Backstage Sessions

The World Song Network was founded by former BMG Vice President of Film & Television Music, Art Ford. Ford pioneered the music industry's first song search systems and has made hundreds of song placements in film and television that include Grammy™ and Oscar™ nominated cues.Art has licensed songs in films such as The Equalizer 2, Christopher Robin, Cars 3, The Body Guard, Hannah Montana, Austin Powers, Men In Black, Batman Forever, XXX: State Of The Union, and many others. He has also placed songs in television shows such as Desperate Housewives, CSI Miami, and Las Vegas, Nip/Tuck, and many high-level advertising campaigns that include Coca-Cola, Toyota, Citibank, and Mercedes Benz.As a result of Ford's reputation in the synchronization area, he was brought in as the Music Supervisor for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Pete Thorn Bio-While prolific guitar sideman Pete Thorn may refer to himself as a “guitar nerd” – his resume proves he's anything but. His effortless, dynamic playing has landed him onstage alongside such legendary artists as Don Henley, Chris Cornell and Melissa Etheridge among others — and his debut solo CD Guitar Nerd garnered critical praise and landed on CD Baby's top selling albums list.Channeling his inner gear nerd, Thorn has taken to demonstrating guitar gear and accessories on his wildly popular Youtube channel (at this writing, 90,000 subscribers and growing rapidly). Pete's videos have so far garnered more than 17 million views – proving there's a lot of “guitar nerds” out there. But if a lifelong, unabashed passion for playing guitar in all its styles and permutations with some of the best artists in the world qualifies as “nerd” status…? Then Pete Thorn is, indeed, a fabulous guitar nerd.FELIPE TORRES Drums/Percussion/Backing Vocal Performance /Recording Artist/ClinicianFelipe has performed around the USA, Europe, Japan, Australia, and Canada, as well as appearing on The CBS Morning Show, TV Land, The Biography Channel, The Modern Drummer Festival 2008 and has had his articles published on the Evans and Vic Firth websites. He has toured with OURS, The Monkees, David Cassidy, Chubby Checker, the Davy Jones Band, Gene Cornish of The Rascals, Reagan Youth, and Popa Chubby. As an instructor and clinician, Felipe has been teaching drums, guitar and bass guitar for over 20 years.

His sensational drumming and brilliant communications skills have earned Dom Famularo a reputation of being the world's leading motivational drum set artist / educator. Through history-making tours of China and the Far East, and with standing ovations to capacity audiences at virtually every major drumming event in Europe and the Americas, this vibrant performer from Long Island, New York is renowned for delivering entertaining and awe-inspiring performances unlike any other.Tutored by legendary greats Joe Morello, Jim Chapin, Al Miller, Charlie Perry, Colin Bailey, Shelly Manne, Papa Jo Jones and Ronnie Benedict, Dom combines the masterful techniques of the past with the parameter-pushing concepts of today's music for a highly creative and uniquely personal style of drumming. With hands powered by the famous Moeller technique and feet dancing through high-speed double-pedal bass drumming patterns he delivers performances that dip and dive through dynamics and styles with energy and ease. The first Western drummer to perform clinics in China, Dom is accustomed to making headlines. He was a special guest performer at the first-ever Buddy Rich Tribute Concert, an event which he helped organize. He was a highlight as host and performer at the Pacific Rim Drum Invitational (the first drum event to be simulcast live on the Internet), and he's a primary attraction at star-studded drumming events such as the LaRioja Drumming Festival, Koblenz International Drummer Meeting in Germany, the Florida Drum Expo, the Paris Music Show, the massive Ultimate Drummers Day in Australia, the Heartbeat World Rhythm spectacle for Canadian TV, and the Montreal Drumfest.Dom doesn't rely on major band affiliations as a claim to fame, but performances with the Buddy Rich Big Band, B.B. King, Lionel Hampton, Chuck Leavell (Rolling Stones), T Lavitz (The Dixie Dregs), and the Louie Bellson Big Band reveal the pedigree of his playing. He has shared the stage with Dave Weckl, Steve Gadd, Vinnie Colaiuta, Simon Phillips, Billy Cobham, Bernard Purdie, Rod Morgenstein, Chester Thompon, Terry Bozzio, Will Calhoun, Deen Castronovo, Russ McKinnon, Chad Smith, Mark Schulman, Denny