Vinnie Ferra
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Vinnie Ferra

Chatsworth, California, United States | SELF

Chatsworth, California, United States | SELF
Band Folk Rock

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"Singer-Songwriter Vinnie Ferra Is On Fire"

Whether you believe in karma, dharma or rubbing a rabbit’s foot, some people just can’t avoid a path of good fortune even if they tried. Such is the case with LA native & natural born musician Vinnie Ferra.

A 3-year-old mini Vinnie is holding a guitar in a family home video, and it’s little wonder: Dad was a bass player who listened to Led Zep, Cream & country, while mom kept the Blondie & Midnight Oil records spinning. Little Vinnie avidly played violin, piano & bass for years before starting to write songs at age 18. 5 years later this kid would be opening up for Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, to a crowd of 2000.

If you think opening for Edward Sharpe was big, get this: Vinnie’s song “Bad for Business” received over 10,000 hits on YouTube within 4 weeks of the song appearing in an April 2011 episode of MTV’s The Real World: Las Vegas. Vinnie says, “like, my website almost crashed”.

The 23-year-old singer-songwriter is poised for lift-off any minute now, and we lucky local minxes get to witness his ascent to stardom. His April residency at Hotel Cafe featured guest musicians Alex Essoe & Nick Simmons (yup, son of KISS’ Gene Simmons). Watch this video for “Golden” recorded at Hotel Cafe & get a taste for what’s in store at Vinnie’s live performances, including one tonight at Lighthouse Cafe.

Vinnie also plays tonight, May 31st at Lighthouse Café w/ The Reflectacles & on June 7th at El Cid w/ The Hypnotist Collective. - Minx Society


"VINNIE FERRA: NOT JUST ANOTHER L.A. INDIE ARTIST"

Los Angeles isn’t the most generous city when it comes to show business. Musicians migrate from near and far with hopes of just being heard. The path to fame (because let’s face it, no matter what any performer tries to tell you, it’s the fame that keeps them afloat) is fickle and hardly sympathetic. But for Vinnie Ferra, there was no other way.

Ferra, a Los Angeles native, is a 22-year-old indie folk artist with catchy enough songs to potentially stick around for a while. He can pack local venues and his lyrics are relatable and relevant, and then there’s his breadth of instrumental skills.

A self-proclaimed “band geek” in middle school, Ferra learned how to play the saxophone and violin early on. And despite the obstacles he has overcome since then, he has always maintained a steady musical progression.

“I was a screwed up kid,” Ferra confided to SoCal.com. “I started drinking and eventually just said, ‘screw concert band orchestra. I’m just going to play rock band.’”

His own manifestation of teenage rebellion centered on his musical preference, or at least his feigning of one. “I pretended to like punk rock and went to shows, but back at home I was listening to Bright Eyes,” he admitted.

To this day, Ferra considers the band a seminal musical inspiration to him as an artist. “Bright Eyes was a huge influence on the kind of music I like now because it got me into music that makes you feel something deeper and not just temporary happiness.”

Much in part due to his newfound lifestyle, the chicken came before the egg as far as clichés are concerned. Ferra’s first stint in rehab was at the age of 15.

Following his release, Ferra joined a band with a few of his buddies called Vesta. He played the bass guitar and sang, and actually started gaining some local momentum. “We got pretty big in the L.A. area,” he said. But only a year later, Ferra returned to rehab and Vesta was no more.

Eventually Ferra seemed to find his niche once he picked up the guitar and began writing his own music. He got a job at MTV in digital media, and continued to pursue music on the side socially.

“It was kind of like pretending to be something I wasn’t in my circle of friends,” he admitted. By still maintaining a musical pursuit, Ferra’s position at MTV provided the necessary and imperative networking opportunities. He was able to attend concerts and events which not only kept his finger on the local pulse, but also allowed him to establish personal industry connections. Soon he was playing on Hollywood Boulevard.

“My first big show I ever played as me playing my own songs was in Dec. 2008 at the Knitting Factory main stage,” Ferra recalled. “It was just me by myself and my guitar--and a piano.” Yes, he also plays the piano.

Even after three more local shows, Ferra didn’t take the full-time plunge until getting laid off from MTV this past Feb. For him, it may have just been a blessing in disguise.

“The moment I realized that was seven or eight months after getting laid off. I spent month to month looking for other jobs while still playing shows and doing music because I had the time to do it,” he explained. “I think the world has literally been working against me ever since I got laid-off from MTV. I had a good resume for being young without a college degree. I applied everywhere; I tried every contact.”

