearances around the world as well as numerous YouTube and Google Video instructional videos for Ampeg has been his goal for the last 8 years.
Dino also has numerous recording credits to his name too! “Gettup!”, “Red” and “Live From The Goodlife” - Evan Goodrow, “Traces” “Charade” - Debbie Johnson, “C4” - Catanine, “Landscapes of Christmas” - Eddie Roscetti, “She Just Wants To Be Loved” - T.H. Culhane
“Homesick” - Southern Comfort, “A Path To Tollen” - Mauro, “Equanimity” – Reviva and numerous demos and jingles.
Theater work also includes musicals such as “Fame”, “Bat Boy”, “Violet”, “Jesus Christ Superstar”, “Joseph’s Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, “Steel Piers”, “Sweet Charity”, “The Tribunal”. And, every year Dino is asked back to Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA to participate in the Pepperdine University’s Songfest Orchestra. This has been an annual tradition for Dino now since 1994!
