Lorraine Ferro: News

With the dawning of myspace, and then facebook, I realize that I have completely forgotten to update my own website! lol! When I'm on facebook letting everyone in on my very thoughts of the moment, it doesn't hit me that people who aren't my 'friends' there don't know what's up...here!!

I'll make a new habit of updating my websites to make sure you can know what I'm up to, if you've come a-looking for me! :-D

Gosh, too many things to write about to catch up, so here's a synopsis: In addition to my private coaching, classes, writing, and doing some gigs, I spent the first part of 2009 as a motivational speaker and coach in an incredible transformational and leadership training company called Personal Dynamics. I had done the trainings about 14 years ago, and they were completely life-defining for me! Changed the way I teach, how I see the world and my role in it, getting results and making a difference...now it was my turn to serve these trainings on the staff and make the BIGGEST difference I could make! It was a wild ride, and I met many, many talented and beautiful people who I've come to adore!

I spent the second part of the year on tour with Tre Bella, my Italian-American all female trio! We played everywhere, from NYC to Hollywood, CA, and so many places in between! Did all the festivals around the country, and even the big gala San Gennaro festival in LA on the Jimmy Kimmel stage! We sang on the red carpet stage at this year's Columbus Day Parade in NYC, in Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh, was the headliner in Columbus, Ohio for their Columbus Day Italian Fest, performing with a great big band! In fact, we played with a number of orchestras this year, including just this past weekend at St John's University, doing a holiday show! It's been a marvelous experience, and my sister Bellas are the bomb! Check out the website to hear and see for yourself! www.trebella.us!

This last part of the year I've been focusing on my new Songwriting and Performance school that I launched last year, The NY Pro Song and Performance Workshops; AND on developing a new online and phone app school! I'll keep you updated on that! AND, this month I won the OutMusic Award for the "Most Outstanding Pop Song of the Year 2009", with a song I co-wrote with an incredible songwriter/singer named Athena Reich! What a blast it was, walking the red carpet and doing all the interviews! Definitely one of the high points of my year!

I've also been writing the lyrics to rock vocalist extraodinaire Gary Huff's new album - what a WONDERFUL writing experience that has been! He's one of those voices and composers that make a writer WANT to really WRITE! He was great to work with, and we had a LOT of fun! And now...as soon as it's recorded, it goes to a label in South America who's been waiting for it with baited breath! :-D Gary used to be in a famous rock band in Ecuador many years ago, and recently he found out that his music is STILL well loved and received there, when he decided to get the band together for a reunion show down there just for fun, and sang to a sold out crowd of 25,000 fans!!! And I get to be the lucky and blessed lyricist for his solo debut! Can't wait to hear the finished product!

Well, that's enough for tonight! lol!

Here's to an amazing 2010!

Much Love!

Now that I have two seperate websites, one for my original band, LoudLife (check out www.loudlifeband.com for everything LoudLife!), and one for the REST of my crazy life, it's time to give you a glimpse of what I do day to day, so check out the calendar to see all the different gigs I do when I'm not coaching artists, doing sessions, writing new songs, or performing originals! For those of you who don't know, I've been singing in bands for ages, and love it! Cover bands, you gasp?? ABSOLUTELY! They've kept my chops up all this time, and made me stretch more as an artist than I ever could any other way!

I have a GREAT rock and pop trio that plays Atlantic City - THE LORRAINE FERRO TRIO is a party band, doing oldies to very current songs! David Easton on keys, Bugzy on guitar, me on lead vocals, and the magic of computer technology! We ALL sing lead and harmonies, on everything you can think of: Kelly Clarkson, Aerosmith, Evanescence, Sheryl Crow, Aretha, motown, Janis, Alanis, Steely Dan, Madonna, Billy Joel... those of you thinking of booking us in similar venues can call my agent, Nick Grant, of Paramount Productions - check the contact page for his info!

I also sing with one of the most amazing bands I have ever heard, DR. SWING! They herald from the Hudson Valley, but to tell the truth, I'd travel to the ends of the earth to work with them, because they are consummate musicians who keep me on my toes at all times!! This group is an incredibly eclectic, spontaneous hi-energy band, where, at any given moment, we'll go from Norah Jones to Nirvana, from 'Flat Foot Floozy' to the Black Eyed Peas! Ken McGloin is the mastermind behind this band, and it's guitar player; Jim Curtin is our stand up bass man (he plays electric bass too), and has a great voice, Craig is our passionate electric violin player, and Dean Sharp is the man who makes the beats, in every creative way he can! Dean is one of my favorite drummers to date! For info on booking, please contact Ken McGloin, info on the contact page!

For those of you wondering whether I still sing on SONGWRITERS DEMOS, the answer is YES! Even though I'm a songwriter myself, it's exciting to interpret someone else's song to help them get it cut! And since I haven't been able to publicly thank the terrific people that keep hiring me to be 'their voice', I want to take this opportuntiy to do that this second! Greg, Elliot, Neil, John, Paul, Michele, Charlie, Wayne, Benny, and belated smooches to Arnie Roman, Russ DeSalvo, Peter Zizzo, Alex Forbes, Jeff Franzel, and everyone else who has allowed me to be part of their creative process! For anyone interested in hiring me for a demo, please call me or my artist rep, Nancy Buchanan, info on the contact page!