But Ferra’s misfortune soon developed into an opportunity. “I think the world didn’t want me to get a job because if I got a job, I wouldn’t have the time to do what I want to do,” he stated.

Shows continued to follow and his fanbase grew, as he explains, organically amongst his peers. “It kept growing after every performance. Friends would tell friends,” Ferra recalled. “I didn’t have any fans. I had friends that supported me in doing what I was doing and who liked my music.”

Ferra also insists that, to this day, crowds turn out for reasons other than his performance. “They come out because I don’t just put on a show. When I play, I make it a whole thing,” said Ferra. “I’ll have a show, then an after-party, then an after-after-party.”

Although his shows are currently centered in Los Angeles, Ferra actually recorded his album on the East Coast after a happenstance meeting with independent music producer Brad Delava. While visiting his girlfriend in Boston, he picked up a local gig in Cambridge, and two weeks later he was back to record.

“On the recorded album, I didn’t work with anyone else on the writing process,” Ferra said. “Every single instrument on the album, except the viola and piano, is me. And I composed those parts and just gave it to the players.”

His debut album Man vs. Machine was released on iTunes this past July and has been a crucial vehicle in sustaining his career, although Ferra insists it was purely business-minded. “It’s been doing well, but mainly I did iTunes for legitimacy,” Ferra stated. “I don’t care about selling iTunes sales.”

Ferra, instead, prefers to offer his music to the public for free. At Bandcamp.com anyone can download it at no charge, which he agrees is a powerful way to market early on in any musical career.

“I made enough money off the iTunes deal to get merchandise and get some CDs,” Ferra said. He’d like to primarily focus his revenue on performances, merchandise and CDs, but such simplistic and idealistic plans obviously can only take someone so far. Signing to a record label is the obvious next step, despite Ferra’s opposition to the idea.

“I’m not the hugest fan of the record industry, like most people. Especially because of where I’m at right now, there’s no need for a label,” Ferra explained. “I feel like record companies serve a lot of purposes…but to me, a record label is a bank that has connections.”

Ferra believes if he can somehow build his own funds through something like publishing deals he can be his own bank. That may be unlikely, but his expanding fanbase may eventually be enough for him.

In addition to his personal closeness with his L.A. fans, Ferra attributes Boston to his East Coast backbone. “It’s where I recorded my album, so it’s [the fanbase] a lot of friends I made there plus kids who go to college because I’ve been getting a lot of radio play out there.”

It’s easy to see why his music would catch on with that demographic. Despite his indie-folk classification, Ferra also admittedly claims to be a pop artist. “I write pop songs, but my heart is in folk music,” he stated. “But every good song that anyone likes is a pop song. It’s just how you record it, how you perform it, the instruments you use and the things on top of it.”

So what’s up next? “Now I have a bunch of songs that I’ve just written because I’m going crazy playing the same songs over and over again,” Ferra replied. But any long standing musician will tell you that comes with the territory. Now, with enough songs to do an entire new record, Ferra looks forward to going on tour and getting back in the studio.

“Whichever comes first I will take with open arms.” - Life in LA


"Indie Spotlight: Vinnie Ferra"

LA-based indie/folk artist Vinnie Ferra began his career in 2009 when he decided to quit working in the music industry and pursue his passion for songwriting and performing. After spending about a year building a fan base in LA, Vinnie moved to Boston for four months to record his debut album, Man vs. Machine, released in July 2010. The buzz from the album as well as his live shows has lead to some amazing opportunities, including opening of Edward Sharpe and Magnetic Zeros and tours on both coasts. Album track “Bad For Business” was featured in MTV’s Real World Las Vegas. Most recently, Vinnie finished a three-week residency at Hotel Café, during which he recorded and released three new demos—one for each show—available for free at vinnieferra.bandcamp.com. - BMI


"Ears Wide Open: Vinnie Ferra"

During the last year, Vinnie Ferra has been keeping busy by touring across the nation in support of his 2010 debut “Man Vs. Machine.” But after traversing the East Coast and opening for Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros — and collecting some attention for the song “Bad for Business,” which appeared in MTV’s “The Real World: Las Vegas” — the singer-songwriter returned to his native Los Angeles to keep working on new songs. Last year’s appropriately titled “Three Song” EP continued to establish Ferra as an artist who is well-versed in blends of lush arrangements and intimate lyrics. Recorded in his bedroom with Scott Manke’s help on production, Ferra’s sharp indie-folk soars whether it’s entirely stripped down vocals and guitar on “Untitled” or it’s meticulously empathy-laden storytelling on the seven-plus-minute track “Father of Mine.”

