Lanny Cordola On Working With Rock Legends For “Miraculous Love Kids” & Living In Afghanistan
Lanny Cordola is an American-born guitarist, songwriter and producer. Beyond being a member of label-signed bands (e.g. Giuffria, House Of Lords, Magdallan), he has written and/or played with other artists (e.g. Doro, Ken Tamplin, Ransom, D_2), helmed solo albums, acted on television, and produced a variety of projects. Simply put, he has spent decades in entertainment, consistently working.
But these days Lanny Cordola is working on what is arguably his most ambitious and impactful project: The Miraculous Love Kids. Collaborating with musicians on a peace-through-music project, he spends most of his time based in Afghanistan, having formed his own non-profit 501(c) organization. Inspired by the tragic killing of sisters Parwana and Korshid in Kabul, Afghanistan by a suicide bomber, Cordola teachers guitar, English and other life skills to hundreds of children — mostly girls — at the Miraculous Love Kids Studio with Parwana and Korshid’s sister Mursal.
The work of Lanny Cordola goes beyond his efforts in Afghanistan, however. In 2018, Cordola released a music video for “Love And Mercy,” featuring a collaborative effort between Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson and some of his students. 2 years later in 2020, the Miraculous Love Kids have released a music video for a cover of The Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams” as not only featuring some of his students, but also Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello, Foo Fighters’ Rami Jaffee, Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go’s, The Bangles’ Vicki Peterson, The Runaways’ Cherie Currie, The MC5’s Wayne Kramer, Umphrey’s McGee’s Kris Myers, and The Bird & The Bees’ Inara George and Greg Kurstin.
On November 18, 2020, I had the pleasure of speaking with Lanny Cordola via Zoom, as embedded below. We spoke about “Sweet Dreams,” his professional and philosophical journeys, The Beach Boys, John Stamos, Gene Simmons of KISS, and plenty more. Additional information on Cordola and The Miraculous Love Kids can be found online via www.miraculouslovekids.org, youtube.com/channel/UCCMEfJqdsHjBtvaD5w37DLg and facebook.com/Themiraculouslovekids.
About the Author
Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."
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