Peter D’Angelo is a guy who doesn’t sit around much. Many nights, you’ll find him playing his guitar or bass somewhere in the area, whether it’s a solo gig, part of a duo, or with the band the Soul Serenaders. He occupied his time during the Covid lockdown by setting up a speaker in the front of his house so his neighbors could hear him during Facebook Live shows he’d play. “People would come with their lawn chairs with their coolers (socially distanced, of course), while I’d play for an hour and a half.” While he was home, he also set up a full-blown home recording and sound production studio to keep himself productive.
“I’m in the throes of producing some music with my aunt who lives in Austin, Texas. She’s been a gigging musician for about 25 years and sent me a song that she’d been writing. I loved it and used it as a test case for producing music together from two different locations. By summer we hope to have a full-length album released.”
By the way, Peter isn’t a full-time musician.
Other nights, you’ll find him serving on the Passaic Valley Regional Board of Education. Although he doesn’t have kids, he was looking to find a way to give back to his community. He’s been active behind the scenes in local politics, but this was an opportunity to get involved with education, something that he’s been part of since college. “I was a tutor in college, working through the guidance department, helping people with learning disabilities and other things.”
He’s not a politician.
“In 2014, I became an NMLS approved instructor for mortgage licensing, spending about a year and a half running the courses and teaching for mortgage lending at the American School of Business in Fairfield. I helped prepare people to become licensed in mortgage lending. That laid the foundation for me to have the prepared skill set, and genuine passion and interest for education to take advantage of representing Totowa on the Board of Education at Passaic Valley.”
And he’s not a teacher.
He’s actually a mortgage banker. “I grew up around the industry. My father started working in it in 1993. When I was a kid, he was my soccer coach in town. So after games, in the car he’d have calls with his clients, so from a young age I’d be listening and just absorb everything going on. Fast forward to college, after I got my degree in Audio Post Production and Sound Design, working in entertainment, I also got my mortgage license. After that, I actually started working for my father’s company, LCD Mortgage.”
But he’s more than just a banker.
As of 2021, he’s the managing partner of LCD. “That’s when the reins were passed over to me. My dad worked very hard his whole life, so I’m very happy to be able to take this on for him now. Now he can come in and work when he wants and spend time down at the Jersey shore with my mother. He’s my confidante and mentor. I’m blessed and fortunate to have the father that I do and his inspiration for what I do.”
So who is Peter D’Angelo, really?
Mostly, he’s a son to be proud of.
