Perry Farrell (born Perry Bernstein on March 29, 1959)[1] is a Jewish-American musician who is the frontman for the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction. Farrell created the touring festival Lollapalooza as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction in 1991; it has since evolved into an annual festival. Farrell continues to produce Lollapalooza with partners William Morris Agency and C3. Farrell has also led the alternative rock groups Porno For Pyros and Satellite Party. Peretz (פרץ) is his Hebrew name, as well as his DJ moniker DJ Peretz.
Personal life
Farrell was born in Queens, New York to a Jewish family. He spent his grade school years in Woodmere, Long Island and moved to Miami during his teens.[1] His father was a jeweler; his mother was an artist who committed suicide when Farrell was three, an event later noted in the Jane's Addiction song "Then She Did". His early musical influences included The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Sly Stone and James Brown.[1] Soon after, he discovered David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed . Following graduation from high school, Farrell moved to California in the early 1980s to live as a surfer, lived in his car and made money working construction and waiting tables.[2][3][4][5] Farrell has been sighted at premier surfing destinations throughout the world, most notably Bali, in 2001.
In 2002, Farrell married Etty Lau Farrell, a professional dancer who has performed in all the Jane's Addiction shows since the 1997 Relapse tour. The couple now have two sons together, Hezron Wolfgang and Izzadore Bravo. In a video interview with Blender Online, Farrell says of his wife, "Etty and I have been working together since 1997. The very first time I saw her come in and shake her... ponytail, I hired her and I fell in love with her on the spot. We travel together and we have a collective memory. So in another words, I don't remember anything and she just reminds me of everything. So we share this memory bank. And it ain't a bad thing waking up with a hot chick in your bed everyday."
Music career
Psi Com
He became the frontman for the gothic rock band Psi Com in Los Angeles, and traveled in a larger community of area musicians including the bands X, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fishbone, and The Minutemen. Psi Com broke up around 1985 and Farrell met Eric Avery through mutual friends. The two began jam sessions which would become the initial foundation for Jane's Addiction. It was during this period that Peretz chose the pseudonym Perry Farrell for himself as a play on the word 'peripheral'.[6]
Jane's Addiction (1985 – 1991)
Jane's Addiction made its name in mid-1980s LA by building up a rabid fan base with legendary, high-energy shows in small LA rock clubs, driven by Farrell's high-pitched singing, manic dancing and drug-fueled general showmanship. Jane's Addiction, prior to their first break-up released three albums Jane's Addiction, Nothing's Shocking and Ritual De Lo Habitual with the latter being their most critically acclaimed. A B-sides album from the Ritual sessions, titled Live and Rare was released in Japan.
In 1993 Perry Farrell and his girlfriend Casey Niccoli released a film called Gift that features Jane's Addiction. It is a romantic tragedy, with drug themes. Gift was released by Warner Brothers.
Porno for Pyros (1992 – 1998)
Following the break-up of Jane's Addiction, Farrell formed Porno for Pyros with former bandmate Stephen Perkins as well as newcomers Peter DiStefano on guitar and Martyn LeNoble on bass. Together they released two albums, Porno for Pyros and Good God's Urge.
During this period, Jane's Addiction also reformed for a brief reunion tour with Flea replacing Avery on bass. The 1997 'Relapse Tour' was supported with the release of Kettle Whistle, a rarities album featuring four newly recorded songs.
Jane's Addiction's 'Strays' Era (2001 – 2004)
Farrell is sometimes credited with changing the fortunes of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.[7] Following the festival's disastrous first year in 1999, the event was not held in 2000. In 2001, a decision was made to organize the festival again, but just a few months before the festival was set to occur, there was still no headlining group. Farrell, who was friends with the festival's organizers, decided to reunite Jane's Addiction for the 2001 event, which helped draw large crowds and allowed the festival to yield a profit (which was not the case in 1999). This also started a Coachella tradition of reuniting at least one major artist each year. To date, Farrell is the only performer that has played every Coachella.
Farrell again toured with Jane's Addiction in 2001 and 2003. In 2003, Jane's Addiction released an album Strays. It quickly became one of their best selling records in the world and was certified gold in the USA and silver in UK.[8][9] They toured extensively in North America and Europe, brought back Lollapalooza for the first time since 1997. as well as performing at the Big Day Out festivals in Australia and New Zealand. Internal struggles saw the band split up again in early 2004. A "Best Of" release following the break up of this incarnation of the band was released in 2006, titled Up From the Catacombs.
Satellite Party (2004 - 2008)
Farrell performing at the London Astoria in June 2007
Farrell recently formed a new band–theatrical entity entitled The Satellite Party. Satellite Party is a concept album and is the story of about a fictional band of musicians called The Solutionists who are trying to change the world.[10] Farrell conceived the project with his wife Etty Lau Farrell. Etty sings and plays her part on the record as well as the live stage shows. Satellite Party made its debut in Los Angeles at The Key Club on July 18, 2005, followed by a performance at Lollapalooza 2005, held in Grant Park in downtown Chicago on July 24, 2005.
