December 18, 2004
As a result of winning the WPLR Battle of Bands back in September, I will be the featured artist on their Local Bands show, hosted by Ric Allison and James Velvet, which airs each Sunday night EDT 10:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. You can hear my tunes played this Sunday, December 19, as well as December 26, and January 2. Please tune in!!! Go to WPLR to listen online, or 99.1 on your FM dial if you are in the tri-state area.
It's been a wonderful year - one that has been very busy for me and full of positive changes. I am really looking forward to 2005. I want to thank my fans for all their wonderful support, and especially to my friends for hanging in there with me and giving me those much needed hugs. HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!
November 1, 2004
Go directly to my TUNES page because I have uploaded the first three songs that I've completed recording! YIPPEE, HOORAY - FINALLY!!
And you'll have to be content with those three - after all, I can't give it ALL away for free! I'll have more later about the new additions to my band, and any other goodies that happen. In the meantime, feel free to email me about anything and everything. I want to hear from you.
October 15, 2004
Okay, I've been holding something from you - but it was a big secret and I could not tell anybody! Some time ago, my friends Joy and Mark Hypes told me that the official IronHorse CD release party was going to take place October 2 where IronHorse first came together - in the Columbus, Ohio area. There was no way I could miss this, being that I have never met the other guys in IH, nor have I ever seen the band perform! My studio sessions for both records took place after the other members of the band had left town, but there has always been this unspoken bond between us all, so it feels like we have all known each other since this all began. Now, I have not seen Ron Keel since we did the sessions in Nashville last year, and I was overjoyed at the prospect of seeing him again, and I would finally get to see him do his stuff on stage. I would not miss this for all the herbal tea in China, so...we secretly planned for me to pay them a surprise visit on the night of their show.
I hopped a plane the next morning after my birthday and flew to Columbus, with Chris Bickley in tow. That night Joy and Mark snuck us into the club where the party was to take place, Big George's Bar in Plain City. I had to hide in the kitchen, which is luckily attached to the back bar so we could get the band away from the crowd. When I came out, the look on their faces was priceless. They were totally shocked - I think everybody stood there dumbstuck for a minute, until finally they realized I was really there. It was a wonderful moment and I will never forget it.
The band was electrifying live - there is so much excitement in their performance and they are just a great group of musicians. There is an energy here that is not captured on their records, so I can hear a great live CD happening someday. I was made to feel so special all night long by the staff and fans of the band, not to mention the band themselves.
I actually said I would not get up there and sing; I just wanted to hang out and watch them, but after a couple of hours of this incredible stuff going on, I could not stand it. I got up there and did Led Zep's 'Whole Lotta Love' with the guys - and that was the best moment I've had on stage yet - Mr. Keel and myself up there rocking and singing our asses off! And the crowd went nuts - turns out I've got some fans there of my own! The pictures say it all, so check them out!! I don't think any of us stopped smiling the whole night; it was not easy going home.
Studio stuff - I decided I did not like the rhythm guitar parts we originally got down with a different amp than the Marshall Chris usually uses, so we recut them. It was a long day of recording so the vocal on "The Truth" was only partially done, so I'll have to finish that. I actually cut the background vocals first for this tune; I needed to hear those first and wrap the lead vocal around them.
So I still haven't gotten a copy of the tracks to WPLR, but I'm working on it!
October 1, 2004
It's October 1st, and that means that once again, IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!! As is customary, my best gal pal Cristina and I celebrated our birthdays together since they fall within several days of each other. Check out the photos on the Miscellaneous page.
Redid the lead vocal for "The Cost of Life" last night, and Chris also added another rhythm track to the song, and it sounds absolutely killer! We are having way too much fun in the studio, so it's amazing that all this incredible work is getting done - it almost seems too easy, but I'm not complaining, I'm having the time of my life.
We will start rehearsals with the new guys in the band this coming week, and I will also be in the studio beginning to record the next track, which is called "The Truth". I'm really looking forward to doing this track because it's not only got a great melody, but big harmonies on the background vocals, and I just love those big harmonies.
Still working on getting a mix of the tunes to WPLR - should have that done early this week, so stay tuned!
September 22, 2004
The news just keeps on coming...the remnants of Hurricane Ivan drenched us on Saturday, the 18th, and the WPLR Battle of the Bands went on this past Sunday, the 19th. The wind was blowing, but I did my thing, and WON! I am immensely proud and overjoyed. I listen to this station nearly everyday, and they have always been supportive of me musically in the past, but now that I'm a solo artist, I need that support more than ever. As the winner, I will be featured on their Local Bands show which airs each Sunday night at 10:00 p.m., and they will be playing my songs. I've got to hurriedly get them a mix of two of the tunes I've got recorded, and I'll post the info here about when you can hear Terri Lane ON THE RADIO!
