Ernst & Young’s rock band American PI won the Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands over the weekend at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
The band, named after the firm’s Performance Improvement practice, finished in first place at the nationwide competition against seven other corporate bands on Saturday night. The 12-member band consists of 11 consultants from the firm, along with one spouse. They played together for the first time onstage in January at an E&Y conference and later placed in the top two at a regional competition (see
Three members of the group were named “best of” in their respective categories on Saturday: Kevin Grassi for best drums; Hank Woo for best guitar; and Cyntressa Dickey won the Steve Eck Memorial best vocalist award. The set list included covers of I Heard It Through the Grapevine, Southbound, People Get Ready, and Superstition. Proceeds from the performance benefited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s music education programs.
“The opportunity to play at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was a dream come true for us, and winning the competition seemed unattainable for a band that just formed nine months ago,” said Thomas Cucuzza, band leader, vocalist and keyboard player. “What makes this experience so important to all of us is that the firm allows us to pursue our passion for music and provided the flexibility and support to make this a reality.”
Other members of the band included his wife Susan Cucuzza, who provided backup vocals; Bill Colbert on guitar; vocalists Cyntressa Dickey, Pilar Dostal, and Carolyn Powers; drummer Kevin Grassi; Justin Greis on percussion; Bob Leto on bass, Mike Piotrowski on guitar and vocals; guitarist Hank Woo; and Marty Wilson on keyboards.
