Vince's Page
VINCE
"STROKE" LASKOWSKI
It all starts on March 21, 1977 in the Ft. Lauderdale
area of Florida. I was born to two parents that had
disabilities, my Mom is deaf and blind, and my Dad has
a degenerative back problem, but they did everything
they could for me. I eventually became a poor kid with
nothing to mess with except an old organ, and a
football. When I was about 5 years old, I remember my
Mom teaching me a couple of basic things on the organ,
which I still remember to this day. (Although she was
deaf, she could "feel" the music). I knew way back
then that I loved music, and appreciated what was
happening during the music, things that some people
don't understand about music I understood when I was
5. But, my Father led me to a life of sports, which
let me say I gladly pursued. I was doing very decent
in the sports field, all the way though school I
played some kind of sport, but I always tinkered with
that damn organ. I was moved all America by my
parents breaking up and getting back together, but I
met some fantastic people along the way. Somehow in
the moves, my Dad ended up buying a guitar and drum
set when I was about 14 from a pawnshop in Arkansas. I
didn't think too much about it at the time, but I did
fuck with the drums pretty hard. The time came when I
was about 17 that I went to the Chiropractor, he did
some x-rays and found out that I fractured my back
when I was young. He made me quit sports totally. I
was lost. Everything I thought I was good at was over.
I quit school, because there was nothing there for me.
My parents were broke, and I had no skills. I played
the drums more then I ever had before, as a loophole
to not think about stuff.
One day, I was awakened by my brother
(who
never played any music) playing the guitar, while his
friend (who was in the school band) playing the drums.
They sucked, but something was awesome to me. I took
the guitar from my brother and never put it down
since. Shortly after that I went to my first real
concert.Ozzfest, and let me say, it really changed me.
Everything made perfect since, I knew what I was
suppose to do. I then learned everything I could about
the guitar in the next couple of years, working at
Guitar Center in Hollywood, Fl was a big help and
definitely did wonder for me. It expanded my horizons
and got me more influences, to this day I can say that
I'm influenced by pretty much everyone that I ever
heard play music in my life except Barbera Strisand.
I moved back to Oklahoma, where my parents
were. Along with some gear I got from G.C. I was in
search for a band. A buddy of mine showed up at my
house one day with this guy with this guitar and
effects pedal. He came in and blew my mind. His name
was Brad Conatzer, and together we went on to make up
Criteria, probably the baddest band that small town in
Oklahoma has ever seen, but what are you gonna do in a
small town in Oklahoma? The band moved to Dallas, and
eventually broke up.. Bands like Drowning Pool (my
buds!) and Slow Roseavelt kept me around Dallas in
search of a band, but the music scene there wasn't
very good to me, and I was losing hope, thinking I
lost everything once again. Shortly after that though,
I ran into one of my heros, fuckin Dimebag Darrel from
Pantera, one of the coolest guys someone could meet.
He definitely
got my head back on track. Soon after that, I moved to
St. Louis cause I heard there was a good music scene.
And with the help of a local website (stlmusic.com)
and word of mouth, Tryptophane was shortly formed.
Right now I feel like I am finally have a secure band
that has a little something for everyone, has a chance
at going somewhere, and is original as hell. Up till
now as I'm writing this bio I know that we did things
well into our first year that most band will never
ever do..and this is just the start!