Music We Love: Tony Ferraro
Image by Aubrey Mortensen
Tony Ferraro is not messing around, guys. His exhaustive tally of appearances as both a bassist and singer/songwriter for the myriad of Denton album releases in the past year alone is enough to make one wonder when the man ever sleeps. Sprinkle in his authorship of the Lil' Brenda cartoon series, his dedication to education in Denton by performing at various fundraisers for The Koan School, and his stellar performance for Rock Lottery 14 this past November, and what has evolved in front of aesthetic Denton is a musical fiend who refuses to sit down.
A Parrot Buys a Hotel is Ferraro’s most recent solo effort. There is an essence of the other bands listed on Ferraro’s impressive resume as he’s joined by Dave Howard from Satans of Soft Rock on bass, Ryan Becker of Hares on the Mountain on guitar and piano, and Justin Collins from Hares on drums. The album was produced by Collins and Ferraro at Satisfactory Recording Co. in Denton. While the lineup is familiar, A Parrot Buys a Hotel is brand-new, gritty, unadulterated Ferraro with a bit to chomp.
The album lists 10 tracks, each with its own story that depicts the range of human emotions as can only be told in Tony-speak. Irony, satire, a little bit of cynicism, and eventually a settled gratitude of the world in front of us. The first track entitled ‘In the Small of the Night’ boasts: “If you want to walk me to the end of my patience and tie a rope around my toes…you can, ya know.” The album's third song, ‘The God of Homosexuals’ contains the can’t-un-see-this-in-my-head gem: “Detective, I see you pissing in the sink and scratching bites you cannot lick.” Not to be outdone with his mastery of metaphor, Ferraro dials down his feelings in track 5 with ‘I Don’t Relax’ (penned by Collins) and repeats as a lullaby: “I need you in my life, I need you in my sleep.”
A Parrot Buys a Hotel is the new Spring must-have album to accent the cadre of already-released albums that Ferraro has splattered with his satiric tongue since 2005 (see releases by former past bands Eaton Lake Tonics and Satans of Soft Rock). Ferraro’s new album can be streamed right now on Bandcamp, and CDs will be available at Mad World Records and Recycled Books and Records on Friday, March 4th. While Ferraro will not be performing solo at 35 Denton, he will perform with Daniel Markham on Friday, March 11th at 11:00 pm at Dan’s Silverleaf, and with Hares on the Mountain on Saturday, March 12th at 7:30 pm on Main Stage 2.