FLAME


 

website www.flametheband.com

 From: Tim Fiori - Director of Flame - 01.06.08

I work at a not for profit agency in upstate NY that serves people with developmental disabilities. I oversee a rock band, Flame, that was created in our recreation program and is made up of 11 people with developmental and physical disabilities, including autism, Down's syndrome, mental retardation, blindness, cerebral palsy and paralysis. The band has been touring for the past 4 years and their fame is growing.


The band is a amazing and blow audiences away. They are constantly booked, performing over 90 times per year - and that number would be doubled but I turn down many bookings to ensure the health and well being of the band members. We obtained a custom wheelchair accessible tour bus and have 5 staff members that travel with them for every performance.

They perform over 100 classic standard hits from the past 5 decades. They are changing the way the general public views people with disabilities. They appeal to everyone from school kids to senior citizens and are especially inspirational to other people with disabilities and their families. The band has released 2 CDs. We have been approached by several national film makers interested in doing a documentary on this amazing band. We also were close to having a reality type TV show about the band. The TV production company though has put it on hold for now.

The core of the band is the lead singer, an amazing woman who plays guitar and sings. She has autism and is mentally challenged. She has an amazing voice and learns songs and new instruments in minutes. The drummer who sings background, is totally blind and mentally retarded. The bass player is paralyzed from the waist down. The rest of the band are background singers, percussionists and 3 dancers. Our goal is to change the world, by changing the public's perceptions of people with disabilities. Flame is a phenomenon. We are close to getting the band national exposure but still need that one break that can make a TV show or record deal happen.
 

From: Tim Fiori - Director of PR & Flame
Lexington Center- Fulton County Chapter of NYSARC, Inc.
Tel: 518 736 3931 - Call 518 848 2659
www.flametheband.com