Tora

MusicXray EPK: http://www.musicxray.com/artists/spillingover

Interview:
1) They say it takes about 10 years before you can really call yourself a "New Yorker." How long have you been living here and what do you think of the big apple as a place to launch your music career?

I was actually born and raised in NYC so I consider myself a true New Yorker, through and through - we're a rare breed. Up until trying to launch a music career here, the city always felt like my backyard. Trying to run a business (and I guess in a way be a business) here flipped my perspective of the big apple upside down. Suddenly, I didn't just have to love NYC, it had to love me back. It's easy to see that there are endless opportunities for a music career (or any career) here, but opportunities doesn't guarantee success. New Yorkers are a jaded crowd to have as an audience. They could be in 100 different bars or music venues on any given night, and if you're lucky enough to lure them to your set, they have 100 emails and phone calls they can be more concerned about. Most people go out to hear music as entertainment. An audience in New York wants you to prove first that you're worthy of being the entertainment. As the old adage goes, "If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere".

2) What’s your favorite city to play? If you could play in any city in the world, where would you like to play next? (Also, fantasy opener?)

I wish I could say I've had more of an opportunity to tour - that is what this fall will finally bring for me. So I don't want to be premature in picking a favorite yet. But I've always fantasized that playing a show in Paris would be like something out of a movie. The Parisians have an amazing love for American music and musicians, that I don't quite fully understand yet. I picture playing a show to an enthusiastic crowd that maybe doesn't even understand my lyrics, but is moved by the music. Then I would celebrate after the show with a couple friends and a couple bottles of great wine outside at a little cafe. If you can't tell, I've romanticized it quite a bit in my mind. And a further foray into fantasy, if I could open for a band like The Kills and tour europe...I'd pretty much die and go to heaven.

3) We assume you have a hectic schedule, so how do you like to enjoy your relaxation time away from your music?

The schedule is definitely chaotic as a Do-It-Yourself artist (you wear many, many hats). I actually find rehearsing with the band to be relaxing because it relieves the anxiety that I'm not "getting something done" and I can also stop thinking about the numbers on the business end and how they all add up. But, that's not really answering your question. The only time I get away from my music is 6am-8am. That's when I take my Great Dane pup to Riverside Park for off-leash hours. You can't imagine how goofy he looks when he's running around - and when I take that leash off he acts as if he's just done 40 years of hard time and he's tasting sweet freedom. Talk about living in the moment...which helps me live in the moment. But again, a minor confession, I'm normally humming a new tune or lyric that I'm working on while he's digging in the dirt.

4) Now that the music industry is shifting to the digital sphere, how might an artist like yourself approach your music and your fans differently? What promotional tools or tips have helped support your music? What do you feel is the best way to promote your music to the right folks and get your music heard by the right ears?

This is sort of the million dollar question on everybody's mind. What's the new formula to success - and how much of that formula is digital? To start in the most practical, having an Electronic Press Kit has saved me money, time and a lot of paper and CDs. On the business side of things, being able to promote yourself to industry professionals on websites like MusicXray is priceless because you have infinite possibilities of who you can reach. I've booked more gigs and secured more opportunities over the web with digital material than with any in-person relationships. My advice (to others and to myself) is focus on digitally based promotion when targeting industry professionals. In terms of the social media promotion for new fans, that's a different animal. Of course you try to let people know on Facebook and Twitter and the like, what is going on and where they can hear or view your music. But, in my opinion that's just a fraction of your social media success. You have to go viral - people have to share with their friends, and those friends have to share with all of their friends, and so on and so forth. That's where the fan-base really grows exponentially...from your fan's willingness to champion your music and artistry. And you can't force that. Oh...and keep the content fresh and updated. Attention spans are short.



5) What's next for you? Are you working on a full length, another EP, a video, or a tour? Maybe it's better to ask, what do you hope to do next?

I'm shooting a music video the end of this September for my single "Drown" off my first full-length album, Spilling Over. It's going to be a huge feat technically and visually. We are shooting most of it underwater (I just had to pick the most difficult "location") so it's a good thing I got my scuba certification last year. We are also not using any CGI (computer-generated imagery) so we really have to nail the shots we are hoping for. I've also written in a cameo for my Great Dane, Titan. But, my director reminded me that the #1 Hollywood rule is "Don't work with kids, or animals" so we'll see if he makes the cut. On another note, I'm headed back in the studio to record an EP that was a collaborative writing effort with my band, specifically my prodigal guitarist, Randy Runyon. We've just locked into some serious high-energy chemistry that we want to capture on a record. My currently released album is of the slower variety with heartbreak all over it. The newer EP is uptempo and has some teeth! Having backing tracks from this EP will also amp up our performance in Vegas in November at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. From there we hope to tour - preferably a College Tour. So hey, any of you solo-cup, beer pong playing, themed-party-throwing college kids out there looking for a way to amp it up...have your people call my people!