||| Download: “Untitled” or grab the “Three Song” EP in its entirety at his bandcamp page.



||| Watch: After the jump, check out his video for “Even When I’m With You,” a track off of “Man vs. Machine.”

||| Live: Vinnie Ferra kicks off his residency tonight at Silverlake Lounge with Leerone, Brandon Mayer & the Hidden Powers and Them Howling Bones. - Buzzbands


"Vinnie Ferra @ Silverlake Lounge 1.30.12"

For all intents and purposes, one could easily take a look at Vinnie Ferra – Californian singer/songwriter residing in Los Angeles, rockin both the banjo and the semi-indie, semi-hipster look, perhaps a fan of Fleet Foxes and Edward Sharpe – and dismiss him at first glance as another nothing-special SoCal crooner.

Don’t be someone who makes this mistake.

I had the unexpected pleasure of seeing Vinnie play on the final date of his band’s residency at the Silver Lake Lounge Monday night. The first thing that hit me was the band’s sound – these guys were tight. Again, you might not guess it from looking the crew on stage. The word “Salvation” in lights was set above a mix of sleeveless tees, skinny ties and suspenders, derby tweed caps, black and white dress shoes, and at least one full-bodied, scraggly beard playing everything from electric Rhodes to banjos to violin. But rest assured, they know exactly what they’re doing.

After the richness of the sound and power of the band got my attention, I continued to be drawn in deeper. Vinnie commands the stage with an expressive, though not over-zealous presence and a voice that is both nuanced with emotion and extremely pleasing to the ear, especially his falsetto. And then the list goes on: at the top of which are the great songs – from the self-proclaimed downer “Ghost Town” to the bluesy, visceral “Golden”, and the fact at the whole group is never shy about showing how much fun they’re having.

Vinnie’s music undoubtedly has its roots in blues and folk, but he also calls upon the indie/alternative songwriter vibe and the best aspects of dirty, barn-burning stomp rock. This is a band you want to see play outside a dive bar somewhere in the backwoods while you get drunk from a jug of moonshine whiskey marked XXX and participate in what can only be labeled loosely as “dancing” – probably something resembling an aggressive two-and-a-half-step.

While I wait for them to book that gig though, I’ll just have to satisfy myself with the CD of acoustic songs I picked up at after the set (also available on his site) and keep a diligent look out for where their next show will be.

See you there, I’ll bring the moonshine. - Quit Mumbling


Discography

Man vs. Machine - Album - Release July 2010
Three Songs - EP - Release April 2011
New Release - EP - July 2012 http://youtu.be/Xy_9TrkymWk

Photos

Bio

For all intents and purposes, one could easily take a look at Vinnie Ferra – Californian singer/songwriter residing in Los Angeles, rockin both the banjo and the semi-indie, semi-hipster look, perhaps a fan of Fleet Foxes and Edward Sharpe – and dismiss him at first glance as another nothing-special SoCal crooner.

Don’t be someone who makes this mistake.

I had the unexpected pleasure of seeing Vinnie play on the final date of his band’s residency at the Silver Lake Lounge Monday night. The first thing that hit me was the band’s sound – these guys were tight. Again, you might not guess it from looking the crew on stage. The word “Salvation” in lights was set above a mix of sleeveless tees, skinny ties and suspenders, derby tweed caps, black and white dress shoes, and at least one full-bodied, scraggly beard playing everything from electric Rhodes to banjos to violin. But rest assured, they know exactly what they’re doing.

After the richness of the sound and power of the band got my attention, I continued to be drawn in deeper. Vinnie commands the stage with an expressive, though not over-zealous presence and a voice that is both nuanced with emotion and extremely pleasing to the ear, especially his falsetto. And then the list goes on: at the top of which are the great songs – from the self-proclaimed downer “Ghost Town” to the bluesy, visceral “Golden”, and the fact at the whole group is never shy about showing how much fun they’re having.

Vinnie’s music undoubtedly has its roots in blues and folk, but he also calls upon the indie/alternative songwriter vibe and the best aspects of dirty, barn-burning stomp rock. This is a band you want to see play outside a dive bar somewhere in the backwoods while you get drunk from a jug of moonshine whiskey marked XXX and participate in what can only be labeled loosely as “dancing” – probably something resembling an aggressive two-and-a-half-step.

While I wait for them to book that gig though, I’ll just have to satisfy myself with the CD of acoustic songs I picked up at after the set (also available on his site) and keep a diligent look out for where their next show will be.

See you there, I’ll bring the moonshine.

http://youtu.be/Xy_9TrkymWk

contact: vinnie.ferra@gmail.com