Tony Ferrari

There’s a saying that a soul never dies, it only transforms. If that’s true then the souls of Marvin Gaye, Elvis Presley, and Buddy Holly have taken up comfortable residence in that of 22-year old Tony Ferrari, a self-taught singer/songwriter and YouTube star from Thousand Oaks, California. With a throwback-dipped, soul-pop sound, lyrics that go straight for the heart, and a style of phrasing synonymous with greats like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, Tony’s latest album title “Gentlemen” seems befitting.

We meet in the back corner of a busy Beverly Hills Starbucks. Tony arrives with perfectly parted hair and a retro t-shirt. There’s a warmth and confidence that bounces off of him as he politely refuses to let me pay for our chai lattes. We sit and discuss his Italian-American dad’s recent struggles with no longer being able to enjoy the pleasures of his mom’s pasta due to a prescribed gluten free diet.

His family is everything to him, that is clear from the start. In fact, he and his younger brother, Ryan, performed a duet cover of The Lumineers “Ho Hey” and his latest album features a track titled “Mothers” – a song, he says, is his way of expressing his extreme gratitude for his own. He is a couple years younger than me but I have a guttural instinct that this artist, who speaks with militant honor about having Journey’s Steve Perry sing on his album, is indeed an old soul. - MYP Magazine

On Thursday, May 29, BMI’s Los Angeles office was buzzing with a live performance by Tony Ferrari at the Company’s Hear It Here First showcase. Ferrari played tunes from his new album Gentleman, which recently debuted on the iTunes Pop chart. Give a listen! - BMI

With wisdom beyond his years paired with sophisticated, smooth vocals, 19-year-old musician Tony Ferrari instantly captivates audiences. Last Thursday, Ferrari, a native of Thousand Oaks, Calif., entertained the crowd outside USD's Student Life Pavilion with an unforgettable concert.
It was a true pleasure to get to know Ferrari and learn more about his story. He is transparently honest and takes what comes his way with two feet planted firmly on the ground.
His interest in music sparked when he picked up the guitar at age 12. From the start, he had a drive to become great like the classical guitarists he admired and enjoyed listening to so much. However, like many in their youth do, he lost his appeal, decided guitar wasn't for him and stopped playing for about two years.
So what got this talented young man back on track? Was it to impress girls or live the rock star lifestyle? Well, Tony Ferrari is just not that kind of guy. It was his grandpa who helped embolden him to pick up the guitar again and begin writing his own music.
"Growing up I would write poems and stories with him all the time," Ferrari said. "But when my grandma passed away he quit writing. I will always remember the conversation I had with him when he said he lost his heart for writing when he lost Grandma. I decided that was my cue to start up where he left off."
Passionate for all the right reasons and supported by a strong foundation, Ferrari said every experience he has had inspires him and helps develop his musical creativity.
"Everything that happens, good and bad, pushes me forward, and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon," Ferrari said.
Above all though, his relationships with his family and friends affect him the most. Another main source of influence for Ferrari is his "guitar player, right hand man and brother in music" Taylor Blaine. One of two others in Tony's band, the two have collaborated and recorded many of Tony's songs.
As his next big move, Ferrari plans on releasing his album, but in the mean time he is just being patient and carefully planning his steps. In terms of performances and exposure, he wants to travel throughout California to establish himself and get his name out there. From this, he hopes a larger tour of the west coast will materialize.
Despite these goals, Ferrari's passion for music is not driven by potential fame and fortune. Instead, he said his favorite thing about playing music is that it allows people to connect with one another.
"Whether it's playing with Taylor or sitting down in front of a group of people, there is always a connection to be made," Ferrari said. "The words in the songs are meant to affect people and make them feel something, but the actual music and guitar itself also really set the tone of the songs."
This young man has got talent, drive and a level head on his shoulders. With friends and family by his side and composed confidence within, Tony Ferrari is headed toward the success he deserves - University of San Diego Vista

22-year-old singer/songwriter Tony Ferrari says he finds inspiration for his music in 'life, love, happiness and relationships. I find inspiration in my own experiences with love – finding it, being in it, losing it, and the crazy journey of self-discovery that comes with it'. Having recently released his second album 'Gentleman', he describes the song 'Mothers' as 'the most important of love songs on 'Gentleman'', adding that it is 'for the woman who has been there to love me - and teach me how to love - everyday of my life. "Mothers" is a song I wrote for my beautiful Mom as a 'thank you' for all she does...this song is my way of expressing my gratitude to my mom in a way that is often hard to communicate in words', with Ferrari's smoothly soul-brushed vocals proudly offering beautifully heartfelt words of thanks to his mother for all of the love, wisdom and nurturing that she has invested in him.

Growing up with a love of writing learned from his poet grandfather, after hearing Nat King Cole sing Ferrari was motivated to begin singing, going on to find further inspiration from the likes of Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke and Al Green, picking up a guitar at 16 and beginning to write his own music. After releasing his first album 'Signs' in 2012, he spent the next two years writing for his new album, 'Gentleman', saying 'as I went into the process of making 'Gentleman,' I felt so much more passionate about what I was creating - I knew this was truly who I was. This album is really a piece of myself. As I said before, it is my story of loving, losing, and growing'.