Their debut album, Ultra Payloaded, was released on May 29, 2007, on Columbia Records, with contributions from artists such as John Frusciante and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, electronic dance producers Hybrid, former Red Hot Chili Peppers/Pearl Jam drummer Jack Irons, Joy Division/New Order bassist Peter Hook, and Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas.[11]
Satellite Party performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 27, 2007. On June 29, 2007, Satellite Party performed alongside Pearl Jam, Kings of Leon and Queens of the Stone Age at Rock Werchter, Belgium. They also performed at Buzz Beach Ball 3 in Kansas City, Missouri (a concert sponsored by KRBZ), and EndFest 16 in Seattle, Washington.
Jane's Addiction's Return
The four original members of Jane's Addiction played their first show together in 17 years at the first United States edition of the NME Awards on April 23, 2008 and have played two small shows in Los Angeles during Winter 2008. The band is also the first American band to receive the "God Like Genius" Award. The reunited Jane's Addiction re-debuted at SXSW in 2009 and kicked off a summer tour with Nine Inch Nails.
Solo career and 'Perry and Etty' (1999 – present)
To kickstart his solo career, Farrell released Rev in 1999, a compilation featuring songs from his previous two bands as well as two new solo songs. In 2001, he released his debut solo album, Song Yet To Be Sung, whose lyrics are inspired by Kabballah. It was a departure from rock music for Perry and marked his entrance into the genre of dance music.
He occasionally DJs under the stage name of DJ Peretz.
Perry has recently released a number of solo tracks online, all of them recorded with the involvement of wife Etty Lau Farrell. Their song "Go All the Way (Into the Twilight)" appeared on the Twilight soundtrack which debuted at #1 on the US charts before the movie was even released.[12]
Farrell is the only person who has performed at all eight Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festivals to date, having appeared under five different names (Perry Farrell, Jane's Addiction, DJ Peretz, Satellite Party, and with Hybrid). DJ Peretz and The Chemical Brothers are the only names to have appeared on the festival's lineup card more than four times.
Lollapalooza
In 1991, prior to Jane's Addiction dissolving, Farrell, Ted Gardener, and Marc Geiger created the Lollapalooza festival as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction. From its inception through 1997, and its revival in 2003, the festival toured North America. In 2004, the festival organizers decided to expand the dates to two days per city, however poor ticket sales forced the 2004 tour to be canceled.[13] In 2005, Farrell and the William Morris Agency partnered up with Austin, Texas-based company Capital Sports Entertainment (now C3 Presents) and retooled it into its current format as a weekend destination festival in Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois. Farrell is therefore generally acknowledged as one of the "godfathers" of alternative rock music.
Kidzapalooza
In 2005, music producer Tor Hyams approached Farrell with the idea of creating a kids' stage with family-friendly fare at Lollapalooza. Kidzapalooza came to be that year, produced by Hyams and continues to this day with guests like Slash, Patti Smith and Leann Rimes appearing in the lineup of artists.[14]
PurimPalooza 2006
In 2006, Farrell performed at Purimpalooza, which celebrates the Jewish holiday of Purim and the birthday of Rabbi Yosef Langer. It was a concert for all ages and presented different Jewish musical groups. It took place in Ruby Skye in San Francisco, and featured bands including Moshav, Chutzpah, and Matisyahu.
Work outside music
In December 2001, Farrell flew into politically troubled Sudan with other members of Christian Solidarity International to negotiate the release of Sudanese slaves. Jane's Addiction donated their earnings from one concert for the redemption of over 2,300 people. Once the redemption agreement was signed, Farrell started up freedom parties at various redemption sites.
He joined forces with Tom Morello and his Axis of Justice tour to raise money for the homeless in Los Angeles and together they both physically removed debris in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to assist local musicians.[15] They also funded "Road to Recovery" which rescues youths from abusive homes.
"He began dancing and singing," said an associate; "I wasn't sure what would happen, but then everyone joined in. Everyone was dancing. Even the Arab retrievers joined in. It was Christians, Muslims, and Jews all dancing together. Arabs, Africans, Americans, and Europeans — all."[citation needed]
Farrell also met with British Prime Minister Tony Blair at 10 Downing Street on January 31, 2007, to discuss global warming. He presented Blair with a CD of the Satellite Party track "Woman in the Window".
Farrell is also an environmentalist, and plans to become a digital-only artist for his next release.[16]
Discography
Psi Com
Jane's Addiction
Porno for Pyros
Solo
- 1999 Rev (Compilation)
- 2001 Song Yet to be Sung
Satellite Party
Misc musical appearances and collaborations
References
External links
