Current IAR student, Christina LaRocca, is a singer and songwriter and performs with the soul and funk group Heavy Weather. The Brooklyn native is joined by Dorian Lake (percussion/vox), Carl Gallagher (guitar), Danny Gallagher (bass), Josh Steinhart (keys) and Mike Sutton (drums). They formed in 2006 and the group’s unique blend of musical styles and compelling lyrics has brought them popularity in the New York City venue circuit, with performances at Crash Mansion, CBGB’s, The Knitting Factory, Arlene’s Grocery, and The Bitter End. Their debut album, ‘Miles of Mud,’ will be released on October 16th, 2008 with a CD release party and show at The Bitter End. Christina comments about the album: “There’s no specific theme except that life will have its ups and downs and you just have to laugh, eat an orange, and not let it get to you.” Heavy Weather was a New York City Finalist at “Emergenza,” the international battle of the bands competition. They were also the winners of IAR’s Next Level 6 Competition at Arlene’s Grocery and used the prize, a 1,000 CD package from Disc Makers, to manufacture their debut album. Christina decided to attend IAR because, “I hated being in the studio and not knowing how everything was working. It’s like taking your car to a mechanic and paying him lots of money to do something you know nothing about. If I’m going to be a recording artist, I should know how to record live music. I want to super thank IAR for helping Heavy Weather. I am extremely grateful to them for not only teaching me a lot of cool stuff but for helping me jump-start my career in the biz.” For more information on Christina LaRocca & Heavy Weather, visit heavyweathermusic.com.