Q: Why did Liza and A.J.leave New Jersey for the Catskills?
A: Liza: We got tired of having to chew the air. Seriously, we fell in love with the area and this was the next logical move.

A.J.: At the risk of alienating our Jersey friends, there was more to it. Jersey, it seemed to us, had become so over developed, and so crowded, that the bearest of minimal levals of courtesy became hard to find. Couple this with the horrendous traffic, and the lack of courtesy all too often manifested itself in danger. We were eager to live in a place where we could revel in each other without first having to decompress for a day and a half. Frankly, I've always felt that we didn't leave so much as we were pushed out. Jersey friends: We still love you!

Q: Are Liza DiSAvino and A.J. Bodnar married? How did they meet?
A: Liza and A.J. are married. They met when A.J. walked into Liza's living room for a New Jersey Songwriters' Circle session in 1995.

Q: Tom Wetmore looks familiar to me. Where have I seen him before?
A: Tom is the regular bass player for Walt
Michael and Company, and also plays with
Johnny Whelan.

In addition, as is the case with most superb bass players, he is just plain ubiquitous.

Q: How about George Wilson?
A: George is the dean of New England style fiddling. As a member of Fennig's All-Stars, he has helped set the standard for New England fiddling for the past 30 years.

In addition, as is the case with most superb fiddlers players, he is just plain ubiquitous.

Q: Does Peter Blue play keyboard accordion or button accordion?
A: Peter plays button accordion exclusively, along with a half-dozen percussion instruments (including his feet!)

Q: Why "Vane Pig" Music?
A: The name comes from the weather vane on top of Liza and A.J.'s recording studio, which hails from the days when they kept potbellied pigs. The studio is a straw-bale construction, by the way, as is the house, and both were built by Liza and A.J. Come see us!

Q: How can Liza play all those instruments? How many are there, anyway?
A: Short attention span.

Liza plays guitar, piano, pennywhistle, cornet, French horn, lap dulcimer, and enough banjo to be obnoxious.

Q: How does A.J. manage to play the piano with thos tiny hands??
A: A.J. does not know that his hands are tiny. Please do not tell him, or it's all over.

Q: What does "A.J." stand for?
A: The answer comes with a brief lesson in the Hungarian language and history. I'm afraid it's unavoidable. Ready?

I was baptized “Árpád Imre Bodnár,” a good strong Hungarian name (the Hungarian letter “Á” is pronounced “AH.”) “Árpád” is not a translatable name. It goes back a thousand years in Hungarian history and was the name of the original “founder,” if you will, of the Hungarian nation.

The name “Imre,” is in fact translatable to the name “James.”

The diminutive of “Árpád” is “Árpi, or Anglicized, “Arpi.”

I spent my entire youth hearing both these names being butchered. And yet, I never would have considered using any kind of nom de plume (or in my case, nom de MUSE). I’ve always liked my name. But upon entering the music business, I suddenly found the constant mispronunciation of my name not so endearing as much as disadvantageous. It's tough to be remembered when you’re being called “Arbard” one minute, and “Harpo” the next (Those are just two of the actual names I’ve been called. See "Man Of A Thousand Names" on the A.J.'s Thoughts page for a complete list.) So, I began to use a name that only my best friend used for me in high school. Taken from the first letter of “Árpád,” and the first letter of the translated “Imre,” I started to go by “A.J.”

And there you go. Whew!

PS: People screw A.J. up too.