Canadian Music Trade - December/January 2019 | Page 18

FACES
Steve Peconi
By Andrew King
P
rofessionally speaking, there’s no
greater joy for Steve Peconi than
helping to introduce musician-
ship to a new player, and that’s
understandable considering all of
the moments and memories that music has
inspired in his own life over the years.
Peconi is now the product marketing
manager for guitar and Ampeg products with
Yamaha Canada Music, and though the role is
still relatively new, his personal and profession-
al history with music is long and varied.
“Some of my earliest memories are of
my mom blasting the stereo and singing
along,” Peconi recalls about his childhood
home in Peterborough, ON. “While no one
in my family played an instrument, there
was always music playing, so I was exposed
to all kinds of different music growing up.”
In high school, Peconi decided to learn
a few guitar chords so he could strum along
as he sang. “Once I started, I couldn’t put it
down,” he shares. “I just connected with it in
a really visceral way; it felt as much a part of
me as my own voice.” He started performing
every chance he got – at school assemblies
and masses, in the halls, at local coffee
houses, and virtually anywhere else that
would have him.
Then, in his late teens, he discovered
fingerstyle guitar; once again, everything
changed. “That opened me up to the pos-
sibilities of the acoustic guitar beyond just
singing over strummed cowboy chords and
completely changed my life,” he says. From
there, it was (almost) all about music.
Fresh out of high school, he landed a
part-time sales job at a local MI store called
Musicland. “I had no sales training, but I
loved learning about gear,” he says, and that
passion propelled him forward over the
years, first to a full-time post and eventually
to store manager. At the same time, he had
a house gig at a local pub, performing two
or three nights each week.
After Musicland closed in 2005, Peconi
and a business partner set up a shop of their
own: Uptown Music. “It was a gorgeous
storefront with an amazing location,” he
fondly recalls, but as is sometimes the case,
things didn’t go entirely as planned and he
left the business a year later.
That prompted a move to Toronto in
2006, where he was hired on as the combo
manager for St. John’s Music’s Toronto loca-
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CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE
tion, staying in the role for two years.
Bowing out of the MI industry for a
short time to hone his sales craft, Peconi
returned in 2011 as a sales associate with
The Arts Music Store in Newmarket, ON. He
stayed there for nearly five years and got
back to gigging a few nights a week on the
side.
In 2016, he started in the guitar de-
partment at Cosmo Music in Richmond Hill,
ON. “I made some great friends and great
industry connections there,” he says. “That
store is on another level when it comes
to presentation and just sheer size. It was
amazing working there.”
During his stint at Cosmo, Peconi
caught wind that there was an opening
at Yamaha Canada Music, and he couldn’t
help but toss his hat in the ring. “Yamaha is a
company for which I’ve had a lot of respect
for two decades,” he enthuses, “and I couldn’t
walk away from the chance to work there.”
Needless to say, he’s enjoying himself
immensely in his new role, though there’s
still a considerable learning curve to navi-
gate. He recalls Steve Butterworth, Yamaha
Canada’s VP of sales and marketing, telling
him the first year on the job is like trying to
drink from a fire hose – “and he’s not wrong!”
Now, a typical day can include
anything from planning ad and promo
campaigns to supporting customers to cul-
tivating and maintaining relationships with
the company’s stable of artist endorsers.
“I also do a lot of market and competitive
analysis, as well as forecasting for inventory
purchasing,” he adds.
He praises his new colleagues for their
assistance and support through the transi-
tion thus far, and while it’s not been without
its share of challenges, Peconi seems to
thrive in new surroundings.
That’s just as true outside of the office,
where currently, the centre of his and his
wife’s universe is their nine-month-old
daughter. In their limited downtime togeth-
er as new parents, the two enjoy kicking
back with a good movie or binge-worthy
show. As for independent endeavours,
Peconi is a self-admitted nerd with some
“fanboy tendencies” when it comes to Star
Wars, Star Trek, and professional wrestling.
“And I think I’ve said too much…” he jokes
before going any further down the rabbit
hole of geekdom. He’s also back to gigging
fairly regularly in the community.
Though he’s still assimilating into his
new role, Peconi is excited about what
the future holds for him, for Yamaha, and
for guitarists and bass players across the
country.
“I’m really looking forward to rebuild-
ing Ampeg’s brand presence in Canada over
the coming months,” he enthuses, “and I
truly think that we’ve got some things com-
ing down the pipe with Yamaha that will
absolutely change the game for guitarists.”
Andrew King is the Editor-in-Chief
of Canadian Music Trade.