Launchpad: Fforte Adore was a top finalist in the Launchpad Milwaukee Regional Competition. With this victory we were given a slot at Summerfest and will play in the Launchpad State Finals at the Wisconsin Union Theater in Madison. The Grand Prize is professional recording time, an additional Summerfest appearance. The Launchpad Competition is a first-of-its-kind alternative music competition designed to celebrate the reach of music education.
CD Release at the Miramar: We are excited to announce our CD Release Show on Friday, June 19 at Milwaukee's own Miramar Theatre. We will be teaming up with 2nd Thought for a fantastic night of music and fun for all ages. Look forward to some of the first LIVE performances of our new material and a fresh batch of newly designed Fforte Adore t-shirts. You are not going to want to miss this show - if you are a Ffan, mark your calendar now. Just $10 will get you in to this momentous event, pick up your pre-sale tickets from any band member.
Latest News
New Album: We are working tirelessly to bring you our 2nd album. Life itself is the focus of our latest compositions. As we have discovered like so many others before us, music is everywhere - love and loss, frustration and triumphs have inspired us to recreate memories, perpetuate memorials, and work towards our hopes and dreams for the future. We always look forward to sharing our unique style, and hope to expand our growing fan base as we move on to another promising summer.
The History of Fforte Adore
The History of Fforte Adore: It was not until the end of my sophomore year that the beginnings of Fforte Adore started to materialize. The actual name didn't come about until the end of the summer in 2007, but there were many additions, changes, temporary fill-ins, and even foreign exchange students that contributed to the overall effort before that all happened - all of whom I feel are worthy of mention. Josh and I are the only two original members who are currently with Fforte. And so I begin...
B.F. - Before Fforte: Josh, John Owen, and myself were joined by bassist Tony "Tones" Lococo for a short set of original, somewhat experimental compositions at Marquette High's Serutangis in April of 2007. Later in the year, we picked up Tyler Graf who would play with us for the summer before moving on to college. Bassist John Kim of Marquette High joined us for one show before heading off to college. Ji Woong Huh, a Sax player from Indonesia and transfer student at Marquette High also joined us for one show during his time in the States.
Josh knows a Singer from Bay: Josh, John, and I picked up Casey before the end of the summer in 2007, and two days later we had our first show. We played at Caf�© Forte and Discovery World over the summer, where we distributed our first demo CD featuring the original outtake of Tyler Graf's Mountains of the West. Casey's versatility was impressive in our first studio recordings, and his influence continues to take our band in new directions.
Let's Find Us a Bassist: I knew Ben Freeman from summer camp, and we were in need of a bassist, so I asked him if he would be interested in playing with us. We got together at Joshes for an informal audition/jam sesh once or twice, and we really liked what Ben had to offer. And what do you know; it's more than worked out! Look for his original composition, Montego Bay, on our second album.
Max on Sax: Josh and I were invited to play a Jazz gig in February of 2008, and Ben suggested that we ask his long-time friend and fellow Lancer to play. Long story short, Max shows up and absolutely wows us with his talent on the tenor saxophone. He impressed Josh and I so much that we invited him to continue playing. Max has been a great addition to the band and eats more than anyone I know.
Features: Since Max's addition and John's departure, we have decided as a group to stick with the five man lineup. We have been delighted to play with many musicians over the past two years, including, guitarist Jamie Mitchell, guitarist Tyler Graf, percussionist Dan Neis, guitarist Andrew Whaley, singer/bassist Sam Odin, singer/guitarist Sarah Lauer, trumpet player Tim Holdmann, trumpet player Joe Niemann, rapper Byron Brown aka Lil Mann, singer Elric Erving aka Element, singer/bassist Will Hagerup, guitarist Adam Lowe, singer Abby Armstrong, and percussionist Dillon Treacy. Look for new tracks featuring Sarah, Abby, Jamie, Byron, and Elric on the second album.
A Word from Nate
My role in the band has in many ways come to be the composer. I truly enjoy writing music and it has become more of a passion than a hobby. There is nothing like taking the sounds in my head and reproducing them on the piano or guitar into arrangements that we can work with as a group. Everybody has a different background and contributes with diverse styles and ideas. We have come to appreciate each other's styles, and I really enjoy what the guys do with my ideas - the final product of our original compositions is as much theirs as it is mine after we finishing reworking everything together. I look forward to what the summer of 2009 will bring, and hope you'll be along for the ride.
Influences
Phish, The Beatles, The Allman Brothers Band, Pink Floyd, Umphrey's McGee, Dave Matthews Band, Dispatch, OAR, and Fat Cat
Our First Album - released May 3
1. Rocherolle
2. Corner Cure
3. On The Road
4. Azucar
5. Mountains of the West
6. Prelude
7. Nothin' But Swiss
8. New Dash
Our Style
Fforte Adore is a 5 piece Jamband featuring Casey Frensz, Josh Rose, Nate Kohlenberg, Ben Freeman, and Max Palzewicz. The combo draws from numerous jazz and rock influences, creating a unique blend of jam music featuring wind, strings, and voice.
Fforte Adore Today
We have one album under our belts, and the final track, New Dash, has been aired multiple times on FM 102.1. We have won several competitions, including the 2008 Brass Bell Battle of the Bands. We have performed on stages at State Fair, Discovery World, Glendale Days, Strawberry Fest, Summerfest - M&I Classic Rock Stage, and the Rave. We will be competing at the Brass Bell Battle of the Bands again this summer on Friday, May 29th @ the Miramar Theatre.