No two things are more important to the Cannuli brothers than family and music, which may be why they’ve spent their lives combining the two.
When Anthony Cannuli needed musicians for his band Fast Ant it became a family affair. His brother Dan Cannuli played bass, their father Vince played drums and their oldest brother Mark—who described himself as the “musically challenged” member of the family—helped promote the band and design their CDs.
Through the support of an entire family, Fast Ant grew to become a popular and beloved local band, with their songs still holding a five-star rating on iTunes. However, in 2011 the band had to be put on hold when Vince died at the age of 63.
Vince was a passionate jazz drummer, who was performing since before his sons were born. He passed on his love for music to his children and encouraged them from an early age to learn instruments.
“It was this really cool bond that my dad and I kind of picked up on later in life,” Anthony said. “He was this jazz drummer, so when he played music with me, I brought him into the rock arena. After he passed I was—I don’t wanna say bitter—but it was really hard for me to get back into that rock mode again.”
While Anthony, 42, and Dan, 30, stopped performing as Fast Ant, they knew the best way to keep their father’s memory alive was through the power of music.
“I try to keep his memory alive by being who I am and who he raised, and that kind of comes out in my shows,” Anthony said. “And I still feel like he’s apart of the band because he influenced me very strongly in life, and when I play my shows his memory is right there with me.”
Vince and his wife Carol always supported their son’s musical endeavors at every step, and eventually music became more than just a hobby.
“For me, I’ve always felt like I’ve had music running through my body,” Anthony said. “Music is just like a force of nature that just wants to run through me.”
Dan has the same fiery, energetic passion for music, saying, “I use music to get myself out there and be the person I wanted to be again. It’s a great outlet for me. I like to use it as an outlet for my emotions—whether it be good, sad, angry.”
Despite Fast Ant being on hiatus, Anthony continued to perform solo shows and Dan is currently in two bands, A Clever Con and El Beasto. He just finished recording an 11-track album with El Beasto in Hamilton’s SRG studios.
Their day jobs keep them busy—Anthony is teacher at The Hun School of Princeton and Dan works in technology for the state of New Jersey—but they do have plans to play together again.
“We haven’t played as much, but we have the relationship where he and I can pick back up right where we left off,” Anthony said. “We have a close bond in that nature.”
Anthony may no longer be the leading man in a band, but he is still known for his music wherever he goes. At Hun, he organizes talent shows and encourages students to play music live.
“I’m known at Hun School as being like the rocker English teacher,” he said. “Sometimes I’ll play my guitar in class, maybe with a lesson or sometimes to just break the ice with the kids, but I have a guitar in my classroom with the kids.”
While music will always be a part of Anthony’s life, his family comes first. Over the past decade, Anthony earned his master’s degree in educational leadership and started a family with his wife. He now has two kids, ages 9 and 6, and plans to spend as much time with them as possible over the next few years.
“I was gung-ho for music before [my dad died],” he said.”I thought I was gonna be a famous musician. Now, if my kids are happy that’s the most important thing to me.”
For Dan, it’s his family that drives him to keep practicing and performing music.
“I wanna get good enough to share it with my kids and my nieces and nephews and pass on stuff I learned to future generations,” he said.
Anthony and Dan don’t have any immediate plans to perform as Fast Ant, but neither one will rule out the possibility of a few reunion shows.
“After my hiatus, I am sure Fast Ant will rise like a phoenix from the ashes for a few final curtain calls,” Anthony said.
,