6) If you could be making music during any decade of the last century, which would it be and why?

Hands down late 60s to early 70s. Not so much because of where the music was at - it's my firm belief you can make great music in any decade (whether people listen or not is another story). Don't get me wrong, the music at that time is classic, timeless. But to just credit the music is taking it out of context and leaving no frame of reference to what made it truly great. It was the mindset of the audience and the fans - such an openness and willingness to let the music move you. There's a great quote from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas that goes, "We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave.…" I'm playing a little loose with the context of it, but I always think of its interpretation in terms of music and the people that supported that wave of music. I guess it comes down to being able to explore your artistry. If you wanted to write or play an 8 minute song to take your audience on a journey, they were with you. Now it's industry standard that the 3:30 mark is the sweet spot for a radio single. And people within the industry will point it out to you in case you forget. And that whole short attention spans thing....Just so damn short!

7) You've been making your way as a musician for a while now. If you could travel back in time to give your past self one piece of advice, what would it be?

I would have told myself to stop "searching" for who I was going to be as an artist. I already had the makings and internal compass of where I was going to land to be true to myself, but I fought it. I didn't think sad piano ballads was going to get me anywhere but playing covers in a piano bar. But that's really just at the surface of the problem. I think what I really would have said was to not be afraid. Don't be afraid to write my own songs, even the bad ones. They eventually get you to the good ones. Don't be afraid to not fit into one genre, or one box, or one neat elevator pitch. It's not about figuring it out...it's just about making music. I still have to remind myself of that...it's a work in progress. I just hope I get lucky...that my music will support a career so I can keep doing this.

To listen to Tora's music, check out her MusicXray EPK here: http://www.musicxray.com/artists/spillingover

The single, Drown, off the newly released album Spilling Over.Now available on iTunes and Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and stores nationwide!: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/spilling-over/id537819841

Friend her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/musictora
- MusicXray

Sunset Sessions, a music industry convention and talent showcase, is coming to the Cosmopolitan from November 8-10, the hotel-casino announced today.

This is the first time in Sunset Sessions’ 15-year history that it will be open to the general public. The event is a key opportunity for musicians and industry power players alike, introducing record labels, radio station programmers, music supervisors, managers, agents and others to emerging and established artists.

The convention has been influential in the careers of numerous newer artists, including the Black Keys, Ryan Adams, Fun. and Jason Mraz. Marquee names like Stevie Nicks, Richie Sambora, Third Eye Blind and Wayne Coyne also have participated in the event.

The Sunset Sessions main stage will be held at the Boulevard Pool and will feature 20 to 30 rising artists. The lineup thus far includes the Parlotones, Susanna Hoffs, Steve Earle, Tora, Courrier, Feral Vinca, Max Gomez, Michael Fitzgerald and Cheating Daylight, with more to be announced soon.

Tickets for the event are free but can only be obtained by making a donation or volunteering time to a nonprofit organization selected by Sunset Sessions, including Three Square, Opportunity Village, Communities in Schools of Nevada and MusiCares. Each local artist who participates in the showcase also will announce its own selection of a nonprofit.

More details on tickets and donations can be found at cosmopolitanlasvegas.com/sunsetsessions.aspx. - Las Vegas Sun

JUNE 13, 2012 - New York City singer/songwriter TORA FISHER found her voice -and salvation- through heartache and loss. After all, it’s not many people who like TORA, walk away as the sole survivor of a tragic plane crash. In her debut CD, SPILLING OVER , a passionate ode to these very themes, TORA explores these feelings track by track and word by word, having written or co-written all the songs on the album, and delivering something that is nothing short of highly personal and intensely. Produced by TORA and MICHAEL MUGRAGE, who also co-wrote several tracks on the CD, SPILLING OVER is set for release July 10th, 2012, via LML MUSIC/ALLEGRO.“This entire album is about men,” says TORA “I guess I find that somewhat ironic because I’m such a strong independent woman who can provide for herself and in the process act like a father figure to many of my friends and family. But that’s probably why it dominates my art. In life I am all of the things a strong woman should be. In music, I’m just a fragile girl who’s had her heart broken by the men I’ve lost both in life and in love.” With a powerful voice and edgy, eclectic style (not to mention those wordsmith prowesses) that bring to mind a combination of TORI AMOS, ADELE, ANN WILSON and CHRISSIE HYNDE, twenty-two year old TORA FISHER is a musical force to be reckoned with. From songs such as “DIRTY SECRET” and “SUMMER EYES” that explore a somewhat forbidden love to classic break-up/heartache songs such as “Nothing” and “For Dead”; from the soaring, anthemic qualities of “FINALLY FREE” to dealing with post traumatic stress in “OWN THE SKIESs” to the emotions of seeing her father’s grave for the first time on “AND I WON'T CRY” and “SECOND TREE FROM THE CORNER” (written when Tora was just thirteen), every track on Tora’s remarkable CD SPILLING OVER causes the listener to pause and think, contemplating the parallels between the songs they are hearing and their very own life experiences. - ROCKWiRED RADiO

