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MP3 Rich LaPierre - Black River
11 MP3 Songs in this album (49:42) !
Related styles: FOLK: Folk-Rock, ROCK: Acoustic
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Born in 1965, Rich LaPierre began playing guitar at age 10. Very soon he began writing his own songs. “When I played, it didn’t sound like the records I was trying to copy. Besides, it was easier to write original songs than to learn other people’s.” Probably by 1980-81, he was writing songs that were “at least pretty good.” With the help of supportive parents (“In 1980 my father drove about 20 miles in a blizzard to the UPS depot to pick up my new Les Paul in time for Christmas”), Rich honed his craft. “While the other kids were outside playing, I was in my own little world of music dreaming of rock stardom!”
Rich was drawn to the hard rock music of the day. Influenced by KISS, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Slade, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Ted Nugent, and others, he formed his band, “Bad News” in 1981. “Along with the heavy rock influences, I also loved 70’s top 40 music and soft rock from James Taylor, Fleetwood Mac, Jim Croce, Harry Chapin, and Motown.” There was also music introduced by his family like Creedence Clearwater Revival, Simon and Garfunkel, Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, and 50’s DoWop. “I loved singers with great big voices like Elvis, Meat Loaf, and even Pavarotti!” Bad News released a 45 in 1982 and, in 1987, played at the student center at Seton Hall University. The show was simulcast over the school’s famous radio station, WSOU.
In the mid-80’s Rich took a break from the band to play in New York City as a solo acoustic act which laid the foundation for what he does now. “At first I played on the street or in Washington Square Park and people would throw money in my guitar case.” He then auditioned for and got a job playing at Mill’s Pub on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village. While playing there, he rubbed elbows with music legends like the late greats Jaco Pastorius and Paul Butterfield. “ I worked all summer at a manual labor job for 7AM to 3PM in the brutal heat, took a shower and drove into the city and played until about midnight. By the time I got home, it was time to go to work again. It was tough, but I loved every minute of it and learned a heck of a lot about what people want to hear. I played a lot of covers but also got to do a lot of my own stuff. The audience was very open to hearing originals.”
In the 90’s, Rich shifted focus away from music to concentrate on starting a home and family and establishing a career. “Then in 2002 or so, I wrote a letter to the music director of my church telling her how much I enjoyed her singing every week. I guess I mentioned that I, too, was a musician. Before I knew it, she convinced me to play and sing at church.” While Rich only played 2 or 3 times in this capacity, his desire to perform his own non-religious music was rekindled.
Making Cds of various styles like Christmas music and hard rock was next before Rich settled back into the solo acoustic format from his Greenwich Village days. “Acoustic folk rock is really the style that suits me best. So it has been a long journey back to where I started.” Black River is a compilation of recently composed original songs that he’s been playing at open mics and coffeehouses over the past year or so. All of these tunes have been played in front of an audience and have been changed, tweaked, and improved to their present forms. "For this CD I played most of the songs ''live'' singing and playing at the same time and overdubbed the bass, percussion, and back-up vocals." It is Rich’s first bulk manufactured music project since his “45rpm” of 1982 and his first foray into the “cyber music business.” “Musicians have so many ways to be heard nowadays that I never could have dreamed of in the 1980’s.” In closing Rich would like to thank everyone for reading this and for their interest in his music now and over the years. “I really and truly appreciate your support.”
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