Meanwhile, there are some personnel changes going on in my band as I continue to go forward as an artist. We've parted ways with our drummer, as he was playing with us temporarily and is now on to other projects. Meanwhile, plans are being made for industry showcases and there will be special additions to the band just for those performances. I will not be doing any other performances for the time being, so I can concentrate on recording and all the other things being added to my agenda.
I will soon have the two songs that WPLR will be playing uploaded my Tunes page, so you can finally hear a sneak peak of what I've been working so hard on all this time.
After the WPLR Battle of the Bands, I went back to the studio and recorded vocals for another track called "The Cost of Life". I didn't think I had the energy, but it came out great. I also did all the background vocals and will be bringing in a male gospel singer who will double some of those to give it the sound I want.
I want to send thanks out to some very special people who were a part of the Festival/Battle of the Bands - Sam Tillery and Drew Carrano, WPLR; Mary Rossi, Executive Director, CCOC; The Honorable David Orsini, Mayor of Cheshire (thanks for the endorsement!); Alex, stage manager for the event, and to PowerStation for providing the incredible sound.
September 13, 2004
Go to the GIGS page to see all the info about the WPLR Battle of the Bands taking place at the Cheshire Chamber of Commerce Fall Festival & Marketplace. Terri Lane will be competing! But Hurricane Ivan is on the warpath, and hopefully it will stay away from us here in Connecticut so this event doesn't get rained out.
Things are rapidly changing as the recording process continues. The songs are the best I've ever written or performed, and I can hardly wait for you to hear them. When I have one of the tracks completed, I will upload it to the Tunes page. I've got all the tracks completed for two of the songs, and recording will continue for the rest of this month.
September 3, 2004
It has always been the trend in my life for a lot to happen to me in a short period of time. This just means that I lead a very exciting life, which is why I have to work very hard to stay balanced and focused so I don't become so exhausted that I can't do what needs to be done. That said...
As I wrote in my last post, I was determined to get into the studio and finally begin recording my songs after all the years of hard work in becoming a solo artist. Now, unless I've got a label behind me, or a nice wad of extra cash in my pocket, this isn't something that can happen. Even so, I checked around to see if I could get at least a few songs recorded on a shoestring budget. Hit a few walls, but it didn't matter. I always listen to that voice inside me, and that voice has repeatedly told me that I should go with what I know, or in this case, who I know, and most importantly, trust.
Around 1996, after finally quitting the last band I was in, I was at a loss on what to do, so I was keeping myself busy with doing background vocals for a number of artists. I did a lot of these records with a guy I've known for a very long time by the name of Vic Steffens. He took over a recording studio in the New Haven area years ago and saved it from extinction after it was mismanaged by the former owner. Long story short, I did a lot of work with this guy - either on my own demos, or doing the background vocal work. To say I learned a lot from him is an understatement - he is a genius and a helluva guy. He taught me a lot about myself, and made me see what I could really achieve. He got me to believe in myself as an artist, and he's the guy that told me to go solo. I thought he was nuts, I said I could NEVER do that - where would I start? Well, I took that first step, and it took years of disappointment and frustration to get me here, but it was all worth it.
The point is (excuse me, my attention is on US Open tennis on the telly as I write) I knew when I needed to find a studio to record in that there was only one place I could go, and that was Horizon Studios, part of Vic's Kingdom of Music officially named Horizon Music Group. I called him up one day and the next thing I know, we have entered into a production deal and I am now recording the tracks that you will eventually hear on my very first solo record. YES!!!!
Within a week of making that deal at HMG, the schedule was set to begin recording the rhythm tracks. We started last Saturday. I decided to get five tracks done on this first leg of recording, and my drummer Jay Mezias ripped those tracks out the very first night. Almost too easy...but who's complaining? Next, Steve began to lay down the bass for "Victim of Love". We came back this past Monday and Chris did the rhythm guitar for Victim of Love, and also got the bass and rhythms for another tune called "I'd Rather Be Your Lover". I got no sleep that night; we were in there till 1:30 a.m. and I just felt too awesome to sleep. This past Wednesday we cut the bass and rhythm guitar for "Cost of Life". (I pause here because Boris Becker is talking with John McEnroe and this other guy as they do commentary for the Andy Roddick match. Normally, I am always at the US Open in New York watching the matches live, but with everything going on, doesn't look like I'm gonna get there this year.)