New York City singer/songwriter Tora Fisher, who recently signed with manager Chris Keaton, is anticipating the release of her debut album Spilling Over next Tuesday (7/10). The album was produced by Tora and Michael Mugrage, who also co-wrote several tracks on the CD. It will be released via LML Music/Allegro.

“This entire album is about men,” says Tora. “I guess I find that somewhat ironic because I’m such a strong independent woman who can provide for herself and in the process act like a father figure to many of my friends and family. But that’s probably why it dominates my art. In life I am all of the things a strong woman should be. In music, I’m just a fragile girl who’s had her heart broken by the men I’ve lost both in life and in love.” - Music Row

“Tora displays the depth to rally the masses with keenly written lyrics
and expressive vocals.”—Billboard

Of men, grief and love lost, the ability to reveal heartbreak dominates the new album by Tora, who is releasing her debut CD “Spilling Over” July 10th.
The pop rock singer/songwriter Tora will perform at this year’s CBGB Festival in New York City on Friday, July 6th, at 10pm at The Lit Lounge.
She will join heavyweight artists Guided By Voices, Wyclef Jean, Redd Kross, Fishbone, David Johansen and many others who are part of the 2012 version of the infamous annual music festival that mixes new and emerging artists with performances by established talent.
Tora returns to New York straight on the heels of a wildly successful performance at the Sunset Sessions Rocks Radio Promo and Film Supervision Conference June 21-24th in California, where radio and industry peers raved about her visit alongside the likes of Lit, Everclear, Taproot and P.O.D.
"Watching Tora at Sunset Sessions reminded me that I can be surprised by music. I believed her and know large audiences will too,” said James Howard Program- Director WWDC in Washington DC.
Added Ward Hake, Vice President of Music, 20th Century Fox, “If you’ve been wondering if the NYC music scene is still vibrant with new young artists, then you need to check out Tora. Tora is a native New York artist with her own sound and vision.”

With a powerful voice and edgy, eclectic style (not to mention those wordsmith prowesses) that bring to mind a combination of Tori Amos, Adele, Ann Wilson and Chrissie Hynde, twenty-two year old Tora Fisher is a musical force to be reckoned with. Tora found her voice -and salvation- through heartache and loss. Remarkably, the singer was the sole survivor of a tragic plane crash.

In her debut CD, Spilling Over, a passionate ode to these very themes, Tora explores these feelings track by track and word by word, having written or co-written all the songs on the album, and delivering something that is nothing short of highly personal and intensely moving, a passionate song cycle that explores the emotions which emanate from the very depths of the human soul.
From songs such as “Dirty Secret” and “Summer Eyes” that explore a somewhat forbidden love to classic break-up/heartache songs such as “Nothing” and “For Dead”; from the soaring, anthemic qualities of “Finally Free” to dealing with post traumatic stress in “Own The Skies” to the emotions of seeing her father’s grave for the first time on “And I Won’t Cry” and “Second Tree From The Corner” (written when Tora was just thirteen), every track on Tora’s remarkable debut causes the listener to pause and think, contemplating the parallels between the songs they are hearing and their very own life experiences.


a photo from the studio with co-producer and co-songwriter Michael Mugrage. Photo by Seth Glassman.

Accompanying Tora in her debut are stellar musicians Michael Mugrage (who also co-wrote several of the tracks on the album with Tora and produced the CD as well),
Seth Glassman on Bass and Frank Vilardi on Drums.
Spilling Over was written in New York City and recorded at Carriage House Studios and was a project a year in the making.
Said Tora, “I called the album Spilling Over because I finally wrote about all the experiences I was trying to keep inside. Once I gave in to exposing myself on the record, all of the songs nearly exploded out of me. It can be scary to dig that deep but I knew it was the only way the music would be honest and meaningful...and hopefully, touch somebody.”
Accompanying the release will be a series of select concert dates throughout 2012.


