Al and Lynn Ferraro may have a hit record on their hands — 31 years after its initial release.
At the same time, the two brothers have a new CD they're hoping will get some attention and airplay from local radio stations.
When their band, Tangerine, released its first album in 1971, it didn't exactly climb the charts with a bullet. Their "psychedelic" sound faced some stiff competition — bands such as the Grateful Dead and the Jefferson Airplane, to name a few. The psychedelic genre featured extended guitar solos and heavy use of distortion and feedback.
Al Ferraro, 61, said the Tangerine sound was similar to Grand Funk Railroad. "We always wanted to sound full like Grand Funk," he said. Congas gave some of their early songs a Santana-like feel.
While Tangerine didn't break out from the "psychedelic" pack that also included bands like Iron Butterfly and King Crimson, they did enjoy some success — playing to large crowds at Penn State University, Kent State in Ohio and the University of Pittsburgh.
Major labels became interested in Tangerine — until they learned the group was from Pittsburgh. "If you're a jazz musician from Pittsburgh, that opens any door. If you're a rock musician, no one wants to talk to you," said Lynn Ferraro, 54, of Ligonier.
Tangerine did eventually sign a deal to make three albums. They broke up after the first, called "The Peeling of Tangerine." The band's roster included: Dennis DeFelice —bass; Al Ferraro- guitar/vocals; Lynn Ferraro —congas, guitar/vocals; and Dennis Kostley —drums.
Al Ferraro, of Latrobe, left for California shortly after the band broke up. "That was where I really wanted to be," he said. His brother followed six months later.
They stayed for 25 years. By day, Al was an accountant; Lynn owned a seafood company. At night, they played their music as a duo throughout Orange County.
Then one of them — they don't remember who — said, "Let's get our heads back to reality and quit our jobs and go on the road again." They did just that and hooked up with a Beverly Hills booking agent.
Life on the road had its ups and downs. Their Beverly Hills agent left them stranded a couple of times so they got another agent from Chicago and started touring as Tangerine. All the while recording original songs on an old reel-to-reel.
They lived on a shoestring budget, keeping gas money and enough to buy burritos, Lynn said. "We just kept enough to get to the next job," he said, "The rest was sent back home."
Lynn, a U.S. Air Force veteran, has been married for 37 years. Al, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, has been married for 20 years.
They found ways to keep going. In North Dakota, for instance, they traded studio time for producing a jingle for a local painting company —Dietz Painting Co. The jingle went "Get your feets running to Deitz."
After touring the U.S. and Canada for about 30 months, they were burned out.
Lynn sold the seafood company and began doing cost containment consulting work for clients like W.R. Grace and The Four Seasons. He returned to Pennsylvania in 1996.
Al thought the brothers were going their separate ways so he found a replacement for Lynn and was readying a new band. Then he had a stroke.
He came home to Latrobe six months later.
The brothers started playing music during their high school days. Lynn was in a band called the Fireflies; Al played in Freddie and the Fireballs.
They once had a radio show on a Latrobe station where they did "crazy stuff," Lynn said. "We'd read the baseball scores between songs."
The show ran between a religious program and the polka party.
Over the years, they've played with some big names. Al has played with Bo Diddley, Joe Lewis — Conway Twitty's guitar player, and Fabian. Lynn played in July at a benefit for a children's hospital in Texas with Steve Winwood of Traffic and Blind Faith, and Richie Furay of Buffalo Springfield and Poco.
"The Peeling of Tangerine" was resurrected by Gear Fab Records, an independent label in Orlando, Fla., that specializes in psychedelic music recorded between 1965 and 1972.
Gear Fab supplies distributors in 15 countries, said Roger Maglio, 51, the label's owner.
Psychedelic music has undergone a two-phase resurgence, he said. From 1983 to 1988 and from 1994 to today. Much of the interest in the genre stems from "not a lot going on with the current scene." Maglio said.
"What are your choices, 'N Sync?" he said.
Gear Fab has done 88 releases by about 80 artists over the past five years.
Tangerine was one of the better ones, Maglio said. "Those very limited, very regional releases become more valuable if they are actually good. Which Tangerine was."
Critics have called "The Peeling of Tangerine" a "minor lost classic" and "one of the long lost treasures of psychedelic rock."
Gear Fab is selling the CD in countries like New Zealand, Japan, Canada and Australia. Vinyl versions of the album are being sold in Italy. Sales may warrant a second pressing, Maglio said.
Their new sound, said Lynn, is an effort to bring tone, melody, harmony and lyrics back to music. Much of it was recorded in the 24-track digital recording studio that Lynn has in his home in Ligonier.
The Ferraro brothers plan to continue performing and recording. But they're not sure what form this latest collaboration will take.
"We don't know who we are," Al said. "We're just two mixed up guys."
