Filipina from San Carlos City heads famous country rock band in U.S.

SAN CARLOS CITY, Pangasinan — A Filipina from San Carlos City is now making waves as a song writer, singer and head of a famous country rock band under her name called “Anna Fermin’s Trigger Gospel” in Chicago, USA.

In fact, the band bearing the name of the San Carlos lass was described by Greg Kof, a columnist of the Chicago Tribune, as “one of Chicago’s most treasured voices”.

Ms. Fermin was only a year old when her parents Renato and Nida Peralta- Fermin immigrated to the U.S. Her family settled and laid their roots in America’s dairy land at Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Although she studied classical piano and violin and performed in choirs throughout her childhood and adolescence, it wasn’t after her graduation from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1993 that she wrote her first song.

She set aside her profession as a graphic designer and embarked on a career closest to her heart—singing and song writing.

The San Carlos City-borne Ms. Fermin names Patsy Cline, Nancy Wilson and Nina Simone—among many of the music world’s big names—who have influenced her music and singing style, but admits her father, Renato, must have had the strongest influence on her.

Ms. Fermin recalls how her father, a self-proclaimed Filipino Elvis, used to embarrass her as he sang songs on his karaoke at parties. But she admits that it was this early exposure to his father’s songs that instilled in her a love for music.

Having taught herself how to play the guitar, using a borrowed classical guitar from her ‘tita” (aunt), Fermin started attending local open mikes.

There, she impressed other musicians, including her now long-time drummer Paul Bivans, who, among others, encouraged her to form her first band “Anaboy”. That was the beginning of what has emerged today as “Anna Fermin’s Trigger Gospel”.

The other members of the band include Scott Ligon on electric guitar and keyboards, Bivans on drums, and Michael Krayniak on bass. They become the perfect complement to Ms. Fermin’s stunning voice.

With her band’s diverse influences and varied experiences, Fermin’s music has taken on its own distinctive style. The band, incidentally, was named after an old Western novel.

Formed in 1997, “Anna Fermin’s Trigger Gospel” has garnered the attention and respect of critics and music fans alike, hooking audiences with their eclectic songs and rousing live shows.

Their latest release as of October 31, 2006 were “Where My Heart Begins”, "Further Along”, “Softly”, “Romance, “That kind of Love”, “I know You”, “Heaven in My New Shoes”, and “Yellow Rose of Texas”.

Rob Thomas of the Capital Times and of Wisconsn State Journal, wrote: “This Chicago country-rock band evokes the emotions and honesty of classic country while keeping its sounds fresh and original. And Fermin’s voice is just phenomenal”.