Pittsburgh rocker lives her dream

by Jeanette Gong

Cole Armocida is an out Pittsburgh native who has been on a journey to achieve her dreams of writing, composing and performing music. Part of that dream came true recently with the release of her first CD, Lifeline, under the Numb Chin Records label. Powerful vocals, strong melodies entwined with soulful lyrics and solid musicianship fill this 13 song rock release.

For many years in Pittsburgh, Cole was part of a band called Cole Jacob, and they played to numerous intimate and large audiences from the area bars to the popular Wings, Ribs, Beer & Music Festivals. Many people still remember Cole and her band at their monthly gig at the Liberty Avenue Saloon.

The statement, “You can take the girl out of Pittsburgh, but you can’t take the Pittsburgh out of the girl,” would aptly describe this diehard Steelers fan, despite the fact that she moved to New York City to explore greater opportunities in music. Cole secured a full time job with a health care organization to pay the bills, and this left her with nights and weekends to concentrate on music.

There were times when Cole’s resolve was tested while living in New York.

During September 11th, Cole lived in Battery Park City across from the Twin Towers. With everything that happened and all the challenges, Cole was shocked when she and her partner experienced first hand, discriminatory treatment from a worker of an established relief organization right after the tragedy. The events of that year, including the subsequent demise of her relationship, made Cole even more determined to continue to build upon her dream.

Keeping a band together would prove to be the next challenge. After a few months of rehearsals, her original lead guitarist announced he needed to leave the band. Eventually, Cole was introduced to lead guitarist, Raphael Vareles, and his melodic leads meshed beautifully with Cole’s rhythm guitar.

Recording the CD at Leopard Studios with owner/engineer Jimmy Goodman (he was involved in the recording of The Strokes’ Platinum Album, Is This It?), Cole produced the album. Cole also composed the music and wrote the lyrics for 11 of the songs and co-wrote two songs with her friend, Rob Jacob.

Lifeline is a collection of songs that reflect the classic rock influences that Cole grew up listening to: Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Janis Joplin and Black Sabbath.

Listening to her sing, one can detect the subtle nuances of Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, & Chrissie Hynde.

In the studio, Cole and Raphael were joined by talented upstate New York musicians: bassist, Jim Hare; drummer, Bob Legg; and keyboardist, John Bernitt.

In the recent months, Cole’s CD has ranked among the top twenty on the MySpace Indie Classic Rock charts, with it hitting the number two spot just this past September.

The CDs are distributed by Numb Chin Records primarily through CD Baby, and the digital downloads are available on iTunes.

Due to the electronic media, Cole Armocida has been able to share her music around the world and continues to garner fans internationally. Just recently, Cole has joined the roster of musicians represented by WACBIZ, a music licensing agency for film and television. Cole has learned that one of the benefits of achieving your dream is the actual journey with its frustrations and obstacles, but also, with its joys and the deeper discovery one’s self.

To find out more about Cole Armocida, check www.colearmocida.com and listen to five songs at www.myspace.com/colearmocida .