Kim Farinacci

Biography, KIM FARINACCI Kim began her love of music at about age 5 she was always singing, whether it was in the car, with her brother yelling “mom does she have to sing every word to every song?” Or sitting by her Grandma's house on her old stereo, singing away for hours on end. The true awakening came when Kim was 12years old & went to her first Bruce Springsteen & the E. Street band concert with her mom,”It was like the whole world opened up to me & I thought wow, I wanna do that!” Said Kim. To top things off they also met Bruce & the band for the first time after that show, from that point on everything was about Bruce for Kim, she learned all his songs & Kim and her mom started going out to New Jersey a lot. Kim & her mom got to know a lot of people around the Jersey Shore scene, not only Bruce, but other locals like Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, John Eddie The Cruisers to name a few. Kim was about 16 years old and sneaking into the clubs with her mom to see Bruce play the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey or Bobby Bandiera (Asbury Jukes) at Cheers in Long Branch, where Bobby asked Kim to sing onstage for the first time ever. They sang “Twist & Shout “ together. From that point on Kim studied all of the influences of the people she was listening to. She was turned onto the Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Motown, Old Stax records & 60's girl groups, which Kim learned everybody's songs & starting singing the in clubs with Bobby, The Cruisers & any other musicians willing to give Kim a shot around the Jersey area. Kim was born & raised in Cleveland Ohio, in order to continue singing around in Jersey Kim's mom & her kept driving back & forth down I-80 from Cleveland to Jersey whenever possible. Back in Cleveland Kim started studying the art of songwriting along with taking vocal lessons around the area to help her along her chosen path. Kim also had a desire to play guitar. Her Grandpa bought her first guitar for her it was a 1969 Fender Tele re-issue, that was bought on Keith Richards birthday. Kim says she always knows when Keith turns a year older so does her guitar. Kim began writing songs about her life around the age of 16, after taking some basic guitar lesson, Kim began putting her words to chords on the guitar. Even early on Kim has always had a very clear perspective about not only her life, but those around her. Her first song written was called “Rough Times”. Kim grew up with her mom & brother. Her mom & dad divorced when Kim was 2 yrs old. Kim was raised by a single mother trying to make the best for her kids, working as much as she could, so for Kim's 1st song written to be called “Rough Times “ is not very surprising. Kim & her mom would travel to see Bruce play anywhere within driving distance. Kim would study Bruce's back-up singer, (now wife) Patti Scialfa's every move at those shows. Kim began singing with Jersey artists onstage & picking up a little something from each one of them. The Cruiser's was a band Kim would perform with frequently at Cheers in Long Branch, they also backed up many nationally known artists including, Gary U.S Bonds (“Quarter to Three”), the Crystals (“He's a Rebel”). It was in Pittsburgh that the Cruisers were doing an oldies show in “91” and on that bill was Gary U.S. bonds, Ronnie Specter & most importantly, Bo Diddley! Kim & her mom met Diddley backstage at that show. Something special happened that night, a relationship that would last forever. Diddley felt something special in Kim & after Kim's mom told him that Kim sang, he asked Kim to send him a tape of her singing he said “ I don't care if its recorded on a 99 cent tape & a paper bag, I just wanna hear what you got.“ Kim practiced her voice & sent a tape to Diddley consisting of three songs “He's a Rebel”,” Da Do Ron Ron” & “ Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?” Bo loved it & soon after invited Kim & her mom down to Albuquerque, NM to his studio to record some songs. Kim didn't have the money to travel down there & not wanting her daughter to miss out on this opportunity, Kim's mom sold her life insurance policy and they hit the road for a cross-country trip. It was on this trip Kim began a love for Route 66, old cars & the freedom that the road gives you. Kim recorded 3 songs with Diddley's producer Scott Free. Kim wrote the lyrics & Free the music on a song called “Power of Rock n' Roll” featuring Diddley on guitar, “He's So Cool” & “Life's to Short”. It was Kim's first time in a recording studio & learned a lot. Not long after that trip Kim began performing around the