A refreshing slice of retro-tinged soulful pop that is infused with youthful fun and energy, 'Gentleman', also comes with an underlying maturity as Ferrari offers a positive, uplifting message about acknowledging the intrinsic value that resides within us all. Encouraging listeners to recognize the importance of loving, supporting and being of comfort to others through the ups and downs of life and love's growing pains, he says 'the message I want to spread through this album is that everyone deserves to be loved and respected. In a time when a lot of music is demeaning to women, and people in general, I want to create something that reminds you that you always deserve the best...I hope you can listen to my songs and feel like you have someone who understands you. Most important, I hope I make you smile'. - Next 2 Shine

SOUTH HAVEN - There's a song, the third track off Tony Ferrari's new "Gentleman" album, that made the California pop singer the obvious choice to headline Thursday's Opening Night Beach Party to kick off the 16th annual Waterfront Film Festival.
The song, after all, was written at the festival a year ago when the now 22-year-old Ferrari came to Michigan for the first time to open for Andy Frasco. And as the title suggests, South Haven certainly made an impression on the young crooner.
"It's called 'South Haven Girls,'" Ferrari says, laughing, during a recent telephone interview. "I started writing that song in the Caboose Inn where I was staying because I just fell in love with South Haven. I'm from Los Angeles and when you walk down the street you don't really talk to anyone. The best part of being in South Haven for me was just the fact that everyone was so friendly. I became friends with so many people that I wanted to capture that."
Ferrari will not only sing "South Haven Girls" - which can be downloaded for free on his website - when he returns Thursday, but has plans to film the performance and possibly more for a video to accompany the song.
"I'm pretty excited to get there and play it," Ferrari says. "We're definitely going to be filming the performance and then we're waiting for confirmation to film at the Caboose on Saturday. We're hoping to get a fun dance party going on."
In addition to Ferrari, the opening night party will feature Grosse Pointe, Mich., native Bradley Wisk, an operatic tenor and contestant on ABC TV's "The Bachelorette"; opening musical acts Alexis and Valentiger; a beer garden; and a screening of audience favorite short films on a 50-foot inflatable movie screen.
"It's my favorite night of the whole year," Waterfront cofounder Hopwood DePree says. "It's a chance for people who maybe have never been to the festival before to come out and experience what it's all about. There's food, a beer garden, great music and the outdoor film screening, which gives it this old drive-in feeling with blankets and lawn chairs on the beach."
Growing up in Thousand Oaks, Calif., about an hour north of Los Angeles, Ferrari started playing guitar when he was in seventh grade and began writing songs at 16.
"I used to write poetry when I was a little kid," Ferrari says. "My grandpa is a published poet and it was him and I writing poetry together. My grandma was his muse. He wrote all these poems about her, and when she passed away he told me he lost his heart for writing when he lost my grandma. For me that was like, OK, I need to pick up the torch."
Poetry soon turned to lyrics, and four years after first picking up a guitar, Ferrari released his debut album, "Signs," in 2012, which introduced his blend of new pop with 1950s soul. Led by the title track and the songs "Made For Two" and "All The Way Back," the album reached No. 8 on the iTunes chart.
His new album, "Gentleman," released in April, builds on that same sonic aesthetic with not only "South Haven Girls," but the tracks "Mothers" and "You've Got a Hold on Me."
"What I love the most about the '50s and original soul music from that era is how much feeling there was in the music," Ferrari says. "Sam Cooke is my favorite. I've been inspired a lot by him. My goal for this album was to have elements of today's pop but also elements of old-school '50s soul. I wanted to do my own spin off of what that might sound like today and really honed in on that. It's a project that I'm so happy with and really proud of."
The album's title, "Gentleman," Ferrari says, reflects a conscious choice not only in the way he wants to portray women in his music, but the standard he tries to live up to in his life.
"There's so much music out there that's demeaning to women," Ferrari says. "I just wanted to put something different out there."
When asked about getting reacquainted with those "South Haven Girls," Ferrari just beams.
"Oh, I can't wait," he says. "It's going to be a lot of fun." - The Herald-Palladium

A standout from Zoey’s Ones to Watch Singer Songwriter series, the college-aged Ferrari is one of the county’s most promising and popular young songwriters. Though Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz instantly come to mind, Ferrari does manage to put his own stamp on the effort. “Fire” is borderline soul and “Under The Covers” has the kind of sexual innuendo often found on a Maroon 5 record. Ferrari’s lyrics are simple and to the point, and they work best on the record’s ballads, like the gorgeous “All The Way Back.” Produced by Todd Hannigan, it’s a complete and well-polished debut that’s already made fans of celebrities such as Rob Lowe, who tweeted about the release to his thousands of followers. While Lowe may be the first of Ferrari’s fans in high places, he certainly won’t be the last.
- Ventura County Reporter

Thousand Oaks resident Tony Ferrari has realized a dream by releasing his first full album to the iTunes store, where his debut album has gained a surprising measure of success for the 20-year-old college student and novice songwriter.

iTunes featured Ferrari's album, "Signs," in the "New and Noteworthy" column during the second week after the album came out April 17. It then moved to the "Discover This" section under the singer-songwriter category, where it's still listed.