Carmassi, Liberty DeVitto and Jim Chapin in worldwide drumming events. In addition to large drumming expos and clinic tours, Dom is an active educator at colleges, drum schools and camps. He has performed at the Percussive Arts Society Convention (PASIC), Percussion Institute of Technology (PIT) in Hollywood California, Drummers Collective in NY, KOSA Camp in Vermont USA, North Texas State University, the Graham Cole Percussion Camp in England, and Drummers Camp in the Black Forest of Germany and many others. In addition, he is an in-demand consultant to major music corporations, and serves as Education consultant for Sabian Cymbals, Vater Drum Sticks, Mapex Drums, Remo Drumheads, SE Microphones, and Wizdom Media for whom he oversees programs worldwide.Michael Leasure has held the drum chair in Walter Trout's band since 2008.Mike Leasure was born in Alhambra, California in 1968. He is the youngest of six children. He found his life's calling at the ripe old age of six while sitting in his mother's kitchen. His mother was doing the dishes while listening to the radio. At one point a Benny Goodman tune came on and the young boy, captivated by the drumming of Gene Krupa, picked up some pots and pans and began flailing away in accompaniment."Leasure made his debut as drummer for The Edgar Winter Band in March 2005. "I was nervous and the sound check didn't go all that well. But once we all walked out on stage, everything just kind of fell into place." Leasure played 50 shows with Winter in 2005 & 2006. Michael has worked with Guitar Phenom Philip Sayce for the past six years and is currently touring the world this summer with Blues/Rock legend, Walter Trout.

Frank Simes is a Grammy-nominated and platinum-record awarded musician, guitarist, songwriter, composer, and record producer. As The Who and Roger Daltrey's musical director and multi-instrumentalist, he has brought fresh elements to the sounds and arrangements for the world tours of Tommy, Quadrophenia, and The Who Hits 50!, as well as the 2012 Olympics performance. Frank recorded with Mick Jagger on the Wandering Spirit album, and was musical director for Stevie Nicks on her Enchanted tour. Having toured extensively and recorded with Don Henley as a guitarist and vocalist, he also co-wrote Workin' It and Goodbye to a River with Henley, and is featured as the band leader on the Inside Job DVD. Frank Simes has also recorded or performed with Rod Stewart, Don Felder, Charlotte Church, Mylène Farmer, Sylvie Vartan, Engelbert Humperdinck, David Lee Roth, Warren Zevon, Roger Waters, and Martha Davis. He recorded on Roger Daltrey's Moonlighting CD and DVD, is interviewed and performs on The Who's documentary An Amazing Journey and performs in The Who's Quadrophenia Live in London DVD. Frank has composed over 1,500 pieces of music for Paramount TV, Cord Worldwide, Los Angeles Post Music, Boyd Communications, and OPM Productions, including national TV commercials, and scores and cues for TV and film. He scored and sang lead vocals in a scene of Stephen King's film Cell, starring John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson. Frank also composes original guitar and piano pieces in the contemporary, Modern, Baroque, and Romantic styles, which were recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Simes produced a version of Let My Love Open the Door for a Teenage Cancer America commercial with Roger Daltrey on vocals. Simes and partner, Lisa Verlo, composed and authored two musicals: The Door and Sex Rated G: A One Woman Show With A Man In It. Sex Rated G was produced and performed at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. Frank composed the music for Verlo's one-woman show HOLLYWOODN'T, which was nominated for the Larry Cornwall Award for Musical Excellence and received a Producer's Encore Award at Hollywood Fringe Festival 2019. Frank Simes wrote People Like To Rock, a jingle that was used for a Honda commercial for six consecutive years. Simes' current projects include writing a memoir, and developing a documentary and an immersive dome production based on his keynote talk entitled The Big Strum Theory, which makes a connection between music, science, and spirituality.Felipe has been touring in bands for over 15 years in the New York City area. He has performed around the USA, Europe, Japan, Australia, and Canada, as well as appearing on The CBS Morning Show, TV Land, The Biography Channel, The Modern Drummer Festival 2008 and has had his articles published on the Evans and Vic Firth websites. He has toured