lara
Lara
has been singing all her life and her passion
for music
shows when she performs. From
a very
young age, she watched her father, Larry Gressley, sing in front of
large
audiences.
She was
amazed by his voice
and aspired to sing like him. To
this
day, they sing together and have recorded duets of their favorite
songs, and
Larry remains her biggest influence.
Lara has developed her
powerful voice over the years by singing
a wide
range of music, including Gospel, Pop, Soul, Funk, Country, Blues,
Jazz, and
Rock n’ Roll. Among
Lara’s major
influences are Joni Mitchell, Tori Amos, Aretha Franklin, Sheryl Crow,
Paula
Cole, Trisha Yearwood, and Celine Dion.
Lara’s
favorite music is current Rock and Pop, so
she brings a
contemporary flavor to THE BASH!! and helps makes the band more than
just a
Classic Rock cover band. She
sings a
wide variety of music, including male leads that she “gender
bends,” such as
Journey, The Baby’s, Bon Jovi, Edgar Winter, etc.
Lara
got much of her
experience singing
leads for several
bands in Northern California. Lara
had
the honor of singing with some of the best musicians in California, one
of whom
was the former singer/guitar player for Sly and the Family Stone, Gail
“Mojo”
Muldrow, who also toured with Prince. Lara has learned techniques
developed by Judy Davis, who taught
Frank
Sinatra, Barbara Streisand, Eddie Money, Judy Garland, and many
others. Although
Lara has never
received formal
training, her father taught her many techniques, including how to sing
properly
and take good care of her voice. Lara
can sing upwards of 40 songs in one gig and several nights in a row,
which is a
testament to her dedication and stamina as a professional vocalist.
Throughout
college and Law School, Lara
never gave up
singing.
Even today,
as
a busy attorney,
Lara makes time for singing with both THE BASH!! and Poetic Justice,
her
acoustic duet with Kelly Cowan. Lara
is
proud to be performing with the accomplished musicians in THE BASH!!,
and hopes
to continue growing as a singer and musician.
You can find Lara performing
with her two groups at all the
finest
clubs, wineries, casinos, fairs, festivals, city and corporate events
in Southern
California.
For
booking information, gig schedule, and
to hear music
samples of Poetic Justice and duets with Lara’s father,
please
visit:
www.myspace.com/poeticjusticerocks