When first released, "Signs" was the No. 9 top seller for the day. "Signs" then moved to the No. 10 top-seller position for five consecutive days.

"I had no expectation of that," Ferrari said. "I'm excited to see how many people it has reached."


Even the actor Rob Lowe is a fan. Five days after "Signs" was released, Lowe tweeted, "Please check out awesome music from my pal Tony Ferrari on iTunes under Singer/Songwriters. Album: 'Signs.' Amazing." Ferrari said he met Lowe at his home in Montecito through a friend when they stopped by Lowe's house for lunch. Lowe asked Ferrari to send him a CD, which he did, and Lowe loved it, playing it later at a party at his house.

Not bad for a college student who has been working on his first album for the past four years. Ferrari said he won't get a report on sales or downloads from the iTunes store until June, but he was taken aback by the apparent popularity of his album, which features Ferrari on the cover playing a guitar, wearing spats and looking very much like an old blues sock-hop guy from the 1950s — the exact look Ferrari says he was trying to achieve.

"It was the best feeling ever to finally have a full record. It was incredible," he said.

Ferrari's music, a blend of soul, pop and acoustic guitar, has picked up many five-star reviews in the iTunes store as well. Fans wrote, "Tony Ferrari is such an amazing artist," and, "Great songs & amazing voice!"

Hollywoodmusicmagazine.com wrote about the album, "Tony Ferrari's music has a Jason Mraz and jazz/blues feel that captures your entire soul. Headphones cannot do this music justice. The acoustics are phenomenal and transport you back in time to (my favorite era) original rock 'n' roll. Never would I think that he is a new artist. The album does not have that awful self-produced feel that you can sometimes get and, unlike most singers his age, not one song was auto tuned. This is pure feel-good music."

Ferrari said he wasn't into music as a kid. He never took a guitar or singing lesson, save for one recent meeting with a voice coach that he arranged to make sure he wasn't hurting his voice, in light of singing sensation Adele's dramatic throat surgery. "There was no way I was singing correctly," he said.

Ferrari started playing guitar when he was in seventh grade and began writing songs at 16, inspired by his grandfather, a published poet, and the artists Ferrari admires, like Muddy Waters, Etta James, Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles.

Many songs from "Signs" including the ballad, "All the Way Back," are about relationships. "Signs," the title track, is about music and, "going toward what you want to achieve, what you believe in," Ferrari explained. "Life Through a Telescope" is a mellow song about a cousin who had a drug problem and his friend, who overdosed on drugs a few years ago and died at age 25, leading Ferrari's cousin to seek help.

Tony Ferrari of Thousand Oaks recently released his first-ever CD on iTunes and was featured on the service's "New & Noteworthy."
The 2010 Thousand Oaks High School graduate is looking forward to performing his new album live at 8 p.m. May 25 at Zoey's Café in Ventura, where he has entertained previously.

"He's a great guy. We love Tony," said Polly Hoganson, who owns Zoey's Café with her husband. "I love his music. From the first time we heard him two years ago we knew he had promise. We're just so excited and proud of him for what he's accomplished over the amazing two years. I think for a guy his age, he's pretty brilliant at what he's doing right now, not having much professional coaching," she said.

Looking down the road, Ferrari hopes to continue performing and would like to tour. He's played at the House of Blues in Hollywood, various clubs in Los Angeles and at the University of San Diego.

Ferrari has not been signed with a record label — he said he hasn't even tried yet — and he doesn't have a band either. "Signs" was produced independently at Brotheryn Studios in Ojai, and the album's guitarist is Taylor Blaine, also a college student from Thousand Oaks.

Ferrari is finishing his studies this month at Moorpark College, where he is earning his associate degree in music production, and he works part-time at a coffee shop in Thousand Oaks. He's applying to California Lutheran University, where he hopes to study music and marketing. His future, he said, lies in making music. "This is my dream. It's what I want to do with my life." - Ventura County Star

You’ve probably never heard of Tony Ferrari. I certainly hadn’t until I saw him sitting at a coworker’s table at Lazy Dog Cafe the other day. They had a laptop out and were clearly working on something important, so my nosy little self mosied on over to my newest musical discovery. Let me just tell you, my ears were delightedly happy as I stood at their table swaying to his single “Fire.”



I didn’t want to take off the headphones, but reluctantly did when he told me the album, Signs, was coming out today on iTunes. Once I got my hands on the rest of the album, I was glad I waited to enjoy all of the song at the same time without distraction.

Tony Ferrari’s music has a Jason Mraz and jazz/blues feels that captures your entire soul. Headphones cannot do this music justice. The acoustics are phenomenal and transport you back in time to (my favorite era) original rock n’ roll. - Hollywood Music Magazine