country with Diddley at various gigs as a special guest of Diddley's. Kim learned by ”the seat of her pants“ with Bo onstage. Kim was featured on the front page of the Arts & Living section of the Cleveland Plain Dealer an article by famous rock journalist Jane Scott it was titled “She Knows Bo”. “I Can't thank Bo enough for everything he has brought to me, he's like family to me!” Kim says. Another artist Kim met along the way was legendary Motown singer Martha Reeves of Martha & The Vandellas. Kim met Martha backstage at a show she was doing with Diddley & began a friendship that also would last until this day. Reeves had told Kim about a new Motown revue act she was personally putting together & invited Kim to Detroit to participate. Every Monday Kim & her mom (Kim didn't drive until she was about 22 yrs old) drove up to Detroit from Cleveland to participate in a class taught by reeves. “Martha would teach us like she was taught at Motown, she taught vocalization, how to walk & how to talk!” Farinacci says, then on Wednesday's Kim would drive back to Detroit & perform with Martha at the “Martha Reeves Motown revue shows” at various clubs around Detroit. Kim says, ”Martha has brought me much knowledge & great spirituality & friendship “ Kim's desire to learn her craft grew stronger she began guitar lessons from Cleveland guitarist Alan “Snake” Globekar, after seeing Globekar perform in a Rolling Stones tribute band called “Beggars Banquet” (later Kim would join the band.) Kim thought, “that's who I want to teach me to play guitar, he played like Keith Richards!” Globekar began teaching Kim guitar but the team began to stray from the lessons when Kim mentioned that they should try to write a song together. It was soon after Kim's Grandma passed away & Kim had some lyrics written for her grandma, it was titled “Angel of Blue”, Globekar put guitar to Kim's words & everyone that heard that song knew, that was the beginning of a great songwriting team. Kim has performed with many legends in music and some not so legends, but it's all the same to Kim. It's the music that's important! There have been many struggles along the way and without her mom's never ending support of Kim none of it would have been possible. Kim continued writing more of her own songs & recorded some with Pittsburgh blues artist Norman Nardini & his band, whom she met in New Jersey. Kim recorded 3 songs she wrote ”Rhythm of the Streets”, “Long Distance Love” & a re-work of “Power of Rock n' Roll” complete with saxophone (Clarence Clemons style). Kim also began singing with Norman at various shows. Kim began working more seriously with Globekar writings songs as a team. Globekar is owner of Electro-Sound studios in Mentor, Ohio. The first of many songs recorded there was a Farinacci/Globekar classic called ”The Night's Still Young”, a song about hitting the road to find yourself. Next up for the songwriting team was a song called “Get Out of My Mind”, which Kim later felt would sound better if a guy sang the vocals. Paul Rodgers of the 70's rock group Bad Company, liked the song so much, it was being considered for the next Bad Company album. Next song up is a song of true heartache called “I Won't Cry Over You”. It's a song that has amazing feeling & has a lyrical twist, although she's not going to cry, she sounds like it & will carry on. ”Shadow Row” is the latest song the duo has written. It is about a man struggling to stay on the right path in life. “Shadow Row” is not a place here, it is a state of mind this person does not want to go back to. It was in September of 2003 that Farinacci had one of her lifetime dreams come true. She had brought Martha Reeves backstage at Bruce Springsteen's show in Detroit at Comerica Park, as a birthday surprise for Springsteen. Bruce asked Reeves if she would sing her song “Heatwave“ with the band & Kim was asked to sing back up with Patti. It was the 2nd encore at the sold-out show, when Reeves & Farinacci hit the stage on “Heatwave”, “It was a dream come true, there I was in front of all those people onstage with Bruce & the band, Martha was taking Detroit over singing and I just thought to myself after all these years of imagining myself onstage with Bruce, here I am, it really was surreal, an amazing experience I'll never forget ever!!” Kim has had some amazing experiences in her young life and has been taught by some of the best in the music industry, not to mention grew up in it. It's Kim turn now to influence other with her own music, which is a great mix of roots rock, country, blues & soul. It is a combination of her many influences she has had ,as you can imagine.