DANIEL TYLER GOODEN

LAPLACE – The story of the Sasso brothers is almost something you’d base a movie on. A story of dual lives, by day George Jr. and his older brother Eddie are both mechanics, owning and operating ITA auto and truck repair on new Louisiana Highway 51. At night the mechanics trade in their uniforms for a guitar and a bass and join drummer Mike Quattrocchi to form the popular local band Broken Toyz. Working on vehicles is a matter of blood for the two brothers, being fourth generation mechanics. George’s son, George III, is a fifth-generation mechanic at the shop. The family has been working on vehicles since the turn of the century. The Sasso family moved from the U.S. to Brazil around the first World War, said George. Moving around Central America, it wasn’t until their father, George Sr., came back to Louisiana that the family returned from where the Sasso’s had settled in Nicaragua. The return of the brothers was quite an event since it was orchestrated by New Orleans Mayor Chep Morrison. “My mother arrived at the airport to find a limo waiting,” said Eddie. The brothers still laugh at the strange circumstances which brought them back to the U.S. “The economy was really going down hill there. When they say this is the promised land, it really is. Unless you’ve seen a third world country it’s hard to understand that this is God’s country,” said George. Their father still owns a repair shop in Kenner. It was from him the boys learned how to work on vehicles at a young age. By high school a new influence was beginning to enter their lives. From their father they got the love of mechanics; from their mother they discovered a love of music. Eddie picked up the saxophone, while George took the trumpet. It was loud in a small house, but when you add a drum as well it was crazy, they said. “Our father used to turn up the TV, but he never said anything, never deprived us of music,” said George. On through high school the brothers listened to popular music, played in the band and graduated. George started full time in the shop with his father, while Eddie went to the University of New Orleans to study music education. “I was inspired by my music teacher Jim Howsen,” said Eddie. His studying drew to an end after three years when he returned to help out at the shop after his father got injured. The business stayed prosperous as the brothers continued to work for their father and later opened ITA. Both brothers are ASE Master certified mechanics, guaranteeing they know their work. The certificate requires knowledge in 10 different areas, and the test includes over 800 questions. The business originally handled only fleet work but eventually they saw that “the public was looking for a dependable, honest shop,” said George. He stopped making fleet repairs and opened up behind the NAPA Auto Parts store. The shop was flooded with vehicles, so much that much of their work spilled over into the NAPA parking lot, said George. “You’d pull in a full parking lot, go inside NAPA and nobody would be there,” he said. Eventually they moved to La. Highway 51. Now George runs the shop while Eddie does the fleet repairs. George’s son also works for ITA, as does George’s first employee, Bob Monson. George’s wife, Verna and his cousin Angela Sasso works in the front. From dawn to dusk the crew at ITA works on the vehicles, so many that there’s hardly a place to park for customers. Their work has brought numerous awards from the public, including the LaPlace Fire Department, which contracts their work. “All that’s what we do during the day. At night it’s a different story,” said George. After their tools are put away the brothers head up stairs where the walls are lined with guitars, basses and other equipment and the speakers are stacked to the ceiling. Digital audio equipment allows them to record their own music a culmination of more than 30 years of musical experience. Both the brothers traded in their brass instruments for strings as they continued playing music. Eddie’s pride and joy is a 1974 Fender Jazz, with a valuable wood grain. “Bass players see this and all they can say are huh, wow. Followed by you want to sell it?'” said Eddie. They switched to the more upbeat instruments, George picking up the guitar, to follow where the main stream interest was leading. Both remember vividly the entrance of music television and the effect on the industry. Looking at the first music video’s Eddie was skeptical. “It took a lot away from the music,” he said. Music television became a requirement for popular bands though. “The popular bands at the time didn’t bother with videos’, kept playing their music like they had always done. Then they faded out in no time,” said Eddie. Both the brothers keep with the popular trends in music listening to current bands as much as Led Zeppelin, Van Halen and other classic rock. Playing together in bands stopped and started through out their lives, as Eddie went to UNO, and when they both had families. But now that their kids have grown older they’re returned to pursuing their music. Broken Toyz has been around for three years now. The brothers have played in numerous festivals, always volunteering for charity events. “We played for the St. John Parish Fireman’s Banquet. That was something,” said Eddie. They’ve played the Andouille Fest four times. Eddie opened for Fats Domino at the Arches on the west bank. For the last six months Eddie, George and Mike have dropped out of the spotlight as they’ve put their efforts into their first CD. They’re doing their own recording and looking to have it finished in two more months. After which Gary Crawford, former owner of Group Cable T.V. is going to produce a video for them. “We’ll send it to MTV. They’ll play it, maybe during the middle of the night, but if enough people see it and request it, we’ll get noticed,” said Eddie. Both the brothers are sure of their band’s talents. With a strong classical background in music, there certain they can win over fans from the new bands, which often use pre-recorded samples and added voice to make their music. “We play music for the love of music,” said George. The brothers are clearly talented at both mechanics and music. “We do two things, mechanics and music. Anything we do is done to the extreme,” said George. Bending all their will and effort to their two developed talents the brothers do well and are content to follow with either field, “One way or the other, we’ll follow whichever one flows the best,” said George.