Recording artist Tora Fisher sings at the Citi Military Appreciation Day event to honor U.S. veterans and current service members at Citi Pond in Bryant Park on November 11, 2011 in New York City. Source: Simon Russell/Getty Images North America

Monsters and Critics interviewed Tora about her groundbreaking debut effort:
Monsters and Critics: Did you grow up a creative household and if so, how did if influence your career?
Tora: I basically grew up backstage. My Mom and Dad were producing Broadway shows, opera productions and the like. The way some girls try on their mother's pearls and lipstick, I was imitating choreography and musical numbers instead. So being creative and musical wasn't just encouraged it was nourished.
But I think the most influence it had on my career was my perspective about what being a "professional" meant.
I had no disillusions about the hard work and dedication to your craft it takes to be the best. But amidst all the sweat and tears seemed a genuine love for what these artists were doing and that has been my beacon through this adventure. The day I am not absolutely in love with what I am doing, I won't do it anymore. But to be honest, that day is never going to come. Music is my life.
M&C: How have major events in your life - both positive and negative - influenced your art?
Tora: It's hard to skirt around what has always been "the elephant in the room" as far as my art is concerned. I survived a terrible accident that took my father when I was thirteen.
That's the day music transformed for me. It wasn't about just wanting to write songs it was about needing to. I was so overwhelmed by grief, fear, anguish, guilt…you name it.
But I found this beautiful silver lining when my songwriting had transformed overnight to something with substance and emotion and content. That cathartic aspect taught me how to write songs from a real place, and without that I'm not sure where my music would be or if people would hear themselves in it like they do.

M&C: What is your creative process? How do you typically sit down and write a song?
Tora: I feel most at home when writing at the piano. The melody and chords tend to come simultaneously with the lyrics not far behind. Each song has a personality; once I determine the emotional response I have to the chords the content of the song almost always becomes instantly clear.
But My favorite part of the creative process are the spontaneous moments. When I am so overwhelmed by an impulse or emotion that the song comes out of me in full, one sitting, as if it was already written.
I think when a song that you're writing captures a moment in time or emotion so wholly, it takes the burden of it out of your memory. You will always remember but it will never weigh as heavy on you. Kind of like how some people believe a picture can capture a piece of your soul, I believe great songs capture a piece of time. I think thats why I tend to write about my darker moments and the men that I've lost in life and in love…to lighten the load I carry.

M&C: You're also a gifted pianist - did that come naturally or was it "years in the making"?
Tora: It was absolutely years in the making. I started when I was six and it is the best gift my mother ever gave me, I like to say. She insisted that classical training was the best foundation and she pursued every possible avenue to better me as a musician.
I didn't know anything about regular summer camps because I was studying performing arts and piano at Interlochen. I didn't watch TV because I was hammering out Rachmaninoff.
Of course, I had a couple moments where I would throw my hands up and refuse to play another single note, but my mother would always tell me that I would thank her one day.
And a couple weeks after my Dad died, I sat down at the piano and wrote Second Tree (a song that is actually on my new album) and it all clicked. Everything I had been working for, all the classical training and countless hours had prepared me for this.
The moment where I could be fluent enough in the language of music to express my innermost thoughts in my darkest hour. Believe me, I have thanked my mother many, many times over since then.

M&C: When you're not writing or performing, what do you enjoy doing? What is a typical day like in the life of Tora?
Tora: Anyone that sees me in my down time can probably guess I am a huge dog lover. I have a blue Great Dane named Titan that I've raised in NYC since he was eight weeks old. He is a full-time job and doesn't care if I've been out till 3am playing a gig…he's up at 7am and he's ready to run.
But it's a labor of love and nothing melts my heart more than when he lays at my feet when I'm writing at the piano. He absolutely loves the vibrations; I think he finds it soothing. I'm just waiting for the right opportunity to start including him in my album artwork because he definitely is my little (well…big) mascot.
It's been a good, on par day for me if I have written a song and taken my dog to the park. And believe me, I feel all too lucky to be able to say I truly love every day and I surround myself only with what brings me happiness.
M&C: Are you an artist who really enjoys live performances or would you rather let your recordings be how your music is interpreted by your audience?
Tora: I would prefer a live performance any day of the week. It's not just important for me that people know what they hear on the album can be replicated live, but feeding off of the crowd's energy is food for my soul. In a way, though, that's a little selfish of me because I think my more intimate songs are best heard in a room, alone where you can get lost in your own thoughts.
It's not that I want my songs to make you cry, it's that I hope you feel safe enough to do so and that you feel lighter after…just like how I felt after I wrote them. And that's the best way I know how to pay forward my gratitude to the people that believe in my music and in me.
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- Monsters and Critics