For around 18 years, Paolo Chirumbolo has been an assistant professor at LSU. Outside of classes teaching the Italian language and Italian cinema, Chirumbolo is teaching people how to have fun through music.
While growing up in Italy, Chirumbolo’s mother made him and his brother learn classical guitar due to his friends doing the same. Those skills have stuck with him, and he has not stopped playing the guitar since.
This made it easy to make connections through music, such as when Chirumbolo met frequent collaborator Dustin Smith.
At a now-closed gelato shop where Insomnia Cookies now resides, many Italian people would congregate. The owner of the shop, Simone Romano, pushed Chirumbolo and Smith together over their love of playing music.
“We just found the right chemistry right away,” Chirumbolo said. “We took breaks in the past, especially when I go back to Italy and I’m not around for a few weeks, but we haven’t stopped playing together ever since.”
In 2016, the duo joined with another musician to make their band 2 Domestic 1 Import. The name comes from the fact that two members are from Baton Rouge and Chirumbolo is from Italy.
When one of the original members left in 2019, they brought in Sydney Lombardo, one of the current longest running members. Like the other two members, Lombardo got to know the band when her mom encouraged her to go see one of its shows.
The kind of music you can expect to hear may vary from performance to performance; however, the band is always consistent with acoustic covers of well-known songs. Any song from Elton John’s “Rocket Man” to anything from Ella Fitzgerald’s discography, you can hear in a fun and laidback styling.
Smith said while there is no particular reason they stick to the acoustic covers, it works to keep the audience more comfortable and engaged. Not only that, but in an age where AI is so accessible to make music, it is refreshing to strip the songs back to their basics.
“I love the idea of real people banging on real things,” Smith said. “It’s kind of the simple sound of, it’s not trying to sound like anything. It is the sound we’re making.”
These days, the trio is a fuller band with around six or seven interchangeable members. While Lombardo may be more likely to handle vocals or Smith the guitar, all of the individuals work as an ensemble to take turns in every role.
Every show you attend may be a new style of song, and each member has their own unique music taste and background they bring to the table. Chirumbolo said being in Baton Rouge and working with these people has expanded his tastes and deepened his appreciation for the art.
“It’s like playing with different bands because when it’s just the three of us we have, there’s one sound,” Chirumbolo explained. “But then when you start adding percussion and a drummer and other singers, it really changes the sound and the performance, but I’m loving every minute of it.”
That love for the art form shines through in every performance. People often tell the band that their joy is palpable on stage and makes the show even more enjoyable for the audience as well.
The band believes this is what is most important when it comes to their music. Regardless of if they are playing for a small audience or a large one, the care that they put in on stage must be the main event. Smith has a philosophy that the music is all about letting loose.
“Music is fun. Don’t take it serious. It’s to build community and make people smile and, from time to time, dance. That’s the goal,” said Smith. “I mean, just to get together with friends and play music for friends — it doesn’t get any better than that.”
For more updates on future shows, follow 2 Domestic 1 Import’s Instagram.
