Sal Lima and Dave DiCecco were honoured with a third place finish in the 2006 Pacific Songwriting Competition with “On the Way to K2”. This song was also a top 20 finalist in the 2005-2006 Unisong International contest. In the 2009 Great American Song Contest, their instrumental composition “Spaghetti Western” was a finalist.
Sample the songs “Spaghetti Western” and “On the Way to K2”:
SAL LIMA
DRUMMER/SONGWRITER / VOCALIST
Sal Lima is a drummer/vocalist from Toronto, Canada whose love of music and drums dates back to his childhood. His musical odyssey began when he witnessed a neighbourhood friend strumming on an acoustic guitar, amplified by a cassette recorder and fed through an extension speaker to replicate an electric sound. Sal would accompany him by striking anything that resonated well with a pair of drum sticks. Every week, they would get together to compose and record new songs.
Sal’s first musical influence was the Beatles and he believes that their music is timeless. He went on to study briefly with Toronto Symphony percussionist David Kent, who strongly emphasized originality in his playing. He also endeavoured to improve his drumming technique by practising Modern Drumming exercises by jazz icon and clinician Joe Morello.
Although drumming is his primary interest, Sal has always felt an inclination to sing vocal melodies when he played. In 1995, he was given some chord progressions from Dave DiCecco, who had played bass in a rock band with him back in high school. The two had kept in touch since then but would reunite to pursue songwriting as a craft.
It was inevitable that the duo would venture into a recording studio to record their compositions. In order to make this happen, Sal worked with engineer/keyboardist Richard Uglow and guitarist Sil Simone. He went on to record his debut CD, North of Superior, which was released in 2003. His role as a composer/musician had become definitive. He was in tune with himself in the studio and placed much focus on natural percussion sounds.
Sal Lima and Dave DiCecco would continue to blend their ideas and let their songs morph over time. Sal would go on to work with the same team in the studio. With the release of his latest album Goin’ Rockin’ in 2016, it has now become all about enjoying music and just goin’ rockin’. Sal is a musician whose passion for music continues to flourish as he gains exposure in the industry.
Dave DiCecco
Songwriter and Guitarist
Dave DiCecco began to study guitar, along with his brother Mike, at Ken Jones Music Store, in a westend Toronto music shop in a local plaza. He would eventually graduate to become an instructor there. Dave began playing in a church folk group but joined a rock band in high school that was in dire need of a bass player. It was not until later in his life that he would explore songwriting. For Dave, playing guitar is a form of relaxation and composing is a mind-expanding spiritual journey.