with OURS, The Monkees, and Chubby Checker, the Davy Jones Band, Reagan Youth, and Popa Chubby . He is also currently in original metal band ZIRE'S WAR fronted by Joey Z of Life Of Agony.As a session drummer, Felipe prides himself on his instincts as to what the music needs, for any style or performer. It's never about “Him.” That makes him an in demand musician, besides being easy to work with as a person.Teaching drums for the last 18 years has also led Felipe to start performing clinics around the country as well as produce his own online video series, Flip of the Week. He specializes in teaching from beginners to advanced players on drum set and orchestral percussion, reading, rudiments, and various styles of music. Felipe proudly endorses Evans Drumheads, DDrum Electronics, Amedia Cymbals, 

rammy® Nominated vocalist and composer Carmen Lundy began her professional career in Miami, FL when there were very few young, gifted and aspiring jazz vocalists on the horizon. Over four decades later, Ms. Lundy is celebrated throughout the world for her vocal artistry and is highly regarded for her jazz innovation.A native of Miami, Florida, Carmen Lundy's path to being one of today's most talented and respected jazz singers began at age six, with her first piano lessons. She was deeply inspired by her mother who was then lead singer in the gospel group, The Apostolic Singers. Ms. Lundy attended The University of Miami as an Opera major, but soon discovered that jazz was where her talent really shone. While working steadily in the Miami Jazz scene, she graduated with a degree in Studio Music and Jazz, one of the first singers to do so. Lundy then moved to New York City in 1978, and in 1991 relocated to the Los Angeles area and continued her storied career, impressing the notoriously critical jazz cognoscenti and audiences alike.Currently on the Afrasia Productions label, Carmen is a 2021 Grammy® Nominated artist for her 15th album Modern Ancestors, for Best Jazz Vocal Album.  Her previous release, 2017's Code Noir, debuted at #6 on the Billboard Jazz Chart to both critical and popular acclaim. Carmen's full discography consists of “Good Morning Kiss”, “Moment To Moment”, “Night And Day, “Old Devil Moon”, “Self Portrait”, “Something To Believe In”, “This Is Carmen Lundy”, “Jazz and The New Songbook – Live at The Madrid”, “Come Home”, “Solamente”, “Changes”, “Soul To Soul” and “Code Noir”.  All have topped the Best Albums and Top Ten Albums lists on Billboard, JazzWeek, Downbeat, and JazzTimes.Carbé and Durand are a Latin guitar duo performing original music and their own arrangements of rock, pop and blues. The Carbé and Durand Latin guitar duo are part of the world music group Incendio. They fashion their original music (as well as popular songs by other artists) on two nylon string guitars. Their fiery approach to playing the Spanish guitar excites and invigorates audiences everywhere they perform. They mix Latin rhythms and romantic melodies with heart felt blues and rock energy.

Rudy Sarzo is a professional recording and performing artist worldwide with a career spanning over 35 years. As a member of Ozzy Osbourne's band, from March 1981 to September 1982, Rudy toured the world in support of the “Blizzard of Ozz” and “Diary Of a Madman” records. His bass playing can be heard on Ozzy's multimillion selling CD “Tribute” and “Speak of the Devil” CD and DVD. As a member of Quiet Riot from 1982 to 1985, Rudy recorded the multi-platinum albums “Metal Health," the first Heavy Metal debut to reach #1 on the Billboard charts, and “Condition Critical." During this period he headlined worldwide tours, appeared on numerous MTV videos and was voted #1 Bassist in Circus Magazine for 1983. As a member of Whitesnake from April 1987 to September 1994, Rudy recorded the multi-platinum album “Slip of the Tongue." During this period he also performed worldwide on headline tours in support of the multiplatinum “1987” and “Slip of the Tongue” albums and appeared on six MTV videos. As a member of the reunited Quiet Riot from 1997 to 2003, Rudy performed worldwide on headlining tours and as special guests in support of the Quiet Riot CDs “Alive and Well” and "Guilty Pleasure." He also appeared on VH1's Quiet Riot, Behind the Music. In November of 2003, “Quiet Riot Live in The 21st Century” DVD was released after the group disbanded. Rudy's recordings with all of these artists combined have sold over 30 million copies. In February of 2004, Rudy joined Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force for the U.S. 30 city “Attack Tour." In April of 2004, Rudy became member of the multi-platinum Heavy Metal group DIO and remained the band's bassist until Ronnie's passing in 2010. During that time Rudy toured the world with DIO and recorded the "Holy Diver 25th Anniversary LIVE" DVD and CD and DIO's last studio track "Elektra."  