Of course, thanks also go to the great people at the COMMERCIAL AND MEDIA HOUSES who have given me a chance to wail on about Nabisco, Pillsbury, Folgers, Valtrex, and so much more - Face the Music, Rocket Music, Look and Co, Thwak Productions, Cliff Schwartz, and also to my voiceover manager, Steve Arcieri, and anyone else that I've worked with! Please contact Nancy Buchanan, or myself for booking info.

Of course, I still love to go OUT ON THE ROAD with artists, and have backed up Lesley Gore ("It's My Party") for quite a number of years - you HAVE to check out Lesley's new CD, and artist tour - sad to say, I'm not performing with her this time, BUT I DO have a SONG ON HER RECORD! YAY! I've been on tour with Ritchie Blackmore and Blackmore's Night, Wayne Brady, and other great artists. Just call my booking agent, and he'll tell you if I'm available when you might need me!
I had some GREAT NEWS this past month! Daylle Deanna Schwartz, music journalist and writer of several wonderful books on the music industry and how it pertains to the indie artist, has finished a new one called, "I Don't Need a Record Deal". In this extremely helpful book, she quoted me numerous times as part of the 150 artists and industry people she interviewed, who are making a living in music independently! So far, I've performed at her book release party at the Hard Rock Café, and this past week helped her kick off her national book tour, by playing at Borders in Columbus Circle! If you're an artist, you have GOT to get this book! I've been reading it, and learning so much about how to be a truly successful indie artist. Go to www.idontneedarecorddeal.com for more info! I'll also be on her panel at CMJ on Sept 17th!!

That leads me to ARTIST COACHING: I've been a loyal artist coach for many years now, and there's always more to do and teach and learn. I've been a 'results oriented' rock and pop voice teacher, coaching students to free their voices and selves in my home, and also in the studio when they're recording their CD projects. My own teachers include Katie Agresta, Debra Chamberlin, among others. I'm a private songwriting coach, performance coach, and artist consultant, and I also teach pro song workshops for the Songwriters Hall of Fame, National Academy of Popular Music. For info on lessons, or workshops, call or email me for private lessons, or call Bob Leone at the Songwriters Hall of Fame regarding their workshops, info on the contact page.

My latest passion is production. For the last few years, I'VE BEEN PRODUCING ARTISTS. It was an organic process that developed out of my students requests for help with their projects. Besides, I just have a big mouth! I hear something, and I can't just sit there not telling! Some past and present cool artists I've worked with include: Gail Silverman and her rock-punk band G-Spot, Kim Loren, Amée, and I'm producing some up and coming songwriters' demos. If you're an interested artist or songwriter, we'll have to talk. Not every producer is right for every artist. Email me, or give me a call.

How did I get here? As an ARTIST AND SONGWRITER. No matter what else I've been up to, I'm an artist/songwriter first and foremost. In my bio, you'll see that I was signed to EMI, and have co-written some songs that have gone multi-platinum. I've been a very blessed woman. Of course, I'm still writing, and Geoff, my guitarist/co-writer and I have JUST FINISHED OUR NEW BAND CD, LOUDLIFE, with the help of magnificent drummer Brian Dunne, and our producer, Teddy Kumpel, who took our songs to a level way beyond our imaginings! This man is a genius, and one of the most accomplished musicians you will ever come across! There aren't any words to really express it, so you'll just have to hear the CD as soon as it's shrink wrapped!!! I'll give an update on when the CD release party will be! Yes, of COURSE you're invited!

Some people have been asking me since LoudLife, if I'm still COLLABORATING! Absolutely! Right now I'm in the middle of a few new cool songs, with some great writers and artists. Risa, a pop vocal phenom, is a joy to write with, and besides being a great singer, and hit monster, she's got a terrific management team, and has been singing everywhere, including Z-100's Zootopia concert, and stadiums all over the place! I also just had the pleasure of writing a couple of lovely ones with dear friend and incredible writer Tanya Leah, who came up from Nashville for a writing visit. I co-wrote some of the songs on the G-Spot record, and now I just found out that one of those songs will be in the first episode of a new series on A&E called Derbygirls! Listen for "Come Here, Go Away", and they said maybe even more to come! Had fun writing with Lesley Gore and Tanya on a song, and am in the middle of a few with others that I'll let you in on as they get finished! Gonna need an intern soon, to start ptiching the new catalogue!
NOW you know what "Crazed as Usual" means when you ask how I am! There's so much more going on as well, but I'll leave it for another time! Enjoy the last days of summer!!!!

I finally got the website up, so keep coming back to see it as it evolves! I have some fun news just for today: This afternoon I went to CBGB's to audition for a new reality tv show called ROCKSTAR, where the winner gets to become the new frontman of the band INXS! It was really a blast. Geoff ("the guitarsenal"), came with me to play our song, "Tear in the Curtain" from our new LoudLife CD, which I CAN'T WAIT FOR YOU TO HEAR!!! It's almost finished...just a couple more things before the mix. Getting back to the story, it really was painless, and Robert, the guy videotaping was extremely complimentary after the song. He made it a point to say "great job", and "the stuff is great." In fact, the whole panel was terrific, and not stuffy or intimidating at all. I'll keep you posted as to what happens if anything...I'm just glad I took the opportunity to get off my duff and try something a little outrageous today.