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On the Rise in Florida:
In addition to having loads of talent, this dynamic
duo puts on a show that rivals that of the biggest names
in pop-country today! It's clear with every performance
North 2 South has great passion for what they do. Frank's
impressive guitar chops, Cindy's powerful, flexible
voice, plus their ability to work any crowd is catapulting
them to the top! Add in professionalism and great songwriting,
and you've got one unstoppable force. Meet North 2 South.
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North 2 South...a moniker that perfectly describes this songwriting team's journey across a pleasant and varied musical landscape threaded with common colors. New country is the basis here - lightly infused with a refreshing element of pop, blues/rock and even the occasional jazzy sounding riff; markedly bringing into focus the unique style and vision of this Florida based country/rock duo. All Messed Up, the first cut from their freshman indie CD "Cruisin", was nominated for Best Country Song in the 2004 JPF Music Awards. They traveled to Nashville last year as well to record a four-song demo/EP titled "Hazard Zone", with Mark Olivierius of OMG Productions at the helm and are enjoying radio play on community radio stations around the country and even internationally in Holland on BRTO Radio/Television.
On December 3, 2005, North 2 South was very pleased
to announce the release of their sophomore CD,
Front Row Ticket; on their own newly launched
label, Hidalgo Records.
Singer/Songwriters Cindy Lucas and Frank J. LaRosa (who is also a multi-instrumentalist and studio-tech wizard) successfully capture the essence of each song through lyrical, musical and artistic interpretation.
The hodgepodge of musical influences began in
very different parts of the country for the duo.
Frank was born and raised in the Philadelphia,
PA area taking up the guitar as a youngster at
the age of 10. As his musical interests and tastes
expanded he began playing coffee shops covering
hits by Jim Croce, James Taylor, Simon & Garfunkel,
America and the Eagles as well as writing songs
with friends. LaRosa's later influences varied
to include Earth, Wind and Fire, Toto, Al Jarreau,
Chick Corea, Elton John and Richard Marx among
others. He took up piano in high school and under
the tutelage of his piano instructor began to
enter competitions and was granted entry to Indiana
State University as a piano major. The words "prodigy"
and "gifted" were used regularly to
describe him.
He dropped out of school a couple of years later with the knowledge that he just didn't want to focus on a career in classical music, but instead wanted to pursue songwriting in the Top 40 realm. He moved to Los Angeles shortly thereafter and began writing songs and working in the studio of Michael Sembello (who wrote and sung the hit Maniac from Flashdance). LaRosa later went on to co-score an NBC movie of the week through Sembello's music production company, engineered such artists as Jermaine Jackson and the Temptations in the studio and continued to write songs with varied lyricists. He moved to the east coast in the early nineties, after becoming disillusioned with the dog-eat-dog world of the fading dance music scene and in need of a change.
It was there that he met Cindy Lucas, a local
singer/songwriter who was working in a rock and
roll cover band while writing and recording her
own demos on the side. Lucas had cut her musical
teeth in local bars for years and won major vocal
competitions in the Tampa Bay area. Her powerful
voice and emotive lyrics – as well as her
versatility were well known among her peers. Spending
most of her teens and early adulthood in Florida
and Alabama, Lucas had been “rocked, emotionally
moved or "influenced" in some way by
such varied artists as Steve Perry/Journey, Ann
Wilson of Heart, Dale Krantz (Rossington Collins),
Bob Seger, Mariah Carey, Aretha, Melissa Etheridge,
Earth Wind & Fire and such crossover country
artists as Crystal Gayle, Rita Coolidge, Eagles
and Restless Heart while growing up and in her
teens. "When I was a kid, Loretta Lynn, Glen
Campbell, Kenny Rogers and Tammy Wynette were
the staple with my folks. . . so there's definitely
country roots there too." Lucas also describes
herself as a total "Steely Dan-o-phile"
and a fetish she and LaRosa share with equal fervor.
"We have this fun inside joke kind of game
that we play where we try to find a place to incorporate
one of those wild, jazzy 'Steely Dan' chords in
every song we write...even though we are pop/country.
Sort of. LOL. Personally, I think we oughtta start
our own genre. I think we already have."
The two clicked personally and professionally
and after marrying they set up house and home-recording
studio and got to work. Initially, they continued
working on their own respective recording projects,
but later learned that they felt better working
together. They began working on the songs that
would become the current project a couple of years
ago writing, recording. . . and tossing several
songs before coming to where they are creatively.
Their musical journey carried them to Nashville
in 1999, where they worked with a producer who
hired some of the top studio musicians in Nashville
to play on the individual project(s) he was producing
for each of them.
But a nagging feeling of in their own words: "needing
to write much better songs and songs that more
represented our individual tastes and creativity"
took them back to Florida to their own studio.
They were tens of thousands of dollars lighter
in the wallet and at one point they even toyed
with the idea of quitting music all together.
But inner-strength, a renewed confidence and love
of their art took over instead and with it came
the determination to self-produce their own project.
It was also the turning point when they decided
to abandon individual recording careers and merge.
And thus, here is North 2 South today. What does
the future hold? "Pretty much wherever our
music takes us locally, regionally. . . or even
nationally. We are just grateful for every opportunity
to share our music with people. It's the ultimate
communication and a sharing of something creative
that makes people feel something they could relate
to on some level."
"We feel very blessed to be a part of the
music community as a whole. . . and of the Tampa
JPF Chapter with the many friends we've made and
the great opportunity we've had to share our art,
hear some other great songwriters and artists
and to network with them. It strengthens the music
scene as a whole when we support each other in
this way."
"Our ultimate goals? It's all about making
music and having fun!" Who's gonna argue
with that? So grab the keys, drop the top –
and let's Cruise . . . with North 2 South!
Buy North 2 South CDs:
cdbaby.com
towerrecords.com
North 2 South downloads available at:
www.burnlounge.com/north2southemporium
soon to be at iTunes.
Visit
North 2 South's Website |
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"First off,
we'd like to say WOW. What an honor! There's just
so much talent featured here on this website and
we feel very blessed to have a place here. Secondly,
we'd like to thank Nubzilla. . . and of course
his parents, Sheila and Chris for being such incredible
supporters of local, regional and national indie
talent in this way. . . showcasing their music,
their visual arts and/or their poetry and helping
them to reach out and communicate their vision
to the many in a way that otherwise might not
have been possible for them. In an industry that
is so competitive, to see someone like Sheila
who is an artist herself wholeheartedly promoting
and supporting other talent with the same fervor
that she promotes her own music is refreshing
and exemplifies a TRULY inspiring example of networking
and fellowship that is so rare. Sheila, Chris
and Nubzilla. . . thank you SO very much for all
you do."
– Cindy and Frank |
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