Interview: Pino Farina (and His Band) Are Huntley Hometown Heroes

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HUNTLEY, ILL – Electrician by day and rockstar by night, hometown hero Pino Farina brings the northwest suburbs together through bi-weekly Facebook live performances. With a virtual jukebox of covers and original songs, Pino exudes a positive vibe, passion and talent that has helped fill these empty quarantine nights with lasting memories.

A pleasant distraction from our challenging times, Pino sometimes plays at his backyard firepit and this past Sunday police sirens can be heard in the distant background as a not so subtle reminder of our current reality. The community has rallied behind Pino and his performances with local venues like the (click the name to link) RocHaus and Sew Hop’d sponsoring and hosting performances on their websites.

Rocker Pino Farina
Photo credit: Jeff Doles for HollywoodChicago.com



After touring the country extensively with his award-winning band Pun̈sapaya, Pino stepped away for a time to rediscover himself as an artist, songwriter and performer. In 2018, Pino released “Start Over Again” and has been enthusiastically welcomed back performing in different combinations with Pino Farina Band (solo, duo, or full). He is currently working on a new collection of songs and expects a Summer/Fall 2020 release.

Jeff Doles of HollywoodChicago.com recently talked with Pino Farina about his music career, his band and the overall journey during these challenging times.

HollywoodChicago.com: As a performer how has the quarantine changed the way you approach your music career?

Pino Farina: Honestly, I could not have imagined such a positive experience in such challenging and unprecedented times. The power of social media has really proven to be an incredible resource in allowing myself and so many other artists to virtually connect with captive fans, old and new. 

Not only are the fans and new relationships made during this time, but the local musicians community itself have reached out to each other, and as a result that world has gotten smaller. To my disbelief, I have had the opportunity to discover some really incredible local talent and collaborate. It has formed a camaraderie between the community that I don’t think any one of us had expected, and has allowed for more networking and exposure for all of us. 

Pino Farina in Black and White
Photo credit: Jeff Doles for HollywoodChicago.com

HollywoodChicago.com: Did you perform on Facebook live prior to the quarantine or is this new territory as a way to share your music? If not, what was the learning curve and what obstacles did you face?

Pino: I had never performed via a live stream before, and honestly was always a little afraid of the idea.  When the social distancing started I was almost forced to try it. This seemed the only way to continue to keep my voice and guitar playing from withering away … and continue to connect with an audience. Given the realities we’re dealing with, it’s truly been an escape valve.

My biggest obstacle has been the technical aspect of streaming. Early on, I started off just using my phone for audio and video, and trying to upgrade the quality of the streams by using broadcasting network software and incorporating audio recording software has been the real challenge. I am much more interested in the performance aspect, but I forced myself to understand the software, and definitely had a lot to learn. But like many other folks I wasn’t working my day job, so it gave me a lot more time to teach myself and adapt.