Tallarico was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on February 18, 1968. He spent much of his youth around music. His parents took him to see Springfield Symphony when he was 9 years old. He taught himself to play piano and guitar, and at the age of ten, Tallarico cites John Williams's score for "Star Wars" and Bill Conti's "Rocky" score as inspirations, and becoming "hooked" on classical music. Tallarico was also inspired by his cousin, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. Tallarico would attend his cousin's concerts as a kid and grew a desire to become a musical performer.