We tried to get a little lead guitar done, but we were a bit tired, so we'll come back to that. I think everyone is a bit surprised I was able to pull this off, but I always do what I say I'm going to do and I never let anything get in the way of what I want to accomplish, so I'm just happy we're all here and it's all happening.
I'm not going to brag about how awesome the tracks sound so far; I'll let you all be the judge when the time comes. Once we have a few of these done, Vic will take them out to some labels and see if anybody thinks they can sell it to the masses, meaning YOU. If you are a musician, you know how fickle this industry is, and you know how few bands get signed these days. But something I have heard a lot of lately is that people need more than what they are getting. They are tired of the morose bands out there, the lack of excitement in their songs and the lack of entertainment value in their live shows. I'm from the old school - I was raised on 1970s rock and I can only tell you that I am a fan just like you and I know damn well what I want to see out there - so if you like energetic, passionate, sexy, fun, and just REAL ROCK with the bluesiest grooves you can have, well, stay tuned, cause I'm gonna bring it to you.
Enough about myself - the new IronHorse record is here in my house! I received a stack of advanced copies of "Bring It On" a few weeks ago. It is a bit of a departure from the first one - but with the guitarist they have now, this is the real IronHorse sound on this CD. It is an enhanced CD with two videos on it, and one, "The Best Move", includes footage of me recording the song. The record is due to be released September 27, but you can order yours now, so go get it! And don't forget, Henry Paul, formerly of The Outlaws and now of Blackhawk, does a duet with Ron Keel called "Dixie Highway". I'm so proud once again to be a part of an IronHorse record, and I look forward to a lot of good things happening for these guys.
Just want to mention also that former IH guitarist Robert Marcello is now in Danger Danger, and Chris Bickley recently went to check them out at a New Jersey club. I'll have a couple of photos of them up soon on Chris's page. Danger Danger has always been a really good band since the 80s and they still are.
Next time, I'll have to write about my Friday, August 13th show...it was the most special show I have ever had. I'll tell ya later, gotta go!
June 29, 2004
Much to write so I'll get to it - things have exploded in a good way, so I'm way behind...the performances so far have been incredible - it seems I am giving the people exactly what they want - and they are letting me know it. I am so grateful to all the wonderful feedback the fans have been giving and I promise not to let you down - this train will keep on rolling.
I have hastily put together a GIGS page and will continually be updating it. Myself and the guys in the band are having a blast; it feels so GREAT to be back out there!
On May 28, 2004, I had the extreme pleasure of meeting the great inventor of the fretless bass, Tony Franklin. As I am a fan of guitarist John Sykes (Whitesnake/Blue Murder), I was very familiar with Tony's original style of playing and had the privilege of seeing Blue Murder live years ago. Tony was also a member of The Firm, which was fronted by my idol and biggest influence, Paul Rodgers, along with guitar god Jimmy Page. To add icing to this already fattening cake, Tony was appearing in Chris Slade's Thunderstruck, the AC/DC tribute band, at both The Corner Pocket Cafe and The Webster Theatre in Hartford, CT. As you probably know, Chris also played drums in The Firm, but was most noted as the drummer for AC/DC for several years (check out the album Thunderstruck). To make things more interesting, Joe LeSte was on vocals (formerly of 80s metal band Bang Tango) and along on guitars were his Beautiful Creatures bandmates, Anthony Focz and Alex Grossi. Not what you would expect for an AC/DC tribute lineup, but this was a TRUE tribute - it kicked major ass and the sound was a very close match. But wait...there's more! Tony and Chris ripped our faces off with a combined drum/bass solo, a bit they used to perform live with The Firm. There are no words to describe what they did; you have to see and hear it for yourself. At one point in the show, the guys were asking for some vocal assistance with "You Shook Me All Night Long" from the crowd. I had a birdseye view from the side of the stage and let's just say there were not many singers in the crowd, but it was all in good fun. Eventually my friends started shouting for Joe to bring the mic over to me and well, I let them have it. Joe came back over for round two of the chorus and I was happy to oblige by singing a few bars again to a great response from the crowd.
I had a nice chat with Tony. Here's a photo of the two of us at the show.
I'm currently working on finally getting the band into the studio to get some songs recorded so you can hear what I've been working so hard on all this time.
Have a great July 4th holiday weekend!
That's it for now. Stop back anytime for updates.