In addition, when Rudy was not busy with DIO, he toured the world with Blue Oyster Cult until 2012.From 2013 through 2014 Rudy was a recording and touring member of Geoff Tate's Queensryche. In 2005, Rudy published the Kindle #1 Best Selling book, "Off the Rails: Aboard the Crazy Train in the Blizzard of Ozz." Today, Rudy continues to tour and record as a solo artist and with such bands as Animetal USA, Project Rock and GUNZO.FELIPE TORRES Drums/Percussion/Backing Vocal Performance /Recording Artist/ClinicianFelipe has performed around the USA, Europe, Japan, Australia, and Canada, as well as appearing on The CBS Morning Show, TV Land, The Biography Channel, The Modern Drummer Festival 2008 and has had his articles published on the Evans and Vic Firth websites. He has toured with OURS, The Monkees, David Cassidy, Chubby Checker, the Davy Jones Band, Gene Cornish of The Rascals, Reagan Youth, and Popa Chubby. As an instructor and clinician, Felipe has been teaching drums, guitar and bass guitar for over 20 years.

Billy Sheehan has played bass on dozens of records and toured all over the world for many decades. His unique and original style of playing has been celebrated and documented everywhere. His playing, singing, songwriting, and contributions to his many recordings have resulted in millions of records sold, Platinum and Gold status worldwide, Reader's Poll Awards too many to list, Number #1 hits, Number #1 Video's, sold-out shows, and most importantly the mutual love, friendship and respect between himself and many millions of fans around the globe.Starting in his hometown of Buffalo, NY in the early '70's with the now legendary hard rock trio Talas, he went on to join David Lee Roth in the summer of '85 when Dave quit Van Halen to go out on his own. Along with Steve Vai & Gregg Bissonette, the legendary Eat ‘Em and Smile record and tour went on to platinum status and sold out shows everywhere. Leaving in 1987 to start his own new band, he founded Mr. Big, who went on to achieve a number one hit in fourteen countries, staying number 1 in the USA BillBoard charts for 3 solid weeks. Along with Mr Big members Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert and Pat Torpey, they recorded and toured the world for a decade more, till disbanding in 2002. During that time he found time to start “Niacin” a fusion/blues trio based around the Hammond B3 sound that featured drummer Dennis Chambers. He rejoined his old bandmate Steve Vai for several tours as well as Steve's “Real Illusions” record and tour. After he released several solo records and much more, Mr Big reunited in 2009 and performed a sold-out world tour, and then recorded “What If…” in 2011…to rave reviews and another sold-out world tour.Most recently Billy joined Mike Portnoy and Richie Kotzen to form “:The Winery Dogs”. Their first release in July of 2013 entered the BillBoard Top 200 Albums at #27…and has been received everywhere with spectacular reviews and sold-out shows.With his history of live performances and/or recordings with Talas, UFO, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, Niacin, Steve Vai and now The Winery Dogs, he has had ahuge and undeniable influence on modern bass playing that has spread all over the globe, and will continue for many years to come.Francesco DiCosmoHaving been influenced by a musical family, I began singing at age five. I started teaching myself bass at age fourteen when I was inspired by Various artists in Rock, Prog Rock, Blues, R&B, and Funk and Fusion music. I studied Music theory with Schuyler Collins from the Berkley School of Music, and Voice with Master Vocal technician Nikki Cukor in New York.For several years I played bass and was lead vocalist for several top drawing bands on the east coast club circuit. I then decided to move on to Los Angeles, to further pursue my music career. I was one of the TOP TEN BASSISTS picked by BILLY SHEEHAN for the MUSICIAN'S INSTITUTE Scholarship Contest. I then attended the well-known school, not only graduating at the top of the class with the VOCATIONAL HONORS AWARD, but also receiving the HUMAN RELATIONS AWARD at M.I. in 1995. This led me to assistant teaching and private instruction at